It is not usually mentioned that Louise was a keen singer and belonged to a choir run by Fanny Holland who for the latter decades of the 19th century was a renowned soprano member of German Reeds Entertainment . She also applied to join the Bach Choir. In the second letter below she has obviously lost patience with Mr Sullivan. Mr Gilbert was also involved with German Reed.
The ‘Charlie’ mentioned was 2nd Viscount Halifax and Lady Agnes his wife, was the daughter of William Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon of Powderham.
Fanny Holland
So who was Fanny Holland? She was born 14/9/1847 in London and trained at the Royal Academy of Music. How or why a girl from Tower Hamlets was accepted by the Academy I have yet to discover. However by January 1866 she is performing as a soprano in Bridgenorth being described as London Academy of Music and a ‘celebrated artist’ By 1869 she is one of the four stars performing ‘Ages Ago’ and in 1870 ‘Our Island Home’ both written by A S Gilbert. The other three are Mr and Mrs German Reed and Arthur Cecil.
The Princess Louise (under construction) 