Search

Search Help
Back

Collection Description
Collection name Dyson (1912-84)
Unique identifier 16F
Description A collection of programmes for performances of music by the English composer and educationalist Sir George Dyson – principally Canterbury Pilgrims and Quo Vadis – given at various venues in England between 1912 and 1984, held within a box of material relating to Dyson (1883–1964), which also contains copies of the RCM Magazine, articles on/by Dyson and examples of his vocal and instrumental music.

Items are listed here by work, divided as follows:
1. Canterbury Pilgrims
2. Quo Vadis
3. Miscellaneous works

Unless otherwise stated, the solo performers listed are vocal soloists.

1. Canterbury Pilgrims
2 October 1943, Royal Albert Hall, London: Royal Choral Society and the London Philharmonic Orchestra with Isobel Baillie, Edward Reach and Roy Henderson, conducted by the composer (with wordbook).
15 December 1947, School Hall, Eton College: Windsor and Eton Choral Society, with Elsie Suddaby, Jan van der Gucht and Gordon Clinton, conducted by the composer (with wordbook and introductory notes).
23 November 1958, Temple Speech Room, Rugby: Rugby Philharmonic Society, with Jennifer Vyvyan, Eric Greene and Owen Brannigan and members of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marcus Beresford (with wordbook, notes and lists of the Honorary Subscribers to the Society).
14 February 1963, Guildhall, Winchester: Winchester Music Club with Isobel Baillie, Edgar Fleet and Owen Brannigan, conducted by Christopher Cowan (with words).
13 November 1965, Farnham Grammar School: Waverley Singers with Lorna Elias, Philip Todd and Michael Rippon, conducted by John Cotterill (with a list of the orchestral ensemble).
19 March 1966, Charterhouse: Charterhouse Choral Society and the Choir of St. Catherine's School, Bramley, with Jean Gaff, Patrick Halstead and John Barrow (double-sided handbill with notes).
26 March 1969, Regal Ballroom, Minehead: Minehead and District Choral Society, with Barbara Yates, John Steel, Peter Leeming and Elwyn Amherst, conducted by William J. Amherst (with wordbook and notes, accompanied by a handwritten letter to Lady Dyson from Elwyn Amherst).
18 November 1972, Civic Theatre, Halifax: Halifax Choral Society with Elizabeth Simon, Kenneth Bowen and Benjamin Luxon and the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Donald Hunt (with historical, descriptive and biographical notes and performer signatures).


2. Quo Vadis
9 December 1954, Winchester Cathedral: Winchester Music Club, assisted by members of Winchester College Chapel Choir, with Isobel Baillie and Astra Desmond, conducted by Christopher Cowan (with words).
18 May 1985, School Hall, Eton College: Slough Philharmonic Society, with Barbara Rodway, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Ian Thompson and Lawrence Wallington, conducted by David Wilson (with wordbook, historical and biographical notes and lists of the choral and orchestral ensembles).


3. Miscellaneous works
9 January 1912, School Room: Public Lecture given by Mr George Dyson for the North Parade Baptist Church Reading Circle, entitled Music and Musicians and including musical examples performed by Miss Bertha Dyson (vocal), Mr J. Nicholl Bates (violin) and George Dyson (piano) (handbill, photocopy).
3 and 4 June 1956, St. Michael's Church, Cornhill: Fortieth Anniversary of the appointment of Harold Darke as organist (May 1916) (single document). The performance on 4 June, for which a programme with words is given, included Dyson, Hierusalem, given by the St. Michael Singers, with Isobel Baillie, Joan Gray and Wilfred Brown (vocal) and the Harvey Phillips Orchestra, conduced by Harold Darke.
11 June 1963, Winchester County High School: Concert of Music by Sir George Dyson, conducted by Eileen Skillin and Dorothy Gradidge.
19 July 1963, Royal College of Music: First Orchestra and Choral Concert, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult and members of his conducting class, including Dyson, Cantata for baritone solo, choruses and orchestra, 'Sweet Thames run softly', with Gordon Morris (baritone) (with wordbook).
21 November 1968, Winchester Cathedral: Winchester Music Club, assisted by members of Winchester College Chapel Choir, with Noelle Barker and Julian Smith (vocal) and Clement McWilliam (organ), conducted by Christopher Cowan, including Dyson, Hierusalem (with words).
1983-84, [Halifax]: Centenary of his birth, a Tribute to the Halifax born composer Sir George Dyson, given by the Halifax Choral Society (souvenir programme with words and notes).
Date range 1912 - 1984
Associated People and Organisations Yates, Barbara - Wyn-Rogers, Catherine - Windsor and Eton Choral Society - Winchester music club - Winchester College Chapel Choir - Wilson, David - Wells, Francis - Waverley Singers - Wallington, Lawrence - Vyvyan, Jennifer - Vaughan Williams, Ralph - Gucht, Jan Van Der - Todd, Philip - Thompson, Ian - Suddaby, Elsie - Steel, John - St. Michael's Singers - St. Catherine's School, Bramley - Smith, Julian - Slough Philharmonic Society - Skillin, Eileen - Simon, Elizabeth - Rugby Philharmonic Society - Royal College of Music - Royal Choral Society - Rodway, Barbara - Rippon, Michael - Reach, Edward - Phillips, Harvey - North Parade Baptist Church Reading Circle - Morris, Gordon - Minehead and District Choral Society - McWilliam, Clement - Luxon, Benjamin 1937 - London Philharmonic Orchestra - Leeming, Peter - Hunt, Donald - Henderson, Roy - Halstead, Patrick - Halifax Choral Society - Greene, Eric - Gray, Joan - Gradidge, Dorothy - Gaff, Jean - Fleet, Edgar - Elias, Lorna - Dyson, George - Dyson, Bertha - Desmond, Astra - Darke, Harold - Cowan, Christopher - Cotterill, John - Clinton, Gordon - City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Charterhouse Choral Society - Brown, Wilfred - Brannigan, Owen - Bowen, Kenneth - Boult, Adrian - Beresford, Marcus - BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra - Bates, J. Nicholl (Mr) - Barrow, John - Barker, Noelle - Baillie, Isobel - Amherst, William J. - Amherst, Elwyn -
Associated Places Charterhouse, Godalming Civic Theatre, Halifax Farnham Grammar School Guildhall, Winchester Regal Ballroom, Minehead Royal Albert Hall Royal College of Music School Hall, Eton College St. Michael's Church, Cornhill Rugby School: Speech Room
Associated Times 20th century - early 1900-1930 20th century - late 1971-1999 20th century - mid 1931-1970
Associated Content Brochures Correspondence Signatures Word books Handbills List of orchestral players Programme notes List of chorus members
Star Item(s)
Strength(s)
Further details
Viewing the Collection Loans of performance sets to individual societies or persons; binding; reprographics; photocopying; microform printing
Visiting information

Location details

Royal College Of Music, Library
London SW7 2BS Open Map
DOMUS
Website http://www.rcm.ac.uk/library/
Email
Telephone
Fax
Building Information
Collections Overview Founded in 1883, the RCM Library primarily supports the performance, study and research of RCM members. It is also open to the public for reference and research. It contains some 300,000 items, including significant collections of early printed and manuscript material from the 16th to 19th centuries, given to the College upon its foundation, specifically the Libraries of the Sacred Harmonic Society and of the Concerts of Ancient Music. Donations since have included autographs of composers of international renown, amongst them Beethoven, Chopin, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, as well as manuscripts and archives of major British composers. Although a British bias is apparent, the collection also has significant German and Italian manuscripts and early printed holdings. Later acquisitions of printed music include large quantities of out-of-print material, and sizeable collections of performance sets. Audio-visual holdings and the RCM's own sound archive's are also extensive.
Display Overview
Star Objects
For details of other collections held at the same location: See the location record

Additional Collection Information
Accrual Status closed
Legal Status
Custodial History
Related Publications
Management Information (Type)
Collection Owner(s)
Collection Creator(s)
Collection Custodians(s)