ABSTRACT
The establishment of the Philharmonic Society in 1813 heralded Viotti's return to the performing stage after a 15-year absence. He performed at one concert in 1813, one in 1814, and two in 1815, not as a soloist, but as an ensemble player, and the scarcity of his appearances reflects the fact that he was not returning to the career of violinist: his involvement was more important as an administrator than as a musician. Music in London in 1813 was a far cry from the high level it had attained in the last decade of the eighteenth century. In 1809 Margaret Chinnery had already remarked that it was 'at very low ebb'. Three other Viotti/Chinnery friends who were associate members of the new Society were Giuseppe Naldi, Paolo Spagnoletti, who had regularly led the King's Theatre orchestra in 1804–1805. It has been claimed that the inspiration for the Society came from Salomon's famous Hanover Square concerts.
