WHITWORTH, Henry [JONES, Henry Whitworth] (b Stapleton House, Stapleton, Gloucestershire, 24 September 1817; d 1 Brunswick Place, Regents Park, London, 28 March 1891)

This chapter presents a biography of mid- to late-19th-century Victorian vocalist Henry Whitworth. For half a dozen years, in the late 1840s and early 1850s, the name of bass-baritone Henry Whitworth appeared regularly on the best London operatic and oratorio programmes. After his contract with Conte Gritti ended, Henry returned to Britain, and he was soon in action. It seems that his first appearance on the British stage was made on 17 May 1847, at a concert arranged at Her Majesty's Theatre for the Benefit of composer Vincent Wallace. The most consequential event of Henry's platform season of 1848 was an engagement at the Norwich Festival. On 1 June Henry sang at the Choral Fund's concert and that same evening saw the introduction of a series of 'Concerts monstres' at Exeter Hall. On 10 March, Henry returned to the Philharmonic Society, where he performed an aria from Rossini's Zelmira and joined Charlotte Dolby in a duet from Meyerbeer's Margarita d'Anjou.