Music-halls had their origins in 18th century London. They grew with the entertainment provided in the new style … See more

The music hall was first imported into France in its British form in 1862, but under the French law protecting the state theatres, performers could not wear costumes or recite dialogue, something only allowe… See more

The musical forms most associated with music hall evolved in part from traditional folk song and songs written for popular drama, becoming by the 1850s a distinct musical style. Subject matter became more contempor… See more

The typical music hall comedian was a man or woman, usually dressed in character to suit the subject of the song, or sometimes attired in absurd and eccentric style. Until well into the twentieth century, the acts were essen… See more

The vocal content of the music hall bills, was, from the beginning, accompanied by many other kinds of act, some of them quite weird and wonderful. These were known collectively as speciality acts (abbreviated to "spesh")… See more

• Fred Albert (1843–1886)
• Fred Barnes (1885–1938)
• Ida Barr (1882–1967)
• Bessie Bellwood (1856–1896)… See more