Barnett Nathan | |
---|---|
![]() Caricature of Nathan from the satirical magazine The Man in the Moon (1847) | |
Born | 1793 |
Died | 6 December 1856
London, United Kingdom | (aged 62–63)
Burial place | Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery, Covent Garden |
Other names | Baron of Rosherville |
Spouse |
Caroline Buckley (
m. 1816) |
Relatives | Isaac Nathan (brother) |
Barnett Nathan (1793 – 6 December 1856), known professionally as Baron Nathan, was an English impresario, entertainer, and dancing master. He acted for many years as master of ceremonies and managing director at Rosherville Gardens. [1]
Barnett Nathan was born in Canterbury, the youngest child of Jewish parents Mary ( née Goldsmid) and Menachem Mona (or Muna), and was given the Hebrew name Baruch ben Menachem. [2] His Polish-born father was cantor of the local synagogue. [3] Barnett's elder brother, Isaac Nathan, would come to be an accomplished musician and composer, [4] and one sister would become a professional harpist. [5] On 6 July 1816, he eloped with Caroline Buckley of Bristol, the sister of Isaac's second wife. [6] [2]
A venture into music publishing with Isaac ended in bankruptcy, [7] and Nathan became a dancing instructor in Kennington. There he opened a dance academy, [8] and from 1834 he led dancing at the Tivoli Gardens in Margate. [3] In 1842, he was permanently installed as master of ceremonies and managing director at Rosherville Gardens in Gravesend, Kent, [9] [10] where he spent every summer until his death. [11] On his benefit nights he would perform his famous 'egg dance', which consisted of dancing the hornpipe blindfolded on a stage that was covered in eggs and teaware. [12]
He died at his home on 6 December 1856 from the rupture of a blood vessel in the head, [13] and was buried at the Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery in Covent Garden. [14]
Nathan was a well-known personality, who was frequently parodied in the satirical magazines Diogenes, [15] The Puppet-Show, [16] The Comic Almanack, [17] and Punch. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] In Robin Hood and Richard Cœur de Lion, an opera burlesque by Joachim Hayward Stocqueler, Shirley Brooks, and Charles Kenney, the titular character declares:
This ready courtesy's beyond belief.
A handsome hall! Baron, I vow you will
Eclipse your peer, the Lord of Rosherville,
The dancing nobleman, whose power we see
Makes even gents dance almost decently. [26]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain: Jacobs, Joseph; Lipkind, Goodman (1905).
"Nathan, Barnett (known as Baron Nathan)". In
Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.).
The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 178.
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cite journal}}
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Barnett Nathan | |
---|---|
![]() Caricature of Nathan from the satirical magazine The Man in the Moon (1847) | |
Born | 1793 |
Died | 6 December 1856
London, United Kingdom | (aged 62–63)
Burial place | Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery, Covent Garden |
Other names | Baron of Rosherville |
Spouse |
Caroline Buckley (
m. 1816) |
Relatives | Isaac Nathan (brother) |
Barnett Nathan (1793 – 6 December 1856), known professionally as Baron Nathan, was an English impresario, entertainer, and dancing master. He acted for many years as master of ceremonies and managing director at Rosherville Gardens. [1]
Barnett Nathan was born in Canterbury, the youngest child of Jewish parents Mary ( née Goldsmid) and Menachem Mona (or Muna), and was given the Hebrew name Baruch ben Menachem. [2] His Polish-born father was cantor of the local synagogue. [3] Barnett's elder brother, Isaac Nathan, would come to be an accomplished musician and composer, [4] and one sister would become a professional harpist. [5] On 6 July 1816, he eloped with Caroline Buckley of Bristol, the sister of Isaac's second wife. [6] [2]
A venture into music publishing with Isaac ended in bankruptcy, [7] and Nathan became a dancing instructor in Kennington. There he opened a dance academy, [8] and from 1834 he led dancing at the Tivoli Gardens in Margate. [3] In 1842, he was permanently installed as master of ceremonies and managing director at Rosherville Gardens in Gravesend, Kent, [9] [10] where he spent every summer until his death. [11] On his benefit nights he would perform his famous 'egg dance', which consisted of dancing the hornpipe blindfolded on a stage that was covered in eggs and teaware. [12]
He died at his home on 6 December 1856 from the rupture of a blood vessel in the head, [13] and was buried at the Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery in Covent Garden. [14]
Nathan was a well-known personality, who was frequently parodied in the satirical magazines Diogenes, [15] The Puppet-Show, [16] The Comic Almanack, [17] and Punch. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] In Robin Hood and Richard Cœur de Lion, an opera burlesque by Joachim Hayward Stocqueler, Shirley Brooks, and Charles Kenney, the titular character declares:
This ready courtesy's beyond belief.
A handsome hall! Baron, I vow you will
Eclipse your peer, the Lord of Rosherville,
The dancing nobleman, whose power we see
Makes even gents dance almost decently. [26]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain: Jacobs, Joseph; Lipkind, Goodman (1905).
"Nathan, Barnett (known as Baron Nathan)". In
Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.).
The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 178.
{{
cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(
help)