Britain: An official handbook > 1966

Music
Orchestras
Choral Societies
Music Festivals
PROMOTION OF THE SCIENCES AND THE ARTS 239
The Arts Council makes grants to a number of symphony orchestras,
opera and ballet companies, and music societies. The British Council gives
financial assistance to some of the overseas tours of British orchestras, soloists,
and opera and ballet companies; it sponsors some recordings of works by
British composers, and maintains 127 libraries of British music (scores and
records) in 83 countries overseas and, at its London headquarters, a reference
library of records, scores and books on music. Musicians from abroad are
sometimes invited to Britain as the Council’s guests.
The National Music Council, representative of every aspect of British
musical activity, is affiliated to the International Music Council and
UNESCO.
Seasons of orchestral concerts are promoted every year in many of the large
towns and cities of Britain. In London the principal concert halls are the
Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the Thames, used for both orchestral
concerts and recitals; the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, where mainly
orchestral concerts, including the annual summer season of Promenade
Concerts, are given; and the Wigmore Hall, which is the principal recital
centre. An additional small concert hall and a recital room are being built by
the Greater London Council on the south bank of the Thames.
Among the leading British orchestras are the London Philharmonic, the
London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the New Philharmonia (formed
in 1964 from the Philharmonia), the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Halle
(Manchester), the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Bournemouth Sym¬
phony, the Northern Sinfonia (Newcastle upon Tyne), the Scottish National
and the BBC Symphony, Northern and Scottish orchestras. There are also
specialised string and chamber orchestras such as the Philomusica of
London, the English Chamber Orchestra and the London Mozart Players,
and a number of new orchestras which have been formed during the past
few years. Many of these receive financial aid from the Arts Council and
local authorities to help with the cost of maintaining ensembles, of presenting
new or unfamiliar works, and of improving standards generally; some of them
also receive assistance from commercial television and other business organisa¬
tions. The City of Belfast Orchestra is financed jointly by the Belfast
Corporation and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
The principal choral societies in Britain are the Royal Choral, the BBC
Choral, the Huddersfield Choral, the Halle Choir, the Liverpool Philharmonic
Choir, the London Philharmonic Choir, the New Philharmonia Chorus
(formed in 1964 from the Philharmonia), the Bach Choir, the Royal Edinburgh
Choral Union and the Belfast Philharmonic Society. These and many other
choral societies are associated with famous orchestras in major choral works;
most of them, together with hundreds of similar choral and orchestral societies
and music clubs, are affiliated to the National Federation of Music Societies,
through which they are supported with funds provided by the Arts Council.
Membership of the National Federation has risen to about 900 societies.
Among societies which specialise in encouraging the performance of the work
of living musicians are the Society for the Promotion of New Music, the Music
Section of the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Macnaghten Concerts.
Music festivals in Britain, originating with the Three Choirs Festival held
annually in Gloucester, Worcester or Hereford in rotation, have been in
existence for over 200 years. The festival idea has developed considerably
in recent years, and festivals of music and other arts are now held annually in