NEWCASTLE'S MUSICAL HERITAGE AN INTRODUCTION By ...

London Symphony and the Halle Orchestras gave concerts with solo artists,
Clifford Curzon, Louis Kentner, Moiseiwitsch, Leon Goossens and Eileen Joyce.
If the programmes erred on the popular side, it was to be expected. Many of
them were in aid of something or other. 1942 saw the fourth series of the
‘National People’s Concerts’ and there was ‘Anglo-Soviet Week’, when the North
East Regional Orchestra gave concerts of mostly Russian pieces with Elgar’s
‘Chanson de Matin’ and ‘Chanson de Nuit’ squeezed in between them. One
programme from this series lists Grieg’s Fourth Piano Concerto - wartime disinformation
perhaps In this same year there was also the ‘Holidays at Home
Drive’ with a full programme of events in what was described as a gala week; 20
–27 th June, with bowls, tennis, putting, donkey rides, beach huts and wireless
programmes. But there was also live music by bands; military, brass and dance,
featuring Wetherell’s Accordion Band, the National Fire Service Pipes, and the
Drums and Pipers and Sword Dancers of the Cameronians. . Even the
Newcastle Symphony Orchestra resurrected itself and gave a performance (one
of many during the war period) of Edward German’s ‘Merrie England’ with the
People’s Concert Chorus of 300 voices and the popular tenor, Frank Titterton as
Sir Walter Raleigh. Stirring stuff indeed. Programmes of the period clearly
displayed, ‘AIR RAID SHELTERS at Barras Bridge, Northumberland Road and
Saville Row. but one lived with danger in those days and it often took more than
a few bombs to move an audience.
The National Philharmonic – a wartime creation - came to Newcastle in 1943
for one week and presented a different programme every night with a matinee on
the Saturday. The entertainment equivalent of CEMA, known as ENSA (jokingly
referred to as ‘Every night something awful’) by arrangement with the Ministry of
Labour and National Service presented symphony concerts for war workers.
Under this banner workers were treated to concerts in the work place such as
that given by the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Maurice Miles in a
programme of music by Beethoven, Elgar, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mozart. This
was indeed music for the people but it had taken a world war to make it happen. .
Meanwhile, slightly higher up the social scale from the cloth caps and
headscarves, in the Prince of Wales’ Rooms in the County Hotel, the Newcastle
Glee and Madrigal Society were continuing to meet regularly as usual and not far
away in Blackett Street at the Connaught Rooms, the Insurance Institute Music
Society were to be commended for maintaining artistic standards with song
recitals that included music by Bach, Chopin, Roger Quilter, John Ireland, Frank
Bridge and Vaughan-Williams. In 1944 there were special weeks in aid of the war
effort and April of that year saw ‘Salute the Soldier Week’, when massed bands
at the Palace Theatre played programmes to rally the National spirit with suitable
works that included the March Slav and the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky and,
of course, ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. The Royal Navy had to have its turn and
consequently ‘Warship Week’ followed with daily concerts of music. The official
programme for ‘Warship Week’ carried such slogans as ‘Save for Britain or Slave
for Hitler’ – ‘They Also Serve Who Save’ and ‘£ the Enemy for all You are Worth’.
99