The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-30
MUSIC HALL HISTORY
"Reminiscences of the Father"
 This Form of Amusement.
London Telegraph.


 This Form of Amusement. London Telegraph.
 From Pilgrims Inn to modern music hall. Such, in brief Is the history of the Canterbury, which recently celebrated ts fftieth anniversary, with the support or it's founder, the veteran Charles Morton. who a month or two since had his Sod birthday. Historians there are who boldly assert that Shakespeare was among the early patrons of the house of call. whicn at the time of the Reformation chanBed it's name to that of Canterbury Arms It bore that title when the tavern became the property of Mir. Morton in lS4s. -Four years later, in 1852. he began the venture which proved to be the parent Of the music hall of today. What contrast lies between the past and the present. An effort was made at the fftieth anni- yersary referred to above to portray IL upon the stage by G. Adney Payne. to- ward the end of a st1pendous program when a succession of portraits Of old time favorites was presented, with songs familiar to a bygone generation. the vo- calists for the occasion being MISS Kay Wallace, George Leyton and Miss Peggy Pryde. And this selection was followed by the appearance of many stars Of to- day, announced by the Chairman from his table. the duty discharged in turn by the best known music hall managers of today. -
 MT. Morton. in carrying his mind back to the very early days, could not. in brief interval snatched from very busy morning at the Palace Theatre, recall that he had ever displaced the rightfui occupant of the chair at the old Canter- bury.
 The Canterbury Chairman" he said, .t 0E hA a m Theatre. He sat at what was called the Chairman's table, and his duty was to announce the singers and keep order. He was surrounded by few choice spirits, and he was required to be sociable, but not to drink with everybody in those days The custom may have fallen to that in later times at different halls."
 The chairman's table seems to have de- scended to the first music hall as legacy from its progenitor the ''singsong- "Harmonics' at public houses, where Dibdin's sea ditties and classic songs were heard twice or thrice a week. had al- ways a select table for the most import ant habitues. Out of the harmonics came the concert rooms and saloons, and these in turn, under the dictum of the Lord Chamberlain, had to declare themselves theatres or music halls. It was then that the Grecian Saloon became the Grecian Theatre in the City Road, and the Brit annia Saloon the Britannia Theatre In Hoxton.
 Before l started the Canterbury" said Mir Morton, John Rous was the proprl- etor of the Eagle Tavern where the Gre clan Saloon was. and there plays on a | regular stage were given, drink being sold freely in the auditorium. There was no music hail such as we know 1t to- day. but sing-sOngs took place in large rooms behind public nouses.' From such a beginning came the Met ropolitan in the Edgeware Road, the White Lion opening d concert room three nights q week with nominal admission. Upon the concert room the first Canter- bury was a distinct advantage. 1t was only of one hoor,' resumed the original proprietor his memory still fresh, in spite of his ripe old age. Tt held about 300 or 400 people. l rebuilt it in 1854 to hold from 800 to 1000. and put this second hall over he first one with out stopping a single night. We played in the old hall on Saturday night, cleared it away. and played in the new one on the following Monday. There was one balcony with seats at ls., and the ground floor or area, with seats at 6d.-only two prices"
 
 a!isen-the distinction drawn between the theatre without refreshment in the au- ditorium, and the music hall with refresh .aent but without dramatic entertain -lent.
 "There were no qualMs of conscience men about drink" 'dryly remarked the manager; bars were in the auditorium and everywhere. The license covered the whole of the premises. And as to dra- matlc entertainments never had any sketches They gre comparatively of re- cent introduction. l once attempted to play a pantomime with two people-Mar- shall and Bury But 1t was stopped by .lw
 Mir. Morton had no orchestra at first Simply a grand piano and the harmo- um-nothing more-not even cornet in , hose days"
 What was your program thenY
 .'Glees. madrgals, choruses, solos
 ..atimental and comic. Nelly Power, 1 ,.ho sang The Fisherman's Daughter
 wss with me from the first. She was
 se-io-co:nic and very clever little
 -rl. She afterward went into the thea -es. Jenny Hill. with The Thrush was 1 another. She afterward acquired the 1 name of The Vital Spark. Then came