Life in Georgian England is revisited in words and music at Buxton’s Pump Room
Mill Songs and Georgian Chamber Music at The Pump Room in Buxton addressed the different social classes in Georgian England and their musical expression, writes Mavis Kirkham.
Philip Parkin, of the Arkwright Society, presented working class voices of the industrial revolution. He read extracts from literature about clashes between mill owners and their workers including excerpts from novels by Charlotte Bronte and Elizabeth Gaskell. He also sang songs and poems by mill workers.
Conrad Marshall (flute) and Lauren Scott (harp) then played chamber music as enjoyed by the upper classes of Georgian society. This short recital included
work by Mozart, Bach and Spohr which they had arranged for flute and harp.
This was a varied and interesting insight into Georgian England.