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Collection Description

Collection name City of Birmingham Orchestra (1920-21)
Unique identifier 7887.b.42
Description A collection of analytical programmes for six concerts given by the City of Birmingham Orchestra in the Town Hall, Birmingham during the 1920-21 season.

These were two-part concerts of orchestral and orchestrally-accompanied works, including a relatively large amount of music by contemporary English composers and a number of pieces receiving their first performance in Birmingham.

Each programme includes historical and analytical notes (with musical examples) by A.J. Sheldon, a list of the committee and guarantors for the concerts and a list of the orchestral ensemble, led by Alex Cohen. Many programmes also include brief advertisements for other concerts in Birmingham.

10 November 1920: A concert of music by Elgar, given with Felix Salmond (cello) and conducted by the composer, including the first Birmingham performances of Symphonic Study ‘Falstaff’, op.68 and Cello Concerto (with an extended biographical note on Elgar and a photograph of him).
15 December 1920: Rosina Buckman (vocal), conducted by Hamilton Harty (with a photograph of Harty).
19 January 1921: Appleby Matthews Choir, including the first Birmingham performance of Vaughan Williams, A London Symphony, conducted by the composer (with a picture/sketch of Vaughan Williams).
9 February 1921: Dorothy Silk (vocal), conducted by Adrian Boult, including the presentation of the Gold Medal of the Birmingham Civic Society to Mr Appleby Matthews (with a photograph of Boult and an advertisement for a concert of music by Sibelius to be conducted by the composer, at the Theatre Royal on 20 February 1921).
9 March 1921: Alex Cohen (violin), with Margaret Harrison, Hilda Raybould, Geoffrey Dams and Neale Peck (vocal) and the Appleby Matthews choir, conducted by Appleby Matthews, including Beethoven, Symphony no.9 (with a photograph of Cohen).
6 April 1921: conducted by Landon Ronald, inclduing the first Birmingham performance of Ronald, Suite ‘The Garden of Allah’.
Date range 1920 - 1921
Associated People and Organisations Vaughan Williams, Ralph - Silk, Dorothy - Sibelius, Jean - Sheldon, A. J. - Salmond, Felix - Ronald, Landon - Raybould, Hilda - Peck, Neale - Matthews, Appleby - Harty, Hamilton - Harrison, Margaret - Elgar, Edward - Dams, Geoffrey - Cohen, Alex - City of Birmingham Orchestra - Buckman, Rosina - Boult, Adrian - Appleby Matthews Choir -
Associated Places Birmingham Coliseum (afterwards Gaiety)
Associated Times 20th century - early 1900-1930
Associated Content Photographs Analytical Notes Musical Examples List of orchestral players First performances Programme notes
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British Library

The British Library St Pancras ,96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB Open Map
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