Music for the Royal Fireworks made clear to Handel that King George had a preference for only martial instruments and drums, and hoped there would be "no fiddles". Handel omitted the string instruments against his will. Also against Handel's will, there was a full rehearsal of the music in Vauxhall Gardens and not in Green Park. On 21 April 1749 an audience, claimed to be over twelve thousand people, each paying two shillings and six pence (half a crown) rushed to get there, causing a three-hour traffic jam of carriages on London Bridge, the only vehicular route to the area south of the river. Six
James Lockhart (music director) James Lockhart (music director) James Lockhart (born 16 October 1930) is a Scottish conductor, pianist and organist who served as music director for a number of organisations. Lockhart was born on 16 October 1930 in Edinburgh and studied at the Royal College of Music. He worked as a ' (singing coach) at the ', Germany from 1955 to 1956. He was music director at Welsh National Opera from 1968 to 1972, and at the opera of the "" from 1972 to 1978 — the first British born person to hold that position with a German opera. He was the Royal