NEWCASTLE'S MUSICAL HERITAGE AN INTRODUCTION By ...

work cut out convincing the local council of the need for this. Godfrey, however,
was better placed to achieve this as he had been appointed Musical Director,
whereas Rea’s appointment was as Council Organist. From all reports William
Rea was a man of impeccable character and I am sure that Dan Godfrey was too
but he was not above a bit of cunning when it came to getting what he wanted.
He composed a waltz and dedicated it to the mayor’s wife. All is fair in love and
music!
Edgar Bainton, as Principle of the Newcastle Conservatoire and conductor of
the Newcastle Philharmonic Orchestra, was in the best position to argue the case
for music with the Newcastle Council but I can find no evidence to show that any
form of dialogue along these lines took place. Bainton must have contemplated
the idea as he allegedly stated it would cost no more than a penny per person on
the rate to support a town orchestra. William Rea, who had studied and lived in
Germany, as well as in London before coming to Newcastle, made more efforts
than anyone to make music part of everyday life in Newcastle but he stopped
short of taking on the town council, his employers, over this matter. He may have
been successful in getting the People’s Concerts started but the council probably
viewed these as a social necessity, in the same way as music in the parks, rather
than a move toward establishing a musical culture. But in any case they nipped
in the bud any ambitions Rea may have had in this direction when they retained
control of the concerts and informed him that he could run the concerts but would
remain Council Organist. Whittaker was an outstanding musician but he like his
musician colleagues was at heart a music teacher and did not have the
entrepreneurial spirit necessary to sway the town council. Within the musical
establishment generally there appears to have been a lack of managerial
direction and a shortage of organisational skills, which, I suspect, was one of the
primary factors in the ultimate demise of the Conservatoire and the Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Comparing Newcastle with the more favourably placed towns is in some
respects comparing apples with pears. Fate dealt Newcastle a blow when it
placed it in the North East corner of England. Largely because of its isolated
position it has always retained a strong regional identity, which together with its
damp, cold climate did not do it any favours musically, except of the local variety.
It never proved a magnet for musicians from the south of the country or from
abroad. as was the case with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and
Bournemouth. This unfortunately was to the town’s detriment. Henschel wanted
to settle in Newcastle but I think it was less to do with music and more to do with
the fact that he had lived in the area for a short while as a young solder and liked
it. William Rea, a very talented and classically trained musician, who had made
an early impression on a number of important musical figures in London and
Germany, came as Town Council Organist (who knows why) and made an
outstanding contribution to music in his time. but one cannot help but feel he was
capable of much more. Edgar Bainton a brilliant musician was invited to join the
Conservatoire and there is the feeling here that his first allegiance was to the
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