Bach in Arts
Bach Statues, Monuments, Memorials & Plaques

Art-1955

Type:

Bach Statue

Title:

The Albert Memorial

Location:

Onorthside of Kensington Gore, Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens, West London, England, UK

Description:

Colossal bronze gilt statue, enshrined in a Gothic canopy, with spire rising to 53 meter, supported by four clustered piers of granite. There are four projecting pedestals supporting marble groups representing the four Industries. Around the base is a frieze with 189 composers, architects, poets, painters, and sculptors, the so-called Frieze of Parnassus (actually, only 187 different persons Michelangelo and Rhoecus appear both twice). The whole is on a spacious platform approached by flights of granite steps. At the corners of the steps are pedestals bearing allegorical marble figures of the continents.
The architect of the monument is Sir Gilbert Scott. The memorial was opened to the public in 1872, the statue of Albert was only installed in 1875.
Sculptors:
Armstead: B4 (nos. 2,3,6,7), D1; He was in overall charge of designing the statuary of the memorial.

D. Frieze of Parnassus
The central part of the memorial is surrounded by the elaborate sculptural Frieze of Parnassus (named after Mount Parnassus, the favorite resting place for the Greek muses), which depicts 169 life-size full-length sculptures, a mixture of low-relief and high-relief, of individual composers, architects, poets, painters, and sculptors. Musicians and poets were placed on the south side, with painters on the east side, sculptors on the west side, and architects on the north side.
D1. South and east side: Painters, musicians and poets
80 painters, musicians and poets, grouped by national schools.

Musicians (South side of SE corner pedestal:):
25. bach: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), German composer and musician
26. gluck: Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), German composer
27. handel: George Frideric Handel or Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759), German-born, British Baroque composer
28. mozart: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), Austrian composer
29. mendelssohn: Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholfy (1809-1847), German composer, pianist, organist and conductor
30. haydn: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Austrian composer
31. weber: Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic
32. beethoven: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), German composer and pianist
33. tallis: Thomas Tallis (c. 1505-1585), English composer
34. o. gibbons: Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), English composer, virginalist and organist
35. lawes: Henry Lawes (1595-1662), English musician and composer (Wikipedia).

36. purcell: Henry Purcell (1659-1695), English composer

Photo 01: The musicians are now ranged right and left. Next to Schiller (on our right) stands J.S. Bach, debating with G.F. Handel some point which seems to interest Gluck, who leans over to listen. W.A. Mozart, who follows, has submitted his score to Haydn, seated and intently perusing it. F.Mendelssohn, inclining forwards in abstraction, seems in the group, but not of it. Weber, in a weird reverie, stands next him; while, with one unconscious hand grasping Haydn's chair-back, the other slung listlessly in his breast, the wholly solitary L.v. Beethoven lets his profound head hang over in forlorn absorption.
Photo 02: Then follows a spirited group of three English composers, with Gibbons in the centre, Lawes on our right, and Tallis on our left. What is in the scroil we do not know, for the sculptor will not condescend to the trick of writing on it; but it is grasped by Gibbons and held open by Lawes, while Tallis places an admonishing finger on it, and at the same time lays a gentle expostulating pressure on the hand of Gibbons that holds it. There is a living look in this action - which is wholly inexpressible. Purcell stands at the angle in isolated thought, listening to "ditties of no tone." He does not, however, quite end the group of English composers, since Arne, Boyce, and Bishop (the last two in low relief), extend half way upon the salient face of this wing, shared by them with some English painters.

Measures:

The total length of the frieze is approximately 64 meter.

Creator:

Sculptors: Henry Hugh Armstead (1872)
Signed: h.h. armstead sculpt. (front of SE and NE corner pedestals)

Buy item at:

See Source/Links below.

Photo 01: German/Austrian Composers

Photo 02: English Composers

Photo 03: The Frieze of Parnassus encircles the base of the Albert Memorial in London and consists of 169 life-size full-length sculptures of individual artists from history. The total length of the frieze is approximately 64 metres (210 feet). Depicted from top: South side: musicians and poets East side: painters North side: architects West side: sculptors

Photos 04-06: The Albert Memorial

Comments:

Copyright Photos 01-02: from The Victoria Web; Photo 03: from Wikipedia; Photo 04: from Kensington Gardens Website; Photos 05-06: from e-architect Website

Sources/Links:
Statues - Hither & Thither: The Albert Memorial (Ven der Krogt)
Frieze of Parnassus (Wikipedia)
Henry Hugh Armstead by John Lucas Tupper (The Vtctoria Web)
The Kensingtom Gardens - A Royal Parks: The Albertt Memorial (Official Website)
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/albert-memorial
Albert Memorial London : Hyde Park Architecture (e-architect)

Contributors: Aryeh Oron (October 2016);