Death of an Orchestra

[Lento]

An interesting programme on R4 today (11.30am) about the short-lived Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, I thought. I had never heard of this orchestra, which included Rodney Friend among its players, and which featured Norman del Mar as Associate Conductor.

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v381r

[Stanley Stewart]

During my stint of National Service, early 1950s, I recall our sponsored outings to the Concert Hall at Harrogate with performances by the Yorkshire S.O. and, if my memory is accurate, the conductor was Maurice Miles. Must catch up with this morning's R4 broadcast on iPlayer.

[salymap]

In my Goodwin and Tabb days I remember their very bright colourful writing paper and Maurice Miles. that's all.

A long time ago.

[Stanley Stewart]

In my Goodwin and Tabb days I remember their very bright colourful writing paper and Maurice Miles. that's all.

A long time ago.

Thanks, saly - and hello. As you add, 'a long time ago' but I still have clear images of Maurice Miles, Hugo Rignold - and the thrill of hearing Joan Hammond in recital!

"Long ago and far away, I dreamt a dream one day,
and now that dream is here beside me... Gene Kelly in "Cover Girl"."

[Stanfordian]

An interesting programme on R4 today (11.30am) about the short-lived Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, I thought. I had never heard of this orchestra, which included Rodney Friend among its players, and which featured Norman del Mar as Associate Conductor.

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v381r

Hello Lento,

The Lancashire Sinfonietta who were made up out of professionals from major orchestras such as the Halle, BBC Phil, Liverpool Phil etc and freelancers died this year owing mainly to reductions in local authority funding. Very sad!

[Lento]

[QUOTE=Stanfordian;453492The Lancashire Sinfonietta who were made up out of professionals from major orchestras such as the Halle, BBC Phil, Liverpool Phil etc and freelancers died this year owing mainly to a reductions on local authority funding.[/QUOTE]

That is sad news, particularly as I gather they helped nurture young players.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-27759715

[pastoralguy]

I honestly clicked on this expecting dire news about the Ulster Orchestra.

What a sad sign of the times.

[Barbirollians]

A touching programme - sounds like with Bradford and Sheffield staying loyal to Barbirolli and the Halle that they were always in a financially perilous position .

One thing that always strikes me is the ambition of 1940s austerity Britain compared to 2014 austerity .

[Dave2002]

An interesting programme on R4 today (11.30am) about the short-lived Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra, I thought. I had never heard of this orchestra, which included Rodney Friend among its players, and which featured Norman del Mar as Associate Conductor.

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v381r

I think this is the link you intended - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v381r

[amateur51]

In my Goodwin and Tabb days I remember their very bright colourful writing paper and Maurice Miles. that's all.

A long time ago.

In our conversation this morning, salymap revealed that the reported colourful writing paper was in fact yellow!

We speculated that it must have been expensive paper, an indulgence which may have led to the orchestra's demise?

Perhaps the choice was made by an admirer of the short stories of Charlotte Perkins Gilman?

But then again, no.

[Barbirollians]

In our conversation this morning, salymap revealed that the reported colourful writing paper was in fact yellow!

We speculated that it must have been expensive paper, an indulgence which may have led to the orchestra's demise?

Perhaps the choice was made by an admirer of the short stories of Charlotte Perkins Gilman?

But then again, no.

Or Stevie Smith ?

[Once Was 4]

Or Stevie Smith ?

The late David Grundy wrote a book about the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra entitled 'The Glorious Experiment (That Failed)'. He self-published it and intended to revise it and re-issue it to a higher quality but, sadly, this was not to be. There are copies in public libraries though if anybody wants to look for them.

I helped David with some of his research (he was living in Shrewsbury then) and there are documents in the Leeds Central Library which are quite revealing. These include minutes of a meeting to choose Maurice Miles' successor when he left. The candidates were Nicolai Malko, Norman Del Mar and Stanley Pope. Two made a very good impression on the panel - one did not! Malko became chief conductor with Del Mar as his assistant.

In fact Norman del Mar conducted the final performance (Berlioz's 'Fantastic Symphony'). The minutes of the committee which disposed of the orchestra's assets record that its transport was "fit only for scrap".

Maurice Miles actually interviewed me for my grant award, to go to music college, from the West Riding Education Service. He was a rather distant figure at the interview and, I am told, more than a little abrasive which did not go down well in the corridors of power when the orchestra was fighting for its life.

A lot of the blame for the orchestra's demise was placed on the late Ernest Bradbury - the Yorkshire Post Music critic and a powerful voice in the area. He constantly gave the orchestra bad reviews and, local legend had it, this was on the instigation of Sir John Barbirolli (a close friend of Bradbury's) who saw the YSO as a threat. Certainly, they never played in Bradford and Sheffield (Halle strongholds) except to accompany choral societies. They did however do full scale concerts in the Ilkley Winter Gardens and Keighley Victoria Hall. Although the amateur Airedale Symphony Orchestra have a successful series in Ilkley, it is difficult to see an expensive professional symphony orchestra ever getting a big enough audience there these days and, sadly, it would be difficult to get an audience at all in Keighley - how times have changed for the worse!

Several of the players remained in the area and found other work - some in the West Riding Orchestra (as mentioned in my post about Arthur Butterworth). These included the 1st trombone, George Bradshaw, and one of the violas, the late Bill Wesling who became a regular extra for concerts when the Opera North Orchestra was founded. The last 4th horn was the late Phil Meiklejohn who was appointed on a temporary contract as it was known by that stage that the orchestra was to fold. I worked with one of the cellists, the late Ethel Eaton, many times in the 70s. She had been injured in a road accident involving the YSO's bus at some point and died of a wasting disease which allowed her to go on working, and tending her garden, but not to speak.

Few ex-YSO players are still living but one who is is the original Principal horn of the orchestra, Farquharson Cousins, who is now 97.

[Stanley Stewart]

Death of an Orchestra

Thank you, Once was 4. A fascinating insight which tempts me to look further. Perhaps a case of "Once nearly was mine (South Pacific), too!

[salymap]

I remember Hornspieler saying Mr Cousins was a rather odd man [hope I've got that right.

]The YSO seemed to order hire music every day fir a time and had plenty of money

[mercia]

looks like a follow-up to 'Death of an Orchestra', this morning R4 @ 11:30

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b069rv9w