NEWCASTLE'S MUSICAL HERITAGE AN INTRODUCTION By ...

direction. That is until 1888 when he was told in so many words by the committee
not to anticipate their approval but to curtail his enthusiasm and await the
committee’s instructions. That same month Mr Rea tendered his resignation from
the Council’ employment, which was accepted by the Council. The committee
concluded that in the circumstances he ‘could not be had’ for the Peoples
Concerts and they appointed Mr Hirschmann, who ran a piano shop in town.
Up to 1890 the concerts were still in credit, but by 1892 it was noticed that
artists fees were exceeding expenses and one Council member complained that
exorbitant prices were being paid for professional artists. (More than one
Amateur Society had bankrupted itself over professional artists fees) and the
committee became divided as to the continuance of the concert series. One
source of contention was that the Music in the Park’s Committee had creamed off
the profits made at the People’s Concerts to pay for Sunday band concerts in
public parks. By 1896 full blown committee rows were taking place with the anticoncert
lobby pointing out that several large rate payers made their living out of
giving concerts and the Corporation had no right to take away their source of
livelihood by giving cheap concerts subsidised from local taxes. The pro-concert
lobby pointed out that the Council had a duty to make brighter and better lives for
the people they represented and that there were hundreds of causes in
Newcastle where they were spending money for which in one sense they got no
return. It was further pointed out that private enterprise in Newcastle had so far
done nothing for the musical education of the Newcastle people (resounding
Hear! Hear!) and it was the People’s Concerts that had stirred public enterprise
to do its duty. Parallels were drawn with Leeds and Birmingham and it was
pointed out that prior to the introduction of the People’s Concerts in Newcastle
there had been the same second-rate class of concert from year’s end to year’s
end. This was not entirely true but it was make or break time. Fortunately the
decision was in favour of the concerts continuing for another season at least.
The debt continued to rise, however, and in 1903 an unnamed public
benefactor sent a cheque for a substantial sum to help reduce the deficit but it
only made matters worse. The committee chairman accepted it but the Mayor
was livid and considered it humiliating. He said the Council could not possibly
accept and instructed the City Treasurer to give it back .to the Gentleman
concerned. Further heated discussions over finance ensued but in the end
reason prevailed with one member pointing out that the Council should provide
‘good’ music for the public to elevate and educate the people and if they didn’t
they would simply find themselves in competition with the music halls, A
dissenting voice countered with, ‘the poorer people for whom these concerts
were originally intended are no longer attending and those that are, are better off
and could afford to pay more’ And so the arguments went on and the concert
seasons continued but there was that feeling in the air that perhaps they had
outlived their purpose. However, like all public institutions once established it
proves more difficult to do away with them. Committee meetings became ever
stormier with one councillor even invoking the British Empire in his oration when
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