A collection of five boxes of programmes from the Philharmonic Hall, from 1873 to 1992. The collection contains significant amounts of programmes from 1920 to 1933, and the late 1940s. The Philharmonic Hall opened in 1849, and was built for the Liverpool Philharmonic Society which had been founded a few years earlier. The collection includes a few press cuttings and tickets.

The collection includes three programmes from the nineteenth century. The first two programmes in the collection are from 12 and 19 February 1873, and are from the fifth series of "Monday Popular Concerts". The series was based on the London series of Monday Popular Concerts, given at St. James's Hall. The third programme in the collection is from a concert given on 8 March 1881, and was a benefit concert for Charles Hallé. The concert featured a performance of Berlioz' Damnation of Faust.

The programmes from the early twentieth-century are largely from subscription concerts organised by the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. There are also programmes from Hallé concerts. The programmes from the 1920 to 1933 are largely from orchestral concerts organised by the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, but the collection includes programmes from chamber music concerts or solo recitals given as part of the series "Mossel Concerts".

The Philharmonic Hall was destroyed by fire in 1933, and the latest programme in the collection from this hall is from 11 February 1933. The hall was rebuilt, and reopened in 1939. The collection includes materials relating to the opening of the new hall, including a programme describing the new hall (dated 19 June 1939), a concert programme from the "first concert" (given on 20 June 1939) and a brochure outlining the new hall which outlined the first season of concerts at the hall (anticipated to start on 10 January 1939). There are a few programmes from the period covering the Second World War (1939-1945).

The material from 1946 onwards is largely from the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, then from the Royal Philharmonic Society (1957 onwards). This part of the collection consists of programmes and prospectuses from the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The collection includes material from specific concert series, such as the "Industrial Series" and "Saturday Series".

At the end of the sequence, there are three miscellaneous press cuttings from 2002 and 2003.

Arrangement:
The collection is arranged chronologically.

1873 - 2003

-

Not Specific

• Hallé, Charles -
• Industrial Series (Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool) -
• Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra -
• Liverpool Philharmonic Society -
• Monday Popular Concerts (Liverpool) -
• Mossel Concerts (Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool) -
• Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra -
• Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society -
• Saturday Series (Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool) -

• Liverpool
• Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

• 19th century - late Victorian 1876-1899
• 19th century - mid Victorian 1851-1875
• 20th century - early 1900-1930
• 20th century - late 1971-1999
• 20th century - mid 1931-1970
• 21st century
• World War II 1939-45

Centre for Performance History Prince Consort Road London London SW7 2BS United Kingdom

Open Map

cph@rcm.ac.uk

020 7 589 4340

020 7 589 7740 

Mon-Fri by appointment

During the course of 2008 a new facility providing collection storage space, reader facilities and office space will created for the Centre for Performance History at College Hall, the site of the RCM's Hall of Residence in London W12. This will eventually offer improved access to researchers, and provide the collection with a secure and stable environment, all in one place. In order that the relevant parts of the collection can be packed and prepared for the move, and then re-shelved at the new facility as expeditiously as possible, all facilities and services (including photographic services and access to the programmes collection) of the Centre for Performance History are suspended until 12 January 2009. The Museum of Instruments will continue to operate a full service (including public opening during the summer vacation) throughout this period. We apologize for the inevitable inconvenience that this closure will cause to colleagues, students, researchers and members of the public, but believe that the improvements that will result will benefit the long-term preservation of the collections and will provide enhanced access to them for all users.