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Last time we looked at famous painters, poets and writers so I thought this time we would turn our attention to music. You have to remember that at this time there were no records, gramophones or CD players, let along places where you could just download any music you wanted. If you wanted to hear music, you had to go to a live concert or play an instrument in your own home.

On 30 January 1858 the Halle Orchestra, under its conductor Sir Charles Halle (guess whose orchestra it was) gave its first performance. It was at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester and the Halle Orchestra was one of the first full time orchestras in England. Sir Charles conducted almost every concert the orchestra gave until his death in 1895. He also performed as the piano soloist on many occasions.

The Halle Orchestra's home continued to be the Free Trade Hall until the start of WWII. After the halls were rebuilt in 1951 the orchestra returned. They played their last concert there in 1996 before moving to their new home close by at The Bridgewater Hall. The orchestra still performs today.

This is a clip from a performance the orchestra gave in 2004. It is a very famous classical piece of music known as the William Tell overture. See what you can find out about it. Make sure your volume isn't too high at about 2 minutes 45 seconds.



Another musical event still going on today is the annual promenade concerts, the Proms, which take place between July and September each year at various venues around the UK and ending with the traditional Last Night of the Proms based at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Promenade concerts had been going on since about 1750 and were open-air performances by various musicians in the fields and gardens around London. They were given the name “promenade” because the audience were free to walk around while the orchestra was playing.

The first set of the now annual promenade concerts began on 10 August 1895, organised by Robert Newman and conducted by Henry Wood. Wood would (sorry) be the main conductor until his death in August 1944. Within the indoor Proms, the floor area of the hall has no seats and so, if they weren't all squashed together as on the Last Night, the audience could still walk around. The people who stand there are often called Promenaders.

The Last Night of the Proms is a fascinating example of traditional British culture. It is always broadcast by the BBC live, is usually held in the middle of September and you should take the chance to watch it at least once in your life.

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