Kelly, Michael

1762

1826

The popular Irish tenor Michael Kelly was born in Dublin on 12 August 1762, the eldest of the fourteen children of Thomas Kelly, a prosperous wine merchant. His mother was a Miss McCabe, from a respectable Westmeath family. After showing an early talent for music, nurtured by prominent teachers, Kelly made his stage debut on 17 May 1776 as the Count in “La buona figliuolo” at the Fishamble Street Theatre, Dublin. Upon the advice of Rauzzini, who had given him some singing lessons, Kelly went in 1779 to Italy, where he spent four years studying and travelling. In Vienna he met Haydn, Gluck and Mozart and performed in the Emperor Joseph’s Court Theatre. In February 1787 he departed Vienna to take up an engagement at Drury Lane, where he made his first appearance on 20 April as Lionel in “A School for Fathers”. Kelly remained a featured singer and composer at Drury Lane for some 33 years, including the period 1792-1794, during which that theatre’s company played at the King’s Theatre while the new Drury Lane was being built. Among his major successes were Sir George Orbit in “The Honey Moon”, Colonel Blandford in “The Cherokee”, Armstrong in “The Iron Chest” and Selim in the extraordinarily popular “Blue-Beard”. After his last stage appearance at Drury Lane, as Frederick in “No Song No Supper” on 17 June 1808, he continued to stage manage and provide music for productions there. He also served as acting manager of the Haymarket Theatre from 1801 to 1811. From 1787 he published and sold his music from his house at No 9, Lisle Street; his prosperity from that business allowed him in 1802 to lease another house at No 9, Pall Mall, which he called the Music Saloon, from which he also sold wines. But his preoccupation at the theatres gave him little time to attend other enterprises, and he was obliged in September 1811 to file for bankruptcy. Kelly passed the last years of his life ravaged by gout so severe he ‘was unable to put a foot to the ground.’ His pain perhaps was made more tolerant during the time he spent at Brighton in good company, including that of George IV. Kelly died at Margate on 9 October 1826 and was buried at St Paul, Covent Garden, on 17 October. When Kelly was at Drury Lane in the early years of his career he had met Anna Maria Crouch (née Phillips), a beautiful young actress with whom he performed for many years, and who became his mistress. Her death in October 1805 ended the long liaison. Kelly died without issue and intestate. Several of his brothers went on the stage (see the BDA, 8). Although Kelly was not a good actor and had an unremarkable voice, he gained great popularity because of his stage presence and craft. He was, as one reviewer put it, ‘a pretty good playhouse singer, nothing more.’ He was relatively unschooled in composition, but he managed to write some elegant airs. In 1826 Kelly published his “Reminiscences” in two volumes. He was a member of the ‘School of Garrick,’ a congenial club of stage veterans, and of the Academy of Ancient Music and the New Musical Fund. (BDA)