Samuel Slack
Encyclopedia
Samuel Slack sometimes known as The Tideswell Vocalist, was a noted bass singer
, a native of the Derbyshire
Peak District
and protégé of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
.
Slack was a natural bass, and though of unpolished manners (in one account "an uncouth example of common manhood") he was able, thanks to the Duchess's patronage, to study under Reginald Spofforth
. At the height of his career he was the most popular bass singer in England, and he is said to have performed before King George III.
His tomb in Tideswell
churchyard, initially erected by public subscription, was restored in 1891.
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
, a native of the Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
and protégé of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire , formerly Lady Georgiana Spencer, was the first wife of the 5th Duke of Devonshire, and mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire. Her father, the 1st Earl Spencer, was a great-grandson of the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her niece was Lady Caroline Lamb...
.
Slack was a natural bass, and though of unpolished manners (in one account "an uncouth example of common manhood") he was able, thanks to the Duchess's patronage, to study under Reginald Spofforth
Reginald Spofforth
Reginald Spofforth was an English musician. He was born in Southwell, Nottinghamshire but moved to London around 1790. He was active as an organist, conductor and music teacher, but he is best remembered as a composer...
. At the height of his career he was the most popular bass singer in England, and he is said to have performed before King George III.
His tomb in Tideswell
Tideswell
Tideswell is a village and civil parish in the Peak District of Derbyshire, in England. It lies east of Buxton on the B6049, in a wide dry valley on a limestone plateau, at an altitude of above sea level, and is within the District of Derbyshire Dales...
churchyard, initially erected by public subscription, was restored in 1891.
Sources
- "Notes of the Month", The Antiquary, vol. 24 (1891), p. 237.
- M. J. B. BaddeleyM. J. B. BaddeleyMountford John Byrde Baddeley was a distinguished English guidebook writer of the late 19th and early 20th century. His guides appeared in the 'Thorough Guide' series, edited by Baddeley and his colleague, Charles Slegg Ward, and included guides to Scotland , Devon and Cornwall Mountford John...
, The Peak District of Derbyshire and the Neighbourhood(7th ed., 1899), p. 116.