Dramatis Personae
Very few of the major players in Claribel's story are household names today. Here's a brief list of who's who.
Charlotte Alington Barnard, aka Claribel: A musician, poet, and composer of sentimental ballads for the masses' entertainment. Born in 1830 in Louth, Lincolnshire; died 1869 of typhoid fever in Dover.
John Boosey: Head of the music publisher Boosey and Sons during Claribel's lifetime. He invested a lot of time, money, and advertising into Claribel's career, putting her on retainer and eventually launching a series of ballad concerts that included some of Claribel's pieces.
Charlotte Sainton-Dolby: A famous contralto who often sang at or gave ballad concerts in London. Claribel dedicated many songs to her, including "I Cannot Sing The Old Songs" and one of her first successes, "Janet's Choice."
Euphrosyne Parepa: Another prominent singer for whom Claribel wrote several songs, including "Dreamland."
Charles Cary Barnard: Charlotte's husband, a rector.
Henry Alington Pye: Charlotte's father, a prominent man in Louth. He was convicted of embezzling public money in his role as Louth's treasurer, and his disgrace brought down his daughter's reputation as well (see Scott, chapter 3 of The Singing Bourgeois).
Virginia Gabriel: Another female composer who was a contemporary of Claribel's and also published compositions through Boosey. It's not clear whether she and Claribel actually knew each other personally, but they certainly would have been aware of each other.
Bernhard Althaus: A composer with whom Claribel worked on occasion, who (perhaps inadvertently) precipitated the 1868 lawsuit that would reveal Claribel's civilian identity to the general public.
The Orchestra: A musical trade publication that, beginning in 1866, often took an antagonistic stance towards Claribel and Madame Sainton-Dolby, particularly regarding the royalty system.
The Athenaeum: Another trade publication in Claribel's time. Slightly less aggressive in its growing dislike of "Claribel-ware."
The Musical World: The third major musical trade publication in Claribel's time, relatively neutral as to the merits or lack thereof of "Claribel-ware."