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Leeds Musical Festival (1953-76)

Collection Summary

Collection Title

Leeds Musical Festival (1953-76)

Unique Identifier

Cup.918/19

Description

Prospectus, with preliminary programmes, for the Leeds Musical Festival of 1953. Also, brochures, containing programmes and wordbooks, for the Festivals of 1964, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1974 and 1976, the whole held as four volumes.

Both the prospectus and the brochures begin with a list of the Patrons and Committee members for the Festival. The prospectuses conclude with a full record of the members of the various choral, orchestral and chamber ensembles engaged. Photos of key personnel (patrons, composers and performers) are inserted throughout both prospectus and brochures.

The majority of the programmes contained in the brochures carry historical and analytical notes, some with musical examples.

Unless otherwise stated below, the evening performances took place in the Town Hall. Where no other indication is given, these were choral-orchestral concerts, featuring the Festival Chorus. The morning performances are described in detail below.

Each brochure includes a number of essays on musical subjects (listed below) as well as providing information regarding the non-musical portion of the Festival programme, including exhibitions and film presentations.

Volume 1 (1853)
This document begins with a list of the principal vocal and instrumental performers engaged for the Festival.

Eleanor Houston, Elsie Morison, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jennifer Vyvyan, Hélène Bouvier, Joan Gray and Marjorie Thomas; William Herbert, William McAlpine, Richard Lewis, Julius Patzak, Peter Pears, Bruce Boyce, Owen Brannigan, John Cameron, Gordon Clinton, Frederick Dalberg, Bruce Dargavel, Tom Moore and Norman Walker (vocal).

Clifford Curzon (piano), Norbert Brainin (violin), Peter Schidlof (viola), John Burden (horn) and Melville Cook (organ).

London Symphony Orchestra (led by Thomas Matthews and conducted by Josef Krips) and the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra (led by Reginald Whitehouse and conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent and Maurice Miles).

The Bradford Festival Choral Society and the Colne Valley Male Voice Choir (dir. George Stead), Huddersfield Choral Society and Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus (dir. Herbert Bardgett) and Leeds Philharmonic Society (dir. Allan Wicks).

In addition to full programmes for the evening performances (given each day), this brochure includes a list of the Service Music for the Festival week and a brief summary of the Morning Concerts, which took place as follows:

6 October, Civic Theatre: violin sonatas by Purcell, Bach and Delius, with a new work (Choral Scene) by Phyllis Tate.
7 October, Temple Newsam House: Amadeus String Quartet.
8 October, Harewood House: Quintet (Mozart) and modern works; Hardy Songs (new work by Britten).
9 October, Temple Newsam House: Lieder Recital, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, accompanied by Gerald Moore.
10 October, Harewood House: Duets, Trios, etc (Purcell); Liebeslieder Waltzes (Brahms) and other items.

Volume 2 (1964, 1967, 1970)
18-25 April 1964
Essays: Ernest Bradbury (‘The Musical Future of Leeds’) and Hans Keller (‘To Vie or not to Vie?’).

Morning
19 April, Parish Church: service music, with Donald Hunt (organ).
20 April, Great Hall, University: chamber concert by the New Manchester Ensemble, conducted by George Hadjinikos with Vera Roja (speaker) and William Waterhouse (bassoon).
21 April, Parish Church: Parish Church Choir, with Donald Hunt (organist and choir master), Herbert Sumsion (guest organist), and Donald Webster (sub-organist).
23 April, Temple Newsam: Oromonte Trio (Perry Hart, Margaret Major and Bruno Schrecker) with Gareth Morris (flute).
24 April, Great Hall, University: Melos Ensemble, with Peter Graeme (oboe), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), William Waterhouse (bassoon), Neill Sanders (horn), Emanuel Hurwitz and Ivor McMahon (violin), Cecil Aronowitz (viola), Terence Weil (cello) and Lamar Crowson (piano).
25 April, Great Hall, University: Julian Bream (lute and guitar).

Evening
The performances on 18, 20 and 21 April featured the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. Those from 23-25 April were given by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by John Pritchard (23 and 24 April) and Charles Munch (25 April).

18 April: Beethoven, Symphony Nos. 8 and 9, with Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Ken Neate and David Ward (vocal).
19 April: Lieder Recital, Irmgard Seefried (soprano), accompanied by Erik Werba.
20 April: Luisa Bosabalian (soprano) and Donald Hunt (additional conductor).
21 April: Michael Roll (piano).
22 April: Violin recital by Yehudi Menuhin (violin) and Hephzibah Menuhin (piano).
23 April: Britten, War Requiem, with the boy choristers of York Minster and Leeds Parish Church, the Melos Ensemble and Heather Harper, William McAlpine and Hans Wilbrink (vocal).
24 April: including the British premiere of Henze, Novae de Infinito Laudes, with Heather Harper, Jean Allister, Ken Neate and Hans Wilbrink (vocal) and Vladimir Krainev (piano).
25 April: Berlioz, Grande Messe des Morts, with William McAlpine (tenor).

15-22 April 1967
Essays: Sir Roger Stevens, ‘An Arts Centre for Leeds’.

Morning
15 April, Leeds Grammar School: Delme Quartet (Granville Jones, Jurgen Hess, John Underwood and Joy Hall), with John Gray (double bass) and Hans Leygraf (piano).
16 April, Parish Church: service music, including the first performance of a Festival Anthem by Anthony Milner. Accompanying this very brief programme is a note outlining the music to be used at the Parish Church during the remainder of the Festival week.
17 April, Temple Newsam: Piano recital, Hans Leygraf.
18 April, Parish Church: Leeds Parish Church Choir, with Donald Hunt (conductor and organist), George Guest (organ), Roger Bullivant (harpsichord) and a string ensemble led by Douglas Hall.
20 April, Temple Newsam: recital by Malcolm Binns (piano) and Manoug Parikian (violin).
21 April, Temple Newsam: Delme Quartet (as above).
22 April, Great Hall, University: Melos Ensemble.

Evening
The performances from 14-16 April featured the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Istvan Kertesz (14/15 April) and Colin Davies (16 April). Those on 19, 21 and 22 April were given by the New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Edward Downes (19 April) and Carlo Maria Giulini (21/22 April).

14 April: Haydn, The Creation, with Elizabeth Harwood, Alexander Young and Don Garrad (vocal).
15 April: including the premiere of Richard Rodney Bennett, Epithalamion, with Norma Procter, Kenneth Bowen and Raimund Herincx (vocal) and Donald Hunt (additional conductor).
16 April: Piano recital, Rafael Orozco.
17 April: Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust, with Yvonne Minton, Albert Lance, Raimund Herincx and Colin Wheatley (vocal).
18 April, Great Hall, University of Leeds: Schubert Recital, Barry MacDaniel (baritone) and Hans Leygraf (piano).
19 April: Prokofiev, War and Peace. This programme includes an extensive list of performers.
20 April, Great Hall, University: Schumann, Frauenliebe und Leben and Janacek, Diary of a Young Man who Disappeared, given by Ljuba Baricova and Ivo Zidek (vocal) and Jan Hus Tichy (piano), with female chorus.
21 April: Princess Mary Memorial Concert, with Elizabeth Vaughan, Janet Baker, Alexander Young and Robert El Hage (vocal).
22 April: Luisa Bosabalian, Janet Baker, Nicolai Gedda and Robert El Hage (vocal), Hugh Bean (violin) and Simon Preston (harpsichord).

16-25 April 1970
Essays: Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Boyle (‘The Place of the Arts in all Our Lives’) and Lord Feversham (‘The Yorkshire Arts Association’).

Morning
18 April, Temple Newsam House: Fleming String Trio (Emanuel Hurwitz, Kenneth Essex and Amaryllis Fleming), with Derek Wickens (oboe).
19 April, Parish Church: service music, including the first performance of Bernard Stevens, Hymn to Light, with Leeds Parish Church Choir, Leeds Music Centre Brass Ensemble, and Donald Hunt and Anthony Langford (organ). Accompanying this programme is a note of the music to be used during the services at the Parish Church for the remainder of Festival week.
21 April, Parish Church: Leeds Parish Church Choir, directed by Donald Hunt with Melville Cook (solo organ).
25 April, Temple Newsam House: Fleming String Trio (as above).

Evening
The performances on 16-18 and 20 April featured the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras (16/17 April), and Raymond Leppard (18/20 April). Those on 22, 24 and 25 April were given by the New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Meredith Davies (22 April) and Carlo Maria Giulini (24/ 25 April).

16 and 17 April: Handel, Israel in Egypt, with Heather Harper, Patricia Clark, Paul Esswood, Alexander Young, Michael Rippon and Christopher Keyte (vocal), Roger Bullivant (harpsichord) and Donald Hunt (organ).
18 April: including the first British performance of Cavalli, Magnificat and Handel, Lucrenzia (first performance in this instrumentation), given by Janet Baker, Gerald English and John-Shirley-Quirk (vocal) and Leeds Parish Church Choir.
19 April: Piano Recital, Radu Lupu.
20 April: including the first British performance of J. C. Bach, Dies Irae, with April Cantelo, Alfreda Hodgson, Gerald English and Christopher Keyte (vocal), and Donald Hunt (additional conductor).
21 April, Leeds Grammar School: Stockhausen, complete piano words, played by Aloys Kontarsky.
22 April: including David Blake, Lumina (Festival commission), with Margaret Price and John Shirley-Quirk (vocal) and Annie Fischer (piano).
23 April: Recital, Janet Baker (mezzo) and Raymond Leppard (piano).
24 April: Radu Lupu (piano).
25 April: Beethoven, Missa Solemnis, with Heather Harper, Yvonne Minton, Stuart Burrows and Robert El Hage (vocal).

Volume 3 (1972, 1974).

20-27 May 1972
Morning:
20 May, Leeds Grammar School: chamber concert with Gerald English (tenor), Barry Tuckwell (horn) and Margaret Kitchin (piano).
21 May, Parish Church: service music, given by Leeds Parish Church Choir, with Anthony Langford (organ), directed by Donald Hunt. Accompanying this programme is a note of the music to be used at the Parish Church during the remainder of Festival week.
24 May, Parish Church: Leeds Parish Church Choir, with George Guest (organ), directed by Donald Hunt.
27 May, Temple Newsam House: Dimov String Quartet (Dimo Dimov, Alexander Tomov, Dimiter Tchilikov and Dimiter Kozev).

Evening
20 and 21 May: Handel, Saul, given by Sheila Armstrong and Margaret Price (soprano), James Bowman (counter-tenor), Ryland Davies, Gerald English and John Winfield (tenor), Donald McIntyre and Stafford Dean (bass), Roger Bullivant (harpsichord) and Donald Hut (organ) with the English Chamber Orhcestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras.
22 May, Leeds Grammar School: Piano recital, Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky.
23 May: Mozart, Symphony in G minor and Requiem, Margaret Price, Helen Watts, Gerald English and Stafford Dean (vocal), with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Karl Richter.
24 May: Yehudi Menuhni (violin), with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Okko Kamu.
25 May: Piano recital, Alfred Brendel.
26 May: Clifford Curzon (piano) and Günther Reich (vocal), with the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Festival Chorus, conducted by Charles Groves.
27 May: Donald McIntyre (vocal), with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Charles Groves and Donald Hunt.

1974
Essay: 'Leeds Festival 1958-1974: a personal view, by the Earl ofHarewood'.

Morning
Only two day-time performances were held during this year, on 12 and 14 April. Both took place in the Parish Church and featured the Parish Church Choir, with Alan Bourne (solo flute, 12 April) and Anthony Langford (organ, 14 April), directed by Donald Hunt.

Evening
The concerts on 13 and 14 April were given by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Boulez. Those on 17, 19 and 20 April featured the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Groves.

11 April, Parish Church: Bach, St. John Passion with Gerald English, John Noble, Felicity Palmer, Alfreda Hodgson, Ian Partridge and Christopher Keyte (vocal), Anthony Langford (organ) and Roger Bullivant (harpsichord), and the Yorkshire Sinfonia, conducted by Donald Hunt.
13 April: Berlioz, Grande Messe des Morts, op. 5, with Alexander Young (tenor).
14 April: Wendy Fine (soprano).
16 April, Piano Recital, Craig Sheppard.
17 April: Jill Gomez, Anne Collins and Gerald English (vocal).
18 April: Grimethorpe Colliery Band, with Stan Priestly (trombone) and Ken MacDonald (trumpet), conducted by Elgar Howarth.
19 April: Jane Manning, Robert Tear and Norman Welsby (vocal).
20 April: Elgar, The Dream of Gerontius, Katherine Pring, Richard Lewis and Norman Bailey (vocal).

Volume 4 (1976)
9-23 October 1976
Essay: Introduction by the Artistic Director, Alexander Goehr.

Morning
10 October, Parish Church: Festival Service, including Anthony Milner, Festival Anthem (commissioned by the Festival), performed by the Parish Chuch Choir, with Simon Lindley (organist and master of the music) and Tom Corfield (sub-organist).

Evening
9 October: Mendelssohn, Elijah, given by Jennifer Smith, Alfreda Hodgson, Philip Langridge, Brian Rayner Cook and Simon Ravens (vocal), with the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra, Cardiff Polyphonic Choir and Leeds Festival Chorus, conducted by John Alldis.
10 October: Norbert Brainin (violin), Peter Schidlof (viola), Honor Sheppard (soprano), Paul Esswood (alto) and Christopher Underwood (bass), with the Leeds Festival Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Norman Del Mar.
11 October: Amadeus String Quartet (Norbert Brainin, Siegmund Nissle, Peter Schidlof and Martin Lovett) with Gervase de Peyer (clarinet).
12 October, Clothworkers’ Centenary Concert Hall, University: Philip Wilby, Gilgamesh the King, an opera for children (first performance), given by the Leeds Youth Opera Group with Marc Ruhlmann (tenor) and members of the Aulos Ensemble, conducted by Michael Grady.
13 October, Parish Church: Leeds Parish Church Choir and Leeds Festival Orchestra with John Birch (solo organ) and Tom Corfield (continuo organ), directed by Simon Lindley.
15 October, Harewood House: Janet Price (soprano), Ann Murray (alto), Philip Langridge (tenor) and Brian Rayner Cook (bass) with Peter Pettinger (piano).
16 October: American Bicentenary Concert with Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra and Leeds Festival Chorus, conducted by Aaron Copland.
17 October, Grand Theatre: Piano recital, Charles Rosen.
18 October, Great Hall, University: including Nicholas Sackman, Ellipsis (commissioned by Leeds Musical Festival). Peter Hill (piano), Erich Gruenberg (violin), and the Leeds Festival Orchestra, conducted by Lionel Friend.
19 October, Grand Theatre: International Jazz Concert/Big Band Jazz, starring Thad Jones (trumpet) with the Tony Faulkner Jazz Orchestra and Stan Sultzman (saxophone), Dave Markee (bass), George Chisholm and Dick Hawden (trumpet) and Bryan Layton (piano).
20 October, Grand Theatre: Allan Schiller, David Wilde, Peter Hill and Wendy Nightingale (pianos), James Holland and Janos Keszei (percussion), Vivien Townley (soprano), Sarah Walker (alto), Gregory Dempsey (tenor) and Paul Hudson (bass) with the London Percussion Ensemble and the Leeds Festival Chorus, conducted by Gary Bertini.
21 October, Grand Theatre: Miriam Fried (violin), with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Klaus Tennstedt.
22 October, Grand Theatre: Piano recital, Dmitri Alexeev.
23 October, Grand Theatre: Berlioz, L’Enfance du Christ, with Robert Tear, Josephine Veasey, Thomas Allen, Joseph Rouleau, Brian Cookson and Christopher Underwood (vocal), the London Symphony Orchestra and Leeds Festival Chorus, conducted by Colin Davis.

Format

Date range of collection

1953 - 1976

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Suggested Audience

Not Specific

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British Library

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Collections Overview

The Library's collection of song and piano sheet music is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, providing a valuable insight into Victorian society and culture as well as the music itself.

For details of other collections held at the same location: See the location record

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