John Braham as 'Lord Aimworth', steel line engraving (1818) copyright expired
John Braham
John Braham as "Lord Aimworth", steel line engraving (1818) by Thomson from a drawing by Foster. 3⅛" x 4⅝". This version from University of Illinois Theatrical Print Collection. Copyright expired
The character Lord Aimworth appears in The Maid of the Mill, a comic Opera written by
Isaac Bickerstaff. Published in 1765, it was written in the style of Gay's Beggars Opera, with dialogue broken by the occasional 'Airs'. It appears that the piece was performed at the Drury Lane theatre and at Covent Garden. A version of the text, based on the Theatre-Royal Covent Garden prompt book, was published in 1791.
The music for this piece was by Samuel Arnold, 1740 - 1802,and Charles Dibdin, 1745 - 1814. Dibden took the role of Ralph in the first production of the opera. A copy of the text, which is out of copyright, is held in the library of the University of California, Los Angeles
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Braham became the first English male singer to command a European reputation. By 1809 he could command a fee of 2000 guineas for fifteen concerts in Dublin.
Describing his singing, Robinson wrote in 1811: His trills, shakes and quavers are, like those of all the other great singers, tiresome to me; but his pure melody, the simple song clearly articulated, is equal to anything I ever heard. His song was acted as well as sung delightfully; I think Braham a fine actor while singing; he throws his soul into his throat, but his whole frame is animated, and his gestures and looks are equally impassioned.
The tenor Michael Kelly, who had a long professional association with Braham, remarked in 1826 that 'he is, decidedly, the greatest vocalist of his day.'