September 17th Charles Incledon (Covent Garden Debut)
     

On this day in 1790, St. Keverne – born Charles Incledon (1763–1826), made his debut at Covent Garden. 

The son of a surgeon, Bartholomew Incledon and his wife, Loveday, Incledon, christened Benjamin, was educated at Blundell’s School, Tiverton, and then became a choral scholar at Exeter before running away to sea on a ship bound for the West Indies.   

Returning five years later he sang at Southampton (1784) and then at Bath (1785).  He had three seasons at London’s Vauxhall Gardens (1786 to 1789) before making his Covent Garden – debut today in 1790.  He became renowned for the quality of his tenor voice and became one of the main stars at Covent Garden Theatre until 1815.  Although an opera star, he specialised in ballads and made full use of his vocal range, from tenor to falsetto.

In 1817, Incledon toured in North America and was a star in New York for one year, returning with a fortune of £5,000.   He retired from opera in 1822 and toured the provinces until, finally retiring from the professional stage, he moved to Prospect Place in Brighton establishing the Brighton Glee Club.   

Despite retirement, Incledon did perform the occasional concert and it was whilst on stage in Worcester that he suffered a stroke which proved fatal and he died in 1826.

 

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