Sir Joseph Barnby
Vanity Fair Print
£50.00
Out of stock
Sir Joseph Barnby (12 August 1838 – 28 January 1896) was an English composer and conductor.
A possibly apocryphal story about him got as far as New Zealand: A young contralto at the end of a Handel solo put in a high note instead of the less effective note usually sung. The conductor, Barnby, was shocked, and asked whether Miss – thought she was right to improve on Handel. "Well, Sir Joseph, said she, I’ve got an 'E' and I don’t see why I shouldn’t show it off". "Miss –," rejoined Barnby, "I believe you have two knees, but I hope you won’t show them off here".
by Sir Leslie Ward
chromolithograph, published in Vanity Fair 1 November 1894
40x26cm