In the eighteenth century, there were some advantages to being a "dilettante" or amateur musician; if you were a nobleman, you might even choose a false name or that of another composer under which to publish your work, in order not to compromise one's status as gentry. Or, if you were like John Marsh, a prosperous barrister that played the organ, composed symphonies, and organized subscription concerts in his spare time, you could use a silly pseudonym like "Sharm" that everyone could see through. Under this name, Marsh ...
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In the eighteenth century, there were some advantages to being a "dilettante" or amateur musician; if you were a nobleman, you might even choose a false name or that of another composer under which to publish your work, in order not to compromise one's status as gentry. Or, if you were like John Marsh, a prosperous barrister that played the organ, composed symphonies, and organized subscription concerts in his spare time, you could use a silly pseudonym like "Sharm" that everyone could see through. Under this name, Marsh published his most ambitious work, the Conversation Symphony of 1778, ostensibly scored for two orchestras, but sharing the same string group -- the winds alone are divided and the continuo is brought to the front. This Stokowskian reimagining of the orchestra was quite novel in its day and the symphony remained a favorite in England for quite some time after Marsh retired from public life in 1811. Marsh's other eight surviving symphonies -- of the 39 he produced altogether -- have not...
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