Joseph Dando

We cannot but recognise the promise of better days, when we witness... a large company attentively listening for a whole evening to an unvaried succession of instrumental compositions.

"[3] Dando assembled a string quartet consisting of Henry Blagrove and Henry Gattie (violins), Charles Lucas (cello) and himself playing viola: their first concert was on 17 March 1836 at the Hanover Square Rooms, and they continued for seven seasons until 1842, when Blagrove left the group.

[1][2] A reviewer of one of these concerts wrote: "Mr. Dando officiated as first violin, throughout the evening, and, in this capacity, we doubt whether he has many superiors among the violinists of all Europe.

[2] Dando was a member of the Bach Society set up by William Sterndale Bennett to revive the St Matthew Passion and played in the orchestra in 1858.

96 in G major, accompanied by the pianist Lindsay Sloper, was reviewed: "Beethoven's grand sonata was finely played.... Mr. Dando is a powerful exposito of the large school of violin compositions.