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Mr. Innes
Classical musician, instrument-builder, and father of opera singer Evelyn Innes from the 1898 novel Eveyln Innes: a novel by George Moore. He raised Evelyn after her mother died when Evelyn was young. He is infatuated with Renaissance-era music and hopes to spark a revival at the church where he is organist. He also repairs and builds Renaissance-era instruments such as virginals
Oddly, his first name is never given.
The Innes' had returned to London, and, with a baby-daughter, settled in Dulwich. Mr. Innes accepted the post of organist at St. Joseph's, the parish church in Southwark, and Mrs. Innes had begun her singing classes.
Her reputation as a singer favoured her, and an aptitude for teaching enabled her to maintain, for many years, a distinguished position in the musical world. Mr. Innes's abilities contributed to their success, and he might have become a famous London organist if he had devoted him- self to the instrument. But one day seeing in a book the words "viola d'amore," he fancied he would like to posses an instrument with such a name. The instrument demanded the music that had been written for it. Byrd's beautiful vocal Mass had led him to Palestrina and Vittoria, and these wakened in him dreams of a sufficient choir at St. Joseph's for a revival of their works.
Mr. Innes is apparently based on a real person, Arnold Dolmetsch.
