Kitty Clive, or the Fair Songster

The actress and singer Kitty Clive (1711-1785) was a star of the London stage for over 20 years; singing powered her ascent and was foundational to her success as she came to dominate spoken as well as musical comedy.

Her musical voice helped her to become a champion of British song, of patriotism, and of propriety. However, in the 1740s critical opinion turned against Clive and her reputation suffered a sharp decline. With the help of David Garrick, she managed to salvage her career at the expense of her legacy; she quit serious song and took to caricaturing herself on stage, winning audiences back by disparaging her earlier achievements. This talk will explore the highs and lows of an extraordinary life and career in the context of performance history and star production in 18th-century Britain.

Berta Joncus is a Senior Lecturer in Music at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research focuses on celebrity culture and the role of the performer in creating musical works. Her particular interest is in the 18th-century British and European music. In addition to teaching, she presents regularly for BBC radio and television, the English National Opera, the Barbican and Early Music Music festivals in the UK and the USA, and her book Kitty Clive, or The Fair Songster was published in 2019.