The Strand Magazine, Vol. 07, Issue 38, February, 1894: An Illustrated MonthlyVarious
General
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 07, Issue 38, February, 1894: An Illustrated Monthly
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
The entrance-hall of Hassendean--on the front door of which hangs
a lucky horseshoe--is given up to some admirable examples of
engraving--after Millais, Gainsborough, and Burton Barber; whilst the
staircase leading to Mr. Lloyd's own particular sanctum, in addition to
providing hanging space for many pictures of musical celebrities, has
an artistic selection of Doré's works.
Mr. Lloyd's own room chiefly contains family pictures. On the
mantelpiece are his children; by the window his father, and close
by a reproduction of the stained glass window erected to the memory
of the great tenor's mother at the Ladies' College, Cheltenham. The
dining-room looks out on a great expanse of lawn, studded with fir
trees, and contains some grand canvases by Ogilvie Reid, Knupp, Hughes,
Ladelle, Danby, Cobbett, Hans Poch, of Munich, and J. Stark.
Mr. Lloyd points out with pardonable pride five drawings by Rossetti,
which hang in the drawing-room: he is a hearty admirer of this
brilliant artist's work. The cabinets in this apartment are full of the
choicest of Dresden china and enamelled silver ware, and a prominent
position is given to a Russian silver cigarette case inscribed:
"Presented by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh to Edward Lloyd,
October, 1884." The motto on it is in Russian, and its translation
reads: "Carry about, don't lose, frequently remember."
The presentments of the features of musical friends are numerous, and,
as Mr. Lloyd takes up a picture of the late Barry Sullivan as _Hamlet_,
he remembers that he was the last friend to see him when he was drawn
out on to the balcony of his house at Brighton, just before he died.
When we remember Mr. Lloyd's profession, one may be permitted to refer
to the music-room as being the most used apartment in Hassendean. It
is really a magnificent room, which the famous tenor had expressly
built for himself; its proportions are perfect, its acoustic properties
everything to be desired. There are two floors to this room at a
distance of 4ft. apart. This realizes an admirable sounding-board.
"Oh, yes!" said Mr. Lloyd, in reply to my question, "I practise here:
but I fear that the public little realize what practice means. I am
never satisfied, though I invariably practise a new work every morning
for two or three months. I first give my attention to the notes, then
study the real meaning of the words. You then begin to see the beauty
of the work and gain a knowledge of the composer's idea. Not until a
work is learnt thoroughly do you begin to realise its countless gems,
and the more I 'live' with the written genius of great composers, the
greater pleasure do I find in their beauties."
[Illustration: THE ENTRANCE-HALL--HASSENDEAN.
_From a Photo by Elliot & Fry._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account