The cries of London : exhibiting several of the itinerant traders of antient and modern times . been the originalhurdy-gurdy. This Turk contrived by the assistance of hisnose, which was a pretty large one, to produce a noise withwhich most of the spectators seemed to be pleased. Thesplendour of his dress, and the pomposity of his manner, pro-cured him a livelihood for some years. His success inducedother persons to imitate him; the most remarkable of whomwas the famous Matthew Skeggs, who actually played a con-certo on a broomstick, at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket,in the character of Si
The cries of London : exhibiting several of the itinerant traders of antient and modern times . been the originalhurdy-gurdy. This Turk contrived by the assistance of hisnose, which was a pretty large one, to produce a noise withwhich most of the spectators seemed to be pleased. Thesplendour of his dress, and the pomposity of his manner, pro-cured him a livelihood for some years. His success inducedother persons to imitate him; the most remarkable of whomwas the famous Matthew Skeggs, who actually played a con-certo on a broomstick, at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket,in the character of Signor Bumbasto. His portrait was paintedby Thomas King, a particular friend of Hogarth, and engravedby Houston. Skeggs, who then kept a public-house, the signof the Hoop and Bunch of Grapes, in St. Albans Street,now a part of Waterloo Place, published it himself. Skeggsscelebrity is noticed in the following extract from G. : The choice spirits have ever been famous fortheir talents as musical artists. They usually met at theharvest-homes of grape gathering. There, exhilarated by the. 93 pressings of the vintas;e, they were wont to sing songs, tellstories, and show tricks, from their first emerging until theirperihelion under the presidentship of Mr. George AlexanderStevens, Ballad-Laureat to the Soeiety of Choice Spirits, andwho ajipeared at Ranclagh in the character of Comus, sup-ported by those drolls of merry memory. Unparalleled weretheir performances, as first fists upon the salt-box, and ini-mitable the variations they would twang upon the forte andpiano Jews harp; excellent was Howard in the chin concerto,whose nose also supplied the unrivalled tones of the the sticcado, Matt. Sket/f/s remains still unrivalled. Andwe cannot now boast of one real genius upon the genuine hurdy-gurdy. Alas ! these stars are all extinguished; and the remainsof ancient British harmony are now confined to the manlymusic of the manow-bones and cleavers. Everything mustsink
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsmithjo, bookcentury1800, bookidcriesoflondonexh00smit
