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{{Short description|Aspect of British Culture}}
{{UK music}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
[[File:BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall -26July2008-2rpc.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London. A major venue for classical and other forms of music.]]
'''Classical music of the United Kingdom''' is taken in this article to mean [[classical music]] in the sense elsewhere defined, of formally composed and written music of [[chamber music|chamber]], [[concert]] and [[church music|church]] type as distinct from [[popular music|popular]], [[traditional music|traditional]], or [[folk music]]. The term in this sense emerged in the early 19th century, not long after the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] came into existence in 1801. Composed music in these islands can be traced in musical notation back to the 13th century, with earlier origins. It has never existed in isolation from European music, but has often developed in distinctively insular ways within an international framework. Inheriting the European classical forms of the 18th century (above all, in Britain, from the example of Handel), patronage and the academy and university establishment of musical performance and training in the United Kingdom during the 19th century saw a great expansion. Similar developments occurred in the other expanding states of Europe (including Russia) and their empires. Within this international growth the traditions of composition and performance centred in the United Kingdom, including the various cultural strands drawn from its different provinces, have continued to evolve in distinctive ways through the work of many famous composers.


==Early and Baroque music==
'''Classical music of the United Kingdom''' is taken in this article to mean [[classical music]] in the sense elsewhere defined, of formally composed and written music of [[chamber]], [[concert]] and [[church music|church]] type as distinct from [[popular music|popular]], [[traditional music|traditional]], or [[folk music]] from the eighteenth century onwards, specifically from the creation of [[Great Britain]] by the [[Acts of Union 1707|Acts of Union]] in 1707. The term in this sense emerged in the early nineteenth century, not long after the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] came into existence in 1801. Composed music in these islands can be traced in musical notation back to the thirteenth century, with earlier origins. It has never existed in isolation from European music, but has often developed in distinctively insular ways within an international framework. Inheriting the European classical forms of the eighteenth century (above all, in Britain, from the example of Handel), patronage and the academy and university establishment of musical performance and training in the United Kingdom during the nineteenth century saw a great expansion. Similar developments occurred in the other expanding states of Europe (including Russia) and their empires. Within this international growth the traditions of composition and performance centred in the United Kingdom, including the various cultural strands drawn from its different provinces, have continued to evolve in distinctive ways through the work of many famous composers.
{{main|Early music of the British Isles|Baroque music of the British Isles}}
[[Image:Haendel.jpg|thumb|right|[[George Frideric Handel]] was a leading figure of early 18th-century British music.]]
Music in the British Isles, from the earliest recorded times until the [[Baroque]] and the rise of recognisably modern [[classical music]], was a diverse and rich culture, including sacred and secular music and ranging from the popular to the elite.<ref>R. McKitterick, C. T. Allmand, T. Reuter, D. Abulafia, P. Fouracre, J. Simon, C. Riley-Smith, M. Jones, eds, ''The New Cambridge Medieval History: C. 1415- C. 1500'' (Cambridge University Press, 1995), p. 319.</ref> Each of the major nations of [[England]], [[Ireland]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]] retained unique forms of music and of instrumentation, but British music was highly influenced by continental developments, while British composers made an important contribution to many of the major movements in early music in Europe, including the [[polyphony]] of the [[Ars Nova]] and laid some of the foundations of later national and international classical music.<ref>W. Lovelock, ''A Concise History of Music'' (Frederick Ungar, 1953), p. 57.</ref> Musicians from the British Isles also developed some distinctive forms of music, including [[Celtic chant]], the [[Contenance Angloise]], the [[rota (music)|rota]], polyphonic votive [[antiphon]]s and the [[Carol (music)|carol]] in the [[medieval music|medieval]] era and English [[madrigal (music)|madrigal]]s, [[lute]] [[air (music)|ayres]] and [[masques]] in the [[Renaissance music|Renaissance]] era, which led particularly to [[English language opera]] developed in the early [[Baroque music|Baroque]] period.<ref>R. H. Fritze and W. Baxter Robison, ''Historical dictionary of late medieval England, 1272-1485'' (Greenwood, 2002), p. 363; G. H. Cowling, ''Music on the Shakespearian Stage'' (Cambridge University Press, 2008), p. 6.</ref> The dominant figure in classical music in the later baroque era, and beyond, was the German-born [[George Frideric Handel]] (1685–1759).


==Early Music==
==Early nineteenth century==
With the [[Act of Union 1800]] passed by both the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] and the [[Parliament of Ireland]], the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] was formed, and it becomes possible to speak of classical music in the United Kingdom.<ref>H. Kearney, ''The British Isles, a History of Four Nations'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. 214.</ref> This was also the period when classical music began to be recognised as an important element of British and Irish culture and to be placed on a more organised basis that could match some of the developments seen in continental Europe. Music in this period has been seen as dominated by continental trends and composers.
{{main|Early music of the British Isles}}
Music in the British Isles, from the earliest recorded times until the [[Baroque]] and the rise of recognisably modern [[classical music]], was a diverse and rich culture, including sacred and secular music and ranging from the popular to the elite.<ref>R. McKitterick, C. T. Allmand, T. Reuter, D. Abulafia, P. Fouracre, J. Simon, C. Riley-Smith, M. Jones, eds, ''The New Cambridge Medieval History: C. 1415- C. 1500'' (Cambridge University Press, 1995), p. 319.</ref> Each of the major nations of [[England]], [[Ireland]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]] retained unique forms of music and of instrumentation, but British music was highly influenced by continental developments, while British composers made an important contribution to many of the major movements in early music in Europe, including the [[polyphony]] of the [[Ars Nova]] and laid some of the foundations of later national and international classical music.<ref>W. Lovelock, ''A Concise History of Music'' (Frederick Ungar, 1953), p. 57.</ref> Musicians from the British Isles also developed some distinctive forms of music, including [[Celtic chant]], the [[Contenance Angloise]], the [[rota]], polyphonic votive [[antiphon]]s and the [[carol]] in the [[medieval music|medieval]] era and English [[madrigals]], [[lute]] [[air (music)|ayres]] and [[masques]] in the [[Renaissance music|Renaissance]] era, which led particularly to [[English language opera]] developed in the early [[Baroque music|Baroque]] period of the later seventeenth century.<ref>R. H. Fritze and W. Baxter Robison, ''Historical dictionary of late medieval England, 1272-1485'' (Greenwood, 2002), p. 363; G. H. Cowling, ''Music on the Shakespearian Stage'' (Cambridge University Press, 2008), p. 6.</ref>


===Major foundations===
==Music of the eighteenth century==
In 1813 the London [[Royal Philharmonic Society|Philharmonic Society]] was established, which played an important role in the development of musical life in the kingdom. Founders included Sir [[George Thomas Smart|George Smart]], [[Johann Baptist Cramer]], [[Muzio Clementi]], William Ayrton (musical director of the [[His Majesty's Theatre, London|King's Theatre]]), [[William Shield]], [[Henry Bishop (composer)|Henry Bishop]], [[Thomas Attwood (composer)|Thomas Attwood]] (composer and organist of [[St Paul's Cathedral]], and teacher of [[John Goss (composer)|John Goss]]), [[Johann Peter Salomon]] and [[Vincent Novello]]. Under their aegis an annual programme of concerts of international calibre was established. The Society was a commissioning patron of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Choral Symphony (No. 9)]].<ref>C. Ehrlich, ''First philharmonic: a history of the Royal Philharmonic Society'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), pp. 1-36.</ref>
[[Image:Haendel.jpg|thumb|right|[[George Frideric Handel]] was a leading figure of early 18th century British music.]]The leading figure in British music of the early 18th century was a naturalized Briton, [[George Frideric Handel]]. Although he was born in Germany, he played a defining role in the music of the UK. His orchestral music (such as the [[Water Music]], and the [[Music for the Royal Fireworks]]) and his opera, sacred drama and choral music (above all, the [[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]) virtually set the British taste in music for the next 200 years. Today, they remain among the most popular concert works; still account for significant album sales; and are widely performed by amateur ensembles as well as the top professional performers.


Musical training was placed on a newly professional footing by the creation in 1822 of the [[Royal Academy of Music]], which received a royal charter in 1830, which attempted to train British musicians to the same standards as those of the continent.<ref>D. A. Rohr, ''The Careers of British Musicians, 1750-1850: a Profession of Artisans'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp. 79-80.</ref> Its first principal was the oratorio composer Dr [[William Crotch]] (1775–1847), and the first tutor of piano was [[Cipriani Potter]] (1792–1871). Potter was the first London performer of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] and Beethoven concerti. He wrote nine symphonies and four piano concerti and as principal from 1832-59 was highly influential in the development of British music and the profession of musician.<ref>T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, eds, ''The Piano in Nineteenth-century British Culture: Instruments, Performers and Repertoire'' (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2007), p. 3.</ref>
In the same period, [[John Gay]] wrote his best-known work, [[The Beggar's Opera]] (1728), although the music was actually written by [[Johann Christoph Pepusch]]. [[Thomas Augustine Arne|Thomas Arne]] composed a notable body of work, largely for the theatre, of which his song [[Rule Britannia]] is probably the best-known. The light opera and ballad tradition of the mid and later 18th century was continued in famous style by [[William Shield]], [[Charles Dibdin]] and his family into the early 19th, and in the same period the 'Irish Melodies' of [[Thomas Moore]], nationalistic in sentiment, found their way into national musical consciousness and fed the [[Romantic movement]] in music and literature.


The significance of [[classical music in Ireland]], and to a degree its place in conflicting British and Irish identities, was signalled by the foundation of the Dublin Choral Society in 1837, the [[Royal Irish Academy of Music|Irish Academy of Music]] in 1848 (which was to be granted a royal charter in 1872); and the Royal Choral Institute in 1851 under such figures as Sir Robert Prescot.<ref>M. McCarthy. ''Passing it on: the transmission of music in Irish culture'' (Cork: Cork University Press, 1999), p. 47-8.</ref>
Throughout the eighteenth century, and into the nineteenth, there existed a fashionable preference for Italian and German music, and performers, over the native British. Nonetheless there were many very accomplished British performers, both amateur and professional: among singers the names of [[Nancy Storace]], [[Michael Kelly (musician)|Michael Kelly]] and (later) [[John Braham]] are especially prominent.


===Performers and composers===
==Music of the nineteenth century==
[[File:John Field - restoration1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[John Field (composer)|John Field]], c. 1820]]
With the [[Act of Union 1800]] passed by both the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] and the [[Parliament of Ireland]], the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] was formed, and it becomes possible to speak of classical music in the United Kingdom.
In the earlier part of the century the British singers [[Michael Kelly (tenor)|Michael Kelly]], [[Nancy Storace]] and [[John Braham (tenor)|John Braham]] were prominent and by their example sustained the international opera and oratorio works of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]], [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] and their successors in the British arena.<ref>A. Steptoe, ed., ''The Mozart-Da Ponte operas: the cultural and musical background to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), p. 148.</ref> Braham, whose career thoroughly spanned the opera stage and concert platform, established a tradition in public recital which was continued by his successors down into the early 20th century.<ref>P. Gordon, ''Musical visitors to Britain'', (London: Routledge, 2005), pp. 253-5.</ref> [[Arias]] or [[ballads]] from the English opera became concert standards in recital.


In the early 19th century, the Irish composer and virtuoso [[pianist]] [[John Field (composer)|John Field]] was highly influential in his style of playing which is thought to have been an inspiration to [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]] and [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]]. He is credited with having invented the ''[[nocturne]]'' as a musical form. Between 1801 and 1810 [[Elizabeth Billington|Mrs Billington]], the great operatic soprano, was back in England and performing at Drury Lane.
The Irish composer and virtuoso [[pianist]] [[John Field (composer)|John Field]] (1782–1837) was highly influential in his style of playing, inventing the [[nocturne]] and he is thought to have been an inspiration to [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]] and [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]].<ref>S. Sadie and A. Latham, ''The Cambridge Music Guide'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), p. 328.</ref>


Perhaps the most influential composer of the first half of the 19th century was the German [[Felix Mendelssohn]], who visited Britain ten times for a total of twenty months from 1829. He won a strong following through the Philharmonic Society, sufficient for him to make a deep impression on British musical life. Not only did he compose and perform, but he also edited for British publishers the first critical editions of [[oratorio]]s of Handel and of the [[organ (music)|organ]] music of J. S. Bach. Scotland inspired two of his most famous works, the overture ''[[Hebrides Overture|Fingal's Cave]]'' (also known as the ''Hebrides Overture'') and the ''[[Symphony No. 3 (Mendelssohn)|Scottish Symphony]]'' (Symphony No. 3). His oratorio ''[[Elijah (oratorio)|Elijah]]'' was premièred in [[Birmingham]] at the [[Birmingham Triennial Music Festival|Triennial Music Festival]] on August 26, 1846. On his last visit to England in 1847 he was the soloist in [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 4 (Beethoven)|Piano Concerto No. 4]] and conducted his own ''Scottish'' Symphony with the Philharmonic Orchestra before [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]].<ref>D. Conway, '"Short, Dark and Jewish-Looking": Felix Mendelssohn in Britain', ''The Jewish Year Book'' (2009), ed. S. Massil, p. xviii.</ref> A number of British piano students of promise were sent to the [[Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre|Leipzig Conservatory]] established by Mendelssohn.<ref>T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, ''The piano in nineteenth-century British culture: instruments, performers and repertoire'' (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 4.</ref>
In 1813 the London [[Royal Philharmonic Society|Philharmonic Society]] was established, which played an important role in the development of musical life in the kingdom. Founders included Sir [[George Thomas Smart|George Smart]], [[Johann Baptist Cramer]], [[Muzio Clementi]], [[William Ayrton]] (musical director of the [[King's Theatre]]), [[William Shield]], [[Henry Bishop]], [[Thomas Attwood]] (composer and organist of [[St Paul's Cathedral]], and teacher of [[John Goss]]), [[Johann Peter Salomon]] and [[Vincent Novello]]. Under their aegis an annual programme of concerts of international calibre was established. The Society was a commissioning patron of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Choral Symphony (No. 9)]].


==British musical renaissance 1860-1918==
Musical training was placed on a newly professional footing by the creation (1822) of the [[Royal Academy of Music]], which received a royal charter in 1830. At its inception Dr [[William Crotch]] (composer of oratorios), and the pianist-composer [[Cipriani Potter]] (first London performer of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] and Beethoven concerti, who wrote 9 symphonies and 4 piano concerti) were among those attached to the staff. Through the Philharmonic Society [[Felix Mendelssohn]] seized the national musical taste in a craze which lasted for almost twenty years. The flavour of his choral works, especially ''[[Elijah (oratorio)|Elijah]]'' and ''[[St. Paul (oratorio)|St. Paul]]'', and of [[Louis Spohr]]'s ''Last Judgement'' (Norwich 1830) and ''Calvary'' (1839) permanently influenced English taste. Furthermore, most British piano students of promise were sent to the [[Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre|Leipzig Conservatory]] established by Mendelssohn.
Classical music has been seen as undergoing a fundamental shift in focus and importance from the second half of the 19th century, as it began to search for a distinctive national identity or identities and played an increasing role in British cultural life.<ref>R. A. Stradling and M. Hughes, ''The English Musical Renaissance, 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction'' (London: Taylor & Francis, 1993).</ref>


===Performers and composers===
In the earlier part of the century the British singers [[Michael Kelly (tenor)|Michael Kelly]], [[Nancy Storace]] and [[John Braham]] were prominent and by their example sustained the international opera and oratorio works of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]], [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]], Mozart and their successors in the British arena. Braham, whose career thoroughly spanned the opera stage and concert platform, established a tradition in public recital which was continued by his successors down into the early 20th century. In particular he upheld the [[Charles Dibdin]] tradition of the declamatory ballad in his own compositions within the ballad concert repertoire, and set the English standard in Handelian and florid singing.
Native singers shared the dramatic stage with international stars in Italian and German opera, notably [[Clara Novello]], [[Helen Lemmens-Sherrington]], [[Sims Reeves]] and [[Charles Santley]].<ref>C. Hartley and S. Leckey, ''A Historical Dictionary of British Women'' (London: Routledge, 2nd edn., 2003), p. 275.</ref> After 1856 the Swedish born [[Jenny Lind]], perhaps the most internationally renowned singer of the era, settled permanently in England, continuing to perform and teach.<ref>{{cite DNB12|wstitle=Goldschmidt, Otto|volume=2|page=124}}</ref>


Among the most important figures in British classical music in this period was Sir [[William Sterndale Bennett]]. A RAM pupil of Potter's, he was a pianist, composer and conductor who for eleven years took control of the Philharmonic Society baton.<ref>P. Horton, "William Sterndale Bennett, composer and pianist", in T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, eds, ''The piano in nineteenth-century British Culture: Instruments, Performers and Repertoire'' (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), pp. 119-48.</ref> [[Lucy Anderson]] and her pupil [[Arabella Goddard]], with Franklin Taylor, were leading native mid-Victorian pianists.<ref>T. M. Ellsworth, "Victorian pianists as concert artists: the case of Arabella Godard", in T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, eds., ''The Piano in Nineteenth-Century British Culture: Instruments, Performers and Repertoire'' (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 153.</ref>
Arias or ballads from the English opera became concert standards in recital. The period 1835-1865 saw the popularity of [[Michael Balfe]], (Irish composer of ''[[The Bohemian Girl]]''), the operas of [[John Pyke Hullah]], and the earlier English operas of German-born Sir [[Julius Benedict]] (though his best-known, ''[[The Lily of Killarney]]'', premiered in 1862). ''[[Maritana]]'', most famous and ballad-rich of [[William Vincent Wallace]]'s operas, was staged in 1845. In the same period composer and performer [[John Liptrot Hatton]], famous for songs ''To Anthea'' and ''Simon the Cellarer'', held public attention. The operas and ballads of [[Frederic Clay]] were performed with lasting popularity in the 1860s.


===Growth of venues and orchestras===
Among the greatest forces in British music mid-century was (Sir) [[William Sterndale Bennett]], pianist, composer and conductor, an RAM pupil (of Potter's), composer of five piano concerti, who for eleven years took control of the Philharmonic Society baton. [[Lucy Anderson]] and her pupil [[Arabella Goddard]], with [[Franklin Taylor]], were leading native mid-Victorian pianists. After the death of [[Jane Stirling]] in the 1850s, [[Frédéric Chopin]]'s other British pupils [[Lindsay Sloper]] and [[Brinley Richards]] taught in England. [[Oscar Beringer]], [[Edward Dannreuther]] (Leipzig pupils of [[Ignaz Moscheles]]) and [[Ernst Pauer]] (a Chopin editor) settled in London in the 1850s. [[Agnes Zimmermann]] was Pauer's pupil. Dannreuther, who founded the [[London Wagner Society]] in 1873, was a great influence on [[Hubert Parry]].
[[File:Royal Opera House and ballerina.jpg|thumbnail|250px|The Royal Opera House, Bow Street frontage, with Enzo Plazzotta's statue 'Young Dancer' in the foreground]]
This century saw the trend towards larger orchestras and correspondingly larger musical venues, permitting public concerts for mass audiences. The [[Crystal Palace Concerts]] were inaugurated in 1855, with [[August Manns]] as the principal conductor and the [[Handel Triennial Festival]], an older institution involving massed choirs before vast audiences, was transferred there.<ref>M. Musgrave, ''The Musical Life of the Crystal Palace'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), pp. 67-81.</ref> [[Covent Garden]]'s [[Royal Opera House]] was opened in 1858, on the site of an earlier theatre and the [[Royal Albert Hall]] was built in 1878.<ref>M. Kilburn, ''London's Theatres'' (New Holland Publishers, 2002), p. 112.</ref>


Orchestras which were founded in this period included the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic|Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]] (1840),<ref name="M. Randel, 2003 p. 292">D. M. Randel, ''The Harvard Dictionary of Music'' (Harvard University Press, 2003), p. 292.</ref> the [[The Hallé|Hallé Orchestra]] at [[Manchester]] under Sir [[Charles Hallé]] (1858),<ref>[[Michael Kennedy (music critic)|M. Kennedy]], ''The Hallé, 1858-1983: a History of the Orchestra'' (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1982).</ref> and the Scottish Orchestra (1891), now the [[Royal Scottish National Orchestra]].<ref>C. Harvie, ''No gods and precious few heroes: Twentieth-century Scotland'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 3rd edn., 1998), p. 137.</ref>
Native singers shared the dramatic stage with international stars in Italian and German opera, notably [[Clara Novello]], [[Helen Lemmens-Sherrington]], [[Sims Reeves]] and [[Charles Santley]]. After her USA tour accompanied by Benedict, [[Jenny Lind]] settled permanently in England in c. 1855 and continued to perform and teach.


===English language opera===
This century saw the trend towards larger orchestras and correspondingly larger musical venues, permitting public concerts for mass audiences. The [[The Crystal Palace|Crystal Palace]] concerts were inaugurated in 1855, with [[August Manns]] as the principal conductor. The Handel Triennial Festival, an older institution involving massed choirs before vast audiences, was transferred there. [[Covent Garden]]'s [[Royal Opera House]] was opened in 1858, on the site of an earlier theatre; the [[Royal Albert Hall]] was built in 1878.
{{Main|Opera in English}}
One of the notable features of the mid-19th century is the revival of a tradition of English language opera. [[Arthur Sullivan]], a pupil of Goss, came to public attention in the 1860s with [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] [[incidental music]], ''[[The Tempest (Sullivan)|The Tempest]]'' (1862), ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' (1871), his ''[[Symphony in E, Irish|Irish Symphony]]'' (1863–66) and ''[[Overture In C (In Memoriam)|In Memoriam]]''.<ref name="M. Ainger, 2002">M. Ainger, ''Gilbert and Sullivan: a dual biography'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).</ref>


The period 1835-1865 saw the height of popularity for the Irish born [[Michael Balfe]] (1808–70), composer of ''[[The Bohemian Girl]]'' (1843),<ref>W. Tyldesley, ''Michael William Balfe: his life and his English operas'' (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003).</ref> the operas of [[John Pyke Hullah]] (1812–84),<ref>F. M. L. Thompson, ''The University of London and the world of learning, 1836-1986'' (Continuum, 1990), pp. 184-5.</ref> and the earlier English operas of German-born Sir [[Julius Benedict]] (1804–85), including his best-known, ''[[The Lily of Killarney]]'' (1862).<ref>R. A. Streatfeild. ''The Opera'' (BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2007), p. 223.</ref> ''[[Maritana]]'' (1845) was the most famous and ballad-rich of the Irish born [[William Vincent Wallace]]'s operas.<ref>V. B. Lawrence and G. T. Strong, ''Reverberations, 1850-1856'' (Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press, 1995), p. 541.</ref> The operas of [[Frederic Clay]] (1838–89) were among the most popular of the period, including ''[[Ages Ago]]'' (1869), ''[[The Gentleman in Black]]'' (1870) and ''[[Happy Arcadia]]'' (1872), all written with [[W. S. Gilbert]] (1836–1911).<ref>M. Ainger, ''Gilbert and Sullivan: a dual biography'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), pp. 83-4.</ref>
Orchestras which were founded in this period include the [[The Hallé|Hallé Orchestra]] (at [[Manchester]] under Sir [[Charles Hallé]]), the [[Royal Liverpool Philharmonic|Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]] and the [[Royal Scottish National Orchestra]]. The rich vein of Irish musicianship was fostered through the [[Royal Irish Academy of Music]], the [[Instrumental Music Club of Dublin]] and (later) the [[Royal Dublin Society]], under such figures as Sir [[Robert Prescot Stewart|Robert Stewart]]


The [[Savoy opera]] collaborations between Gilbert and Sullivan began in 1875 with ''[[Trial by Jury]]''. They were in the British light opera tradition with spoken dialogue. They reached their heyday in the 1880s with ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (1880), and ''[[The Gondoliers]]'' (1889), and concluded in 1896 with ''[[The Grand Duke]]''. They had rivals like [[Alfred Cellier]]'s (1844–91) ''[[Dorothy (opera)|Dorothy]]'' (1886) and ''[[The Mountebanks]]'' (1892), but were the most successful operas of the era and have been among the most frequently revived.<ref name="M. Ainger, 2002"/>
The increasing scale of operatic and dramatic productions, and the increasing taste for sacred drama, oratorio and cantata, marked the later 19th century and characterised the provincial Festivals. Sterndale Bennett in ''The May Queen'' (1858), the harmonist [[Ebenezer Prout]] in his ''Hereward'' and ''King Alfred'', [[George Macfarren]] in his ''Robin Hood'' (1860), [[John Francis Barnett]]'s ''Ancient Mariner'' cantata (1867), [[Frederic Hymen Cowen]] (''The Rose Maiden'', 1870; ''Harold'' 1895) and [[Arthur Sullivan|Sir Arthur Sullivan]], in his works with [[Henry Fothergill Chorley|Chorley]] libretti such as ''The Sapphire Necklace'' or ''The Masque at Kenilworth'', or later in his ''[[Ivanhoe]] (1891)'', developed national mythic, literary and historical subjects. The operas of [[Arthur Goring Thomas]], including ''Esmeralda'' and ''Nadeshda'', possessed distinctive lyrical and dramatic qualities.


===Religious and mythical works===
The religious drama (controlled by censorship) found expression on the concert platform. The Handel, Mendelssohn and Spohr repertoire had become integral to British musical life. Sir [[Michael Costa]]'s ''Eli'' (1855) and ''Naaman'' set the pace for the later development in the works of Sullivan (e.g. ''[[The Martyr of Antioch]]'', ''The Light of the World'', and ''The Golden Legend'' (1886)), Hatton's ''Hezekiah'' (1877), [[Alfred R. Gaul]]'s ''The Holy City'', the ''Gideon'' of [[William Cusins]], the ''Rebekah'' of [[Joseph Barnby]], the incensed religiosity of [[Charles Gounod]]'s ''Redemption'' (1882) and ''Mors et Vita'' (1885) (produced expressly for the British public), and Sir [[John Stainer]]'s [[The Crucifixion (Stainer)|''The Crucifixion'']].
[[File:SirWilliamSterndaleBennett.jpg|thumb|right|Sir [[William Sterndale Bennett]] in 1861]]
In the later 19th century there was an increasing appetite for large scale works that covered epic, biblical and mythical themes. This was reflected in the topics of operas, cantatas and oratorios, often utilising British poems and novels. These included choral works like [[William Sterndale Bennett]]'s ''The May Queen'' (1858),<ref>G. P. Upton, ''The Standard Oratorios'' (BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008), p. 46.</ref> [[Ebenezer Prout]]'s ''Hereward'' and ''King Alfred''<ref>W. L. Hubbard, ''The American History and Encyclopedia of Music: Musical Biographies Part Two'' (Kessinger, 2005), p. 176.</ref> and [[cantata]]s like Sullivan and Henry Fothergill Chorley's ''[[The Masque at Kenilworth]]'' (1864),<ref>D. Shrock, ''Choral Repertoire'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 532.</ref> John Francis Barnett's ''Ancient Mariner'' (1867)<ref>Michael Musgrave, ''The musical life of the Crystal Palace'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), pp. 107-8.</ref> and [[Frederic Hymen Cowen]]'s ''The Rose Maiden'' (1870) and ''Harold'' (1895).<ref>D. M. Randel, ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music'' (Harvard University Press, 1996), p. 184.</ref> Similar trends can be seen in operas such as [[George Alexander Macfarren]]'s ''[[Robin Hood (Macfarren opera)|Robin Hood]]'' (1860), Sullivan's ''Ivanhoe'' (1891) and in the operas of [[Arthur Goring Thomas]], which included ''[[Esmeralda (opera)|Esmeralda]]'' (1883) and ''Nadeshda'' (1885).<ref>R. Beale, ''Charles Hallé: a Musical Life'' (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 128.</ref><ref>D. J. Grout, ''A Short History of Opera'' (Columbia University Press, 2nd edn, 1965), p. 488.</ref>
Sullivan, pupil of Goss, won fame in the 1860s with [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] [[incidental music]] (''[[The Tempest (Sullivan)|The Tempest]]'' (1862), ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' (1871), his ''[[Symphony in E, Irish|Irish Symphony]]'' (1863-66) and the ''In Memoriam''). His later [[Savoy opera]] collaborations with [[W. S. Gilbert]] began in 1875, reached their heyday in the 1880s (e.g. ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' (1880), ''[[The Gondoliers]]'' (1889)), and concluded in 1896. In the British light opera tradition with spoken dialogue, airs like 'Take a pair of sparkling eyes' entered the concert repertoire. These works formed a distinctive group, but had rivals in [[Alfred Cellier]]'s ''Dorothy'' and ''[[The Mountebanks]]''.


The works of Handel, Mendelssohn and Spohr continued to be a major part of the British musical repertoire but there was an increasing emphasis on religious drama. The Italian-born Sir [[Michael Costa (conductor)|Michael Costa]]'s ''Eli'' (1855) and ''Naaman'' (1864)<ref name="M. Randel, 2003 p. 292"/> set the pace for the later development in the works of Sullivan, including ''[[The Martyr of Antioch]]'' (1880) ''The Light of the World'' (1873), and ''[[The Golden Legend (cantata)|The Golden Legend]]'' (1886), [[John Liptrot Hatton]]'s ''Hezekiah'' (1877), [[Joseph Barnby]]'s ''Rebekah'' (1870), [[William Cusins]]'s ''Gideon'' (1871), [[Alfred R. Gaul]]'s ''The Holy City'' (1882), [[Charles Gounod]]'s ''Redemption'' (1882) and ''Mors et Vita'' (1885) (produced expressly for the British public), and Sir [[John Stainer]]'s [[The Crucifixion (Stainer)|''The Crucifixion'']] (1887).<ref>H. E. Smither, ''A History of the Oratorio: the Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries'' (UNC Press, 2000), p. 311.</ref> Arguably the last of the great English Victorian composers to emerge was [[Edward Elgar]] (1857–1934), who during the 1890s produced his ''Caractacus'' and ''King Olaf'' cantatas, the ''[[Enigma Variations]]'' in 1899, and the revolutionary ''[[The Dream of Gerontius|Dream of Gerontius]]'' in 1900.<ref>J. N. Moore, ''Edward Elgar: a Creative Life'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).</ref>
Between 1880 and 1887 the London [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School of Music]] was established. The [[Royal College of Music]], originating in a training school under Arthur Sullivan, was founded (1882-83) under Sir [[George Grove]], and became home to the genius of Sir [[Hubert Parry]] (1848-1918). His reformation of British music progressed along several fronts, not least in anthems, cantatas (e.g. ''Prometheus Unbound'', Gloucester 1880, ''King Saul'' 1894), in four symphonies (including the ''English'', 1889), in chamber music and in song.


===Late nineteenth-century foundations===
His great contemporary in this revival was the Irish-born Sir [[Charles Villiers Stanford]] (1852-1924), who from [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]] extended his influence throughout the national musical life. [[Frederick Delius]], [[Arthur Somervell]] and [[Edward Elgar]] were joining Stanford and Parry in the renewal of English song in the 1890s, and Delius and [[Walford Davies]] were also taking their lead in chamber composition. [[Tobias Matthay]] became a leading teacher of English pianoforte method and interpretation.
Between 1880 and 1887 the London [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama|Guildhall School of Music]] was established.<ref name="M. Hughes, 1993 p. 47">R. A. Stradling and M. Hughes, ''The English Musical Renaissance, 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction'' (London: Taylor & Francis, 1993), p. 47.</ref> The [[Royal College of Music]], originating in a training school under Arthur Sullivan, was founded (1882–83) under Sir [[George Grove]].<ref name="M. Hughes, 1993 p. 47"/> [[The Proms|The Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts]], led by Sir [[Henry Joseph Wood|Henry Wood]] were founded in 1895.<ref>R. A. Stradling and M. Hughes, ''The English Musical Renaissance, 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction'' (London: Taylor & Francis, 1993), p. 46.</ref>


A member of teaching staff at the RCM from 1884 and director from 1894 until his death was Sir [[Hubert Parry]] (1848–1918), who used it as a platform for creativity and a reformation of British music. His own works included the cantatas ''Prometheus Unbound'' (1880) and ''King Saul'' (1894), and four symphonies, among them the ''English'' (1889).<ref>J. Dibble, ''C. Hubert H. Parry: His Life and Music'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).</ref> His great contemporary was the Irish-born Sir [[Charles Villiers Stanford]] (1852–1924), who was professor of composition at the RCM from 1883; conductor of The Bach Choir from 1886 to 1902; was professor of music at Cambridge from 1887 and conductor of the Leeds Philharmonic Society (1897–1909), and of the Leeds Festival (1901 to 1910).<ref>J. Dibble. ''Charles Villiers Stanford: man and musician'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).</ref> These figures had a profound effect on a generation of composers that included [[Gustav Holst]] and [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]].
The last of the great English Victorian composers to emerge was Edward Elgar, who during the 1890s produced his ''Caractacus'' and ''King Olaf'' cantatas, the ''[[Enigma Variations]]'' in 1899, and the revolutionary ''[[The Dream of Gerontius|Dream of Gerontius]]'' in 1900. The prolific composer [[Alexander Mackenzie (composer)|Sir Alexander Mackenzie]] celebrated his native Scotland in three ''Scottish Rhapsodies'' for orchestra (1880-81, 1911), and in various concerted works for piano or violin and orchestra composed during the 1880s and 1890s.


===National or pastoral school===
The emergence of a 'national' style in late nineteenth century classical music in the United Kingdom paralleled similar developments in most European countries, for instance in the music of [[Bedřich Smetana|Smetana]], [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák]], [[Edvard Grieg|Grieg]], [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]], [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]], [[Carl Nielsen|Nielsen]] and [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]]. English folk-music connections were more widely rediscovered and reinfused into the classical materials mainly after 1900, though the work of [[Sabine Baring-Gould]] and [[Cecil Sharp]] had already borne fruit before the end of the century.
[[File:Jelka Rosen und Frederick Delius 1929.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Frederick Delius]] in 1929]]
A notable feature of the late 19th century and early 20th century was the birth of the [[English Pastoral School]] of classical music. This paralleled similar developments in most European countries, for instance in the music of [[Bedřich Smetana|Smetana]], [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák]], [[Edvard Grieg|Grieg]], [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]], [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]], [[Carl Nielsen|Nielsen]] and [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]].<ref>[[Peter van der Merwe (musicologist)|van der Merwe, Peter]], ''Roots of the classical: the popular origins of western music'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), p. 361.</ref> The movement was particularly influenced by the [[British folk revival]] through the work of figures such as [[Sabine Baring-Gould]] and [[Cecil Sharp]]. Examples include the Australian [[Percy Grainger]]'s ''[[Molly on the Shore]]'' (1907), [[Frederick Delius]]' ''[[Brigg Fair]]'' (1908), and [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]' ''[[English Folk Song Suite]]'' (1923) for brass band, as well as subtler references to folk themes in other works including the works of [[Arnold Bax]], [[George Butterworth]], [[Gustav Holst]], [[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]] and [[John Ireland (composer)|John Ireland]].<ref>B. Sweers, ''Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 47.</ref> Similar developments could be seen in Scotland in the work of [[Alexander Mackenzie (composer)|Sir Alexander Mackenzie]], who celebrated his native Scotland in three ''Scottish Rhapsodies'' for orchestra (1880–81, 1911), and in various concerted works for piano or violin and orchestra composed during the 1880s and 1890s.<ref>J. N. Moore, ''Edward Elgar: a Creative Life'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 91.</ref> Similarly, [[John Blackwood McEwen|John McEwen]]'s ''Pibroch'' (1889), ''Border Ballads'' (1908) and ''Solway Symphony'' (1911) also incorporated traditional Scottish folk melodies.<ref>M. Gardiner, ''Modern Scottish Culture'' (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), p. 196.</ref>


==Music of the twentieth century==
==Twentieth century==
Under the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] of 1921, twenty-six of [[Ireland]]'s thirty-two counties, including the city of [[Dublin]], were formally separated from the [[United Kingdom]]. While the two countries continued to share a classical music heritage, they would now develop on different lines.<ref>M. McCarthy. ''Passing it on: the transmission of music in Irish culture'' (Cork: Cork University Press, 1999), pp. 108-9.</ref>
In the early 20th century Britain produced some notable composers: [[William Wallace (composer)|William Wallace]], [[Frederick Delius]], [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], [[Arnold Bax]], [[Gustav Holst]], [[Samuel Coleridge-Taylor]] and [[John Ireland (composer)|John Ireland]], for example. A feature of the music of several of the composers of this era was an interest in the use of British [[folk music]] as source material. Examples include Vaughan Williams' [[English Folk Song Suite]] for brass band, Delius' [[Brigg Fair]], and [[Percy Grainger]]'s [[Molly on the Shore]] (though Grainger was Australian), as well as subtler references to folk themes in other works.


In what was now the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the outstanding composers of the century included [[William Walton]], [[Benjamin Britten]], [[Michael Tippett]], [[Lennox Berkeley]], and [[Havergal Brian]]. Their individual approaches to music and its part in the national identity differed significantly. Walton's work featured fanfares and patriotic themes, including the ceremonial marches ''Crown Imperial'', written for the [[coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth]], and ''Orb and Sceptre'', for [[coronation of Queen Elizabeth II|that of Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>M. Kennedy, ''Portrait of Walton'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989).</ref> Britten, on the other hand, made a conscious effort to set himself apart from the English musical mainstream, which he regarded as complacent, insular and amateurish. His works included the operas ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' (1945), and ''[[Billy Budd (opera)|Billy Budd]]'' (1951), as well the instrumental compositions ''Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar'' (1964).<ref>D. Matthews, ''Britten'' (Haus Publishing, 2003).</ref><ref>J. R. Doctor, ''The BBC and ultra-modern music, 1922-1936: shaping a nation's tastes'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).</ref> It is arguable that this trend may have contributed to the revival of interest in [[early music]] which has been led, in Britain, by such figures as [[Arnold Dolmetsch]] and [[David Munrow]].<ref>T. Knighton and D. Fallows, ''Companion to Medieval and Renaissance Music'' (University of California Press, 1997), p. 428.</ref>
Under the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]] of 1921, 26 of [[Ireland]]'s 32 counties, including the city of [[Dublin]], were formally separated from the [[United Kingdom]].


==Twenty-first century==
In the second half of the century, [[William Walton]] and [[Benjamin Britten]] are of especial note as composers, although there are strong contrasts between their individual approaches to music and its part in the national identity. Walton's work featured fanfares and patriotic themes: for instance he composed the ceremonial marches ''Crown Imperial'', written for the coronation of [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]], and ''Orb and Sceptre'', for that of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]. Britten, on the other hand, made a conscious effort to set himself apart from the English musical mainstream, which he regarded as complacent, insular and amateurish. However, his works, such as the operas ''[[Peter Grimes]]'' (1945), and ''[[Billy Budd (opera)|Billy Budd]]'' (1951), as well as his instrumental compositions, including his ''Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar'' (1964), place him amongst the most accomplished composers of the century.
[[File:Royal-coll-mus-lond.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The Royal College of Music from [[Prince Consort Road]], [[London]]]]In the present era, classical music in Britain must contend and co-exist with a dominant culture of [[popular music]]. Specialist music education at establishments such as the [[Royal Academy of Music]], [[Royal College of Music]], [[Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama]], [[Royal Northern College of Music]], [[Royal Birmingham Conservatoire]] and [[Guildhall School of Music]],<ref name=Sheerman2007p246/> [[Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance]]{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama as well as within British Universities provide music teaching to classical musicians.<ref name=Sheerman2007p246>B. Sheerman, ed., ''The future sustainability of the higher education sector: international aspects, eighth report of session 2006-07, Vol. 2: Oral and written evidence'' (London: [[HM The Stationery Office]], 2007), p. 346.</ref>


Notable modern composers include: [[Peter Maxwell Davies]], [[Harrison Birtwistle]], [[John Tavener]], [[Robin Holloway]], [[George Benjamin (composer)|George Benjamin]], [[Thomas Adès]], [[Oliver Knussen]], [[James MacMillan (composer)|James MacMillan]], [[Judith Weir]], [[Peter Seabourne]], [[Alexander Goehr]], [[Jonathan Harvey (composer)|Jonathan Harvey]], [[Sally Beamish]], [[Julian Anderson]], [[Hugh Wood]] and at a more popular level [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], represent very different strands of composition within UK classical music.<ref name=Clark&Staines2001>D. Clark and J. Staines, ''Classical music: the rough guide'' (London: [[Rough Guides]], 2001).</ref>
The century continued and developed the concert tradition. Sir [[Henry Wood (conductor)|Henry Wood]]'s name will forever be associated with [[The Proms]], which started life in 1895 as the Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts, but transferred in 1941 to the Albert Hall, where they are still held. The [[Aldeburgh Festival]], founded by Benjamin Britten is another annual musical event of international status.

The advent of [[broadcasting]] and recording technologies have opened the possibility of classical music to larger audiences&mdash;without the need for ever larger orchestras. It is arguable that this trend may have contributed to the revival of interest in [[early music]] which has been led, in Britain, by such figures as [[Arnold Dolmetsch]] and [[David Munrow]].

The late 20th century is often characterised as a period dominated by the ''[[Cult of personality]]'' and this has affected classical music along with the rest of the arts. This has tended to focus British public attention on virtuoso performers such as [[James Galway]] (flautist), [[John Williams (guitarist)|John Williams]] (guitarist), [[Aled Jones]] (vocalist) and others. This elevation of a relative few to "superstar" status has arguably been at the cost of reducing the "ordinary" orchestral instrumentalist to a poorly-paid and under-rated role.

==Music of the twenty-first century==
[[Image:Royal-coll-mus-lond.jpg|right|150px|thumb|The Royal College of Music from Prince Consort Road, [[London]]]]In the present era, classical music in Britain must contend and co-exist with a dominant culture of [[popular music]]. Specialist music education at establishments such as the [[Royal Academy of Music]], [[Royal College of Music]], [[Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama]], [[Royal Northern College of Music]] and [[Guildhall School of Music]] provide world-class music teaching to gifted classical musicians, though the general level of classical music education in Britain is somewhat limited.

In this century, music, like most other aspects of society, has become [[globalization|globalized]], and it is increasingly difficult to speak of "music of the UK" as a separate entity. Gifted UK musicians train and perform all over the world: conversely, many of the places in UK music schools are taken up by overseas musicians, and most concerts are international in their content and their performers.

Composition is alive and well: [[Peter Maxwell Davies]], [[Julian Anderson]], [[Harrison Birtwistle]], [[George Benjamin]], [[Thomas Ades]], [[Jonny Greenwood]], [[Oliver Knussen]] and to a lesser extent, [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] represent very different strands of composition within UK classical music.


==Festivals and venues==
==Festivals and venues==
The United Kingdom is host to many major [[orchestra]]s, festivals and venues. The [[Royal Philharmonic Society]] (founded 1813) and "[[The Proms]]" have presented annual music programmes of international status since the early 19th century.
The United Kingdom is host to many major [[orchestra]]s, festivals and venues. The [[Royal Philharmonic Society]] (founded 1813) and "[[The Proms]]" have presented annual music programmes of international status since the early 19th century. The [[Aldeburgh Festival]], founded by Benjamin Britten is another annual musical event of international status.


==Timeline==
==Timeline==
{{Timeline of classical music of the United Kingdom}}
{{Timeline of classical music of the United Kingdom}}

==See also==
* [[Classical music]]
* [[Chronological list of Scottish classical composers]]


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


==References==
==References==
*[[Peter Gammond]] (1996), ''The Encyclopedia of Classical Music'', Salamander Books, {{ISBN|0-86101-400-6}}
This article draws heavily on (and to some extent summarises) other articles from the category of classical music in the United Kingdom. In addition, it references the following sources:
*[[Percy Scholes|Percy A. Scholes]] (1970), ''The Oxford Companion to Music'', Tenth Edition, Oxford University press.

*{{note|liturgical}} The Encyclopedia of Classical Music edited by Peter Gammond, Salamander Books, ISBN 0-86101-400-6
*{{note|shakemasque}} Ibid.
*[[Percy Scholes|Percy A. Scholes]], ''The Oxford Companion to Music'', Tenth Edition, Oxford University press, 1970
*Latham, R (1983) ''The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Volume X — Companion'', Bell & Hyman, London. ISBN 0-7135-1993-2. See the entry under "Music" by Richard Luckett, for both the Commonwealth and Restoration periods.

==See also==
* [[European classical music]]
* [[Timeline of trends in British music]]


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/mn200/music/composers.html Classical composer biographies at University of Cambridge]
*[http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/mn200/music/composers.html Classical composer biographies at University of Cambridge]
*[http://www.bl.uk/collections/sound-archive/wam.html The British Library — Classical music sound archive]
*[http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/sound/classmusic/classical.html The British Library Sound Archive — Classical music]

{{Music of the United Kingdom}}
{{Classical music}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Classical Music Of The United Kingdom}}
[[Category:Classical music in the United Kingdom|*]]
[[Category:Classical music in the United Kingdom|*]]
[[Category:Cultural history of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Cultural history of the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 05:58, 25 June 2023

The Royal Albert Hall in London. A major venue for classical and other forms of music.

Classical music of the United Kingdom is taken in this article to mean classical music in the sense elsewhere defined, of formally composed and written music of chamber, concert and church type as distinct from popular, traditional, or folk music. The term in this sense emerged in the early 19th century, not long after the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland came into existence in 1801. Composed music in these islands can be traced in musical notation back to the 13th century, with earlier origins. It has never existed in isolation from European music, but has often developed in distinctively insular ways within an international framework. Inheriting the European classical forms of the 18th century (above all, in Britain, from the example of Handel), patronage and the academy and university establishment of musical performance and training in the United Kingdom during the 19th century saw a great expansion. Similar developments occurred in the other expanding states of Europe (including Russia) and their empires. Within this international growth the traditions of composition and performance centred in the United Kingdom, including the various cultural strands drawn from its different provinces, have continued to evolve in distinctive ways through the work of many famous composers.

Early and Baroque music

[edit]
Main articles: Early music of the British Isles and Baroque music of the British Isles
George Frideric Handel was a leading figure of early 18th-century British music.

Music in the British Isles, from the earliest recorded times until the Baroque and the rise of recognisably modern classical music, was a diverse and rich culture, including sacred and secular music and ranging from the popular to the elite.[1] Each of the major nations of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales retained unique forms of music and of instrumentation, but British music was highly influenced by continental developments, while British composers made an important contribution to many of the major movements in early music in Europe, including the polyphony of the Ars Nova and laid some of the foundations of later national and international classical music.[2] Musicians from the British Isles also developed some distinctive forms of music, including Celtic chant, the Contenance Angloise, the rota, polyphonic votive antiphons and the carol in the medieval era and English madrigals, lute ayres and masques in the Renaissance era, which led particularly to English language opera developed in the early Baroque period.[3] The dominant figure in classical music in the later baroque era, and beyond, was the German-born George Frideric Handel (1685–1759).

Early nineteenth century

[edit]

With the Act of Union 1800 passed by both the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed, and it becomes possible to speak of classical music in the United Kingdom.[4] This was also the period when classical music began to be recognised as an important element of British and Irish culture and to be placed on a more organised basis that could match some of the developments seen in continental Europe. Music in this period has been seen as dominated by continental trends and composers.

Major foundations

[edit]

In 1813 the London Philharmonic Society was established, which played an important role in the development of musical life in the kingdom. Founders included Sir George Smart, Johann Baptist Cramer, Muzio Clementi, William Ayrton (musical director of the King's Theatre), William Shield, Henry Bishop, Thomas Attwood (composer and organist of St Paul's Cathedral, and teacher of John Goss), Johann Peter Salomon and Vincent Novello. Under their aegis an annual programme of concerts of international calibre was established. The Society was a commissioning patron of Beethoven's Choral Symphony (No. 9).[5]

Musical training was placed on a newly professional footing by the creation in 1822 of the Royal Academy of Music, which received a royal charter in 1830, which attempted to train British musicians to the same standards as those of the continent.[6] Its first principal was the oratorio composer Dr William Crotch (1775–1847), and the first tutor of piano was Cipriani Potter (1792–1871). Potter was the first London performer of Mozart and Beethoven concerti. He wrote nine symphonies and four piano concerti and as principal from 1832-59 was highly influential in the development of British music and the profession of musician.[7]

The significance of classical music in Ireland, and to a degree its place in conflicting British and Irish identities, was signalled by the foundation of the Dublin Choral Society in 1837, the Irish Academy of Music in 1848 (which was to be granted a royal charter in 1872); and the Royal Choral Institute in 1851 under such figures as Sir Robert Prescot.[8]

Performers and composers

[edit]
John Field, c. 1820

In the earlier part of the century the British singers Michael Kelly, Nancy Storace and John Braham were prominent and by their example sustained the international opera and oratorio works of Handel, Haydn, Mozart and their successors in the British arena.[9] Braham, whose career thoroughly spanned the opera stage and concert platform, established a tradition in public recital which was continued by his successors down into the early 20th century.[10] Arias or ballads from the English opera became concert standards in recital.

The Irish composer and virtuoso pianist John Field (1782–1837) was highly influential in his style of playing, inventing the nocturne and he is thought to have been an inspiration to Schumann, Chopin and Liszt.[11]

Perhaps the most influential composer of the first half of the 19th century was the German Felix Mendelssohn, who visited Britain ten times for a total of twenty months from 1829. He won a strong following through the Philharmonic Society, sufficient for him to make a deep impression on British musical life. Not only did he compose and perform, but he also edited for British publishers the first critical editions of oratorios of Handel and of the organ music of J. S. Bach. Scotland inspired two of his most famous works, the overture Fingal's Cave (also known as the Hebrides Overture) and the Scottish Symphony (Symphony No. 3). His oratorio Elijah was premièred in Birmingham at the Triennial Music Festival on August 26, 1846. On his last visit to England in 1847 he was the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 and conducted his own Scottish Symphony with the Philharmonic Orchestra before Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.[12] A number of British piano students of promise were sent to the Leipzig Conservatory established by Mendelssohn.[13]

British musical renaissance 1860-1918

[edit]

Classical music has been seen as undergoing a fundamental shift in focus and importance from the second half of the 19th century, as it began to search for a distinctive national identity or identities and played an increasing role in British cultural life.[14]

Performers and composers

[edit]

Native singers shared the dramatic stage with international stars in Italian and German opera, notably Clara Novello, Helen Lemmens-Sherrington, Sims Reeves and Charles Santley.[15] After 1856 the Swedish born Jenny Lind, perhaps the most internationally renowned singer of the era, settled permanently in England, continuing to perform and teach.[16]

Among the most important figures in British classical music in this period was Sir William Sterndale Bennett. A RAM pupil of Potter's, he was a pianist, composer and conductor who for eleven years took control of the Philharmonic Society baton.[17] Lucy Anderson and her pupil Arabella Goddard, with Franklin Taylor, were leading native mid-Victorian pianists.[18]

Growth of venues and orchestras

[edit]
The Royal Opera House, Bow Street frontage, with Enzo Plazzotta's statue 'Young Dancer' in the foreground

This century saw the trend towards larger orchestras and correspondingly larger musical venues, permitting public concerts for mass audiences. The Crystal Palace Concerts were inaugurated in 1855, with August Manns as the principal conductor and the Handel Triennial Festival, an older institution involving massed choirs before vast audiences, was transferred there.[19] Covent Garden's Royal Opera House was opened in 1858, on the site of an earlier theatre and the Royal Albert Hall was built in 1878.[20]

Orchestras which were founded in this period included the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (1840),[21] the Hallé Orchestra at Manchester under Sir Charles Hallé (1858),[22] and the Scottish Orchestra (1891), now the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.[23]

English language opera

[edit]
Main article: Opera in English

One of the notable features of the mid-19th century is the revival of a tradition of English language opera. Arthur Sullivan, a pupil of Goss, came to public attention in the 1860s with Shakespeare incidental music, The Tempest (1862), The Merchant of Venice (1871), his Irish Symphony (1863–66) and In Memoriam.[24]

The period 1835-1865 saw the height of popularity for the Irish born Michael Balfe (1808–70), composer of The Bohemian Girl (1843),[25] the operas of John Pyke Hullah (1812–84),[26] and the earlier English operas of German-born Sir Julius Benedict (1804–85), including his best-known, The Lily of Killarney (1862).[27] Maritana (1845) was the most famous and ballad-rich of the Irish born William Vincent Wallace's operas.[28] The operas of Frederic Clay (1838–89) were among the most popular of the period, including Ages Ago (1869), The Gentleman in Black (1870) and Happy Arcadia (1872), all written with W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911).[29]

The Savoy opera collaborations between Gilbert and Sullivan began in 1875 with Trial by Jury. They were in the British light opera tradition with spoken dialogue. They reached their heyday in the 1880s with The Pirates of Penzance (1880), and The Gondoliers (1889), and concluded in 1896 with The Grand Duke. They had rivals like Alfred Cellier's (1844–91) Dorothy (1886) and The Mountebanks (1892), but were the most successful operas of the era and have been among the most frequently revived.[24]

Religious and mythical works

[edit]
Sir William Sterndale Bennett in 1861

In the later 19th century there was an increasing appetite for large scale works that covered epic, biblical and mythical themes. This was reflected in the topics of operas, cantatas and oratorios, often utilising British poems and novels. These included choral works like William Sterndale Bennett's The May Queen (1858),[30] Ebenezer Prout's Hereward and King Alfred[31] and cantatas like Sullivan and Henry Fothergill Chorley's The Masque at Kenilworth (1864),[32] John Francis Barnett's Ancient Mariner (1867)[33] and Frederic Hymen Cowen's The Rose Maiden (1870) and Harold (1895).[34] Similar trends can be seen in operas such as George Alexander Macfarren's Robin Hood (1860), Sullivan's Ivanhoe (1891) and in the operas of Arthur Goring Thomas, which included Esmeralda (1883) and Nadeshda (1885).[35][36]

The works of Handel, Mendelssohn and Spohr continued to be a major part of the British musical repertoire but there was an increasing emphasis on religious drama. The Italian-born Sir Michael Costa's Eli (1855) and Naaman (1864)[21] set the pace for the later development in the works of Sullivan, including The Martyr of Antioch (1880) The Light of the World (1873), and The Golden Legend (1886), John Liptrot Hatton's Hezekiah (1877), Joseph Barnby's Rebekah (1870), William Cusins's Gideon (1871), Alfred R. Gaul's The Holy City (1882), Charles Gounod's Redemption (1882) and Mors et Vita (1885) (produced expressly for the British public), and Sir John Stainer's The Crucifixion (1887).[37] Arguably the last of the great English Victorian composers to emerge was Edward Elgar (1857–1934), who during the 1890s produced his Caractacus and King Olaf cantatas, the Enigma Variations in 1899, and the revolutionary Dream of Gerontius in 1900.[38]

Late nineteenth-century foundations

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Between 1880 and 1887 the London Guildhall School of Music was established.[39] The Royal College of Music, originating in a training school under Arthur Sullivan, was founded (1882–83) under Sir George Grove.[39] The Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts, led by Sir Henry Wood were founded in 1895.[40]

A member of teaching staff at the RCM from 1884 and director from 1894 until his death was Sir Hubert Parry (1848–1918), who used it as a platform for creativity and a reformation of British music. His own works included the cantatas Prometheus Unbound (1880) and King Saul (1894), and four symphonies, among them the English (1889).[41] His great contemporary was the Irish-born Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924), who was professor of composition at the RCM from 1883; conductor of The Bach Choir from 1886 to 1902; was professor of music at Cambridge from 1887 and conductor of the Leeds Philharmonic Society (1897–1909), and of the Leeds Festival (1901 to 1910).[42] These figures had a profound effect on a generation of composers that included Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

National or pastoral school

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Frederick Delius in 1929

A notable feature of the late 19th century and early 20th century was the birth of the English Pastoral School of classical music. This paralleled similar developments in most European countries, for instance in the music of Smetana, Dvořák, Grieg, Liszt, Wagner, Nielsen and Sibelius.[43] The movement was particularly influenced by the British folk revival through the work of figures such as Sabine Baring-Gould and Cecil Sharp. Examples include the Australian Percy Grainger's Molly on the Shore (1907), Frederick Delius' Brigg Fair (1908), and Ralph Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite (1923) for brass band, as well as subtler references to folk themes in other works including the works of Arnold Bax, George Butterworth, Gustav Holst, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and John Ireland.[44] Similar developments could be seen in Scotland in the work of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who celebrated his native Scotland in three Scottish Rhapsodies for orchestra (1880–81, 1911), and in various concerted works for piano or violin and orchestra composed during the 1880s and 1890s.[45] Similarly, John McEwen's Pibroch (1889), Border Ballads (1908) and Solway Symphony (1911) also incorporated traditional Scottish folk melodies.[46]

Twentieth century

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Under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties, including the city of Dublin, were formally separated from the United Kingdom. While the two countries continued to share a classical music heritage, they would now develop on different lines.[47]

In what was now the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the outstanding composers of the century included William Walton, Benjamin Britten, Michael Tippett, Lennox Berkeley, and Havergal Brian. Their individual approaches to music and its part in the national identity differed significantly. Walton's work featured fanfares and patriotic themes, including the ceremonial marches Crown Imperial, written for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and Orb and Sceptre, for that of Queen Elizabeth II.[48] Britten, on the other hand, made a conscious effort to set himself apart from the English musical mainstream, which he regarded as complacent, insular and amateurish. His works included the operas Peter Grimes (1945), and Billy Budd (1951), as well the instrumental compositions Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar (1964).[49][50] It is arguable that this trend may have contributed to the revival of interest in early music which has been led, in Britain, by such figures as Arnold Dolmetsch and David Munrow.[51]

Twenty-first century

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The Royal College of Music from Prince Consort Road, London

In the present era, classical music in Britain must contend and co-exist with a dominant culture of popular music. Specialist music education at establishments such as the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music,[52] Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance[citation needed] and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama as well as within British Universities provide music teaching to classical musicians.[52]

Notable modern composers include: Peter Maxwell Davies, Harrison Birtwistle, John Tavener, Robin Holloway, George Benjamin, Thomas Adès, Oliver Knussen, James MacMillan, Judith Weir, Peter Seabourne, Alexander Goehr, Jonathan Harvey, Sally Beamish, Julian Anderson, Hugh Wood and at a more popular level Andrew Lloyd Webber, represent very different strands of composition within UK classical music.[53]

Festivals and venues

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The United Kingdom is host to many major orchestras, festivals and venues. The Royal Philharmonic Society (founded 1813) and "The Proms" have presented annual music programmes of international status since the early 19th century. The Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten is another annual musical event of international status.

Timeline

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Thomas AdèsJulian AndersonGeorge Benjamin (composer)James MacMillan (musician)Oliver KnussenJohn TavenerHarrison BirtwistlePeter Maxwell DaviesBenjamin BrittenMichael TippettWilliam WaltonKaikhosru Shapurji SorabjiArnold BaxPercy GraingerJohn IrelandSamuel Coleridge-TaylorGustav HolstRalph Vaughan WilliamsFrederick DeliusEdward ElgarFrederic Hymen CowenCharles Villiers StanfordArthur Goring ThomasHubert ParryAlexander MackenzieAlfred CellierArthur SullivanJohn StainerFrederic Emes ClayAlfred Robert GaulEbenezer ProutCharles-François GounodWilliam Sterndale BennettWilliam Vincent WallaceGeorge Alexander MacfarrenJohn Pyke HullahJohn Liptrot HattonMichael CostaMichael BalfeSir Julius BenedictJohn Field

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ R. McKitterick, C. T. Allmand, T. Reuter, D. Abulafia, P. Fouracre, J. Simon, C. Riley-Smith, M. Jones, eds, The New Cambridge Medieval History: C. 1415- C. 1500 (Cambridge University Press, 1995), p. 319.
  2. ^ W. Lovelock, A Concise History of Music (Frederick Ungar, 1953), p. 57.
  3. ^ R. H. Fritze and W. Baxter Robison, Historical dictionary of late medieval England, 1272-1485 (Greenwood, 2002), p. 363; G. H. Cowling, Music on the Shakespearian Stage (Cambridge University Press, 2008), p. 6.
  4. ^ H. Kearney, The British Isles, a History of Four Nations (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. 214.
  5. ^ C. Ehrlich, First philharmonic: a history of the Royal Philharmonic Society (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), pp. 1-36.
  6. ^ D. A. Rohr, The Careers of British Musicians, 1750-1850: a Profession of Artisans (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001), pp. 79-80.
  7. ^ T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, eds, The Piano in Nineteenth-century British Culture: Instruments, Performers and Repertoire (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2007), p. 3.
  8. ^ M. McCarthy. Passing it on: the transmission of music in Irish culture (Cork: Cork University Press, 1999), p. 47-8.
  9. ^ A. Steptoe, ed., The Mozart-Da Ponte operas: the cultural and musical background to Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990), p. 148.
  10. ^ P. Gordon, Musical visitors to Britain, (London: Routledge, 2005), pp. 253-5.
  11. ^ S. Sadie and A. Latham, The Cambridge Music Guide (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990), p. 328.
  12. ^ D. Conway, '"Short, Dark and Jewish-Looking": Felix Mendelssohn in Britain', The Jewish Year Book (2009), ed. S. Massil, p. xviii.
  13. ^ T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, The piano in nineteenth-century British culture: instruments, performers and repertoire (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 4.
  14. ^ R. A. Stradling and M. Hughes, The English Musical Renaissance, 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction (London: Taylor & Francis, 1993).
  15. ^ C. Hartley and S. Leckey, A Historical Dictionary of British Women (London: Routledge, 2nd edn., 2003), p. 275.
  16. ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Goldschmidt, Otto" . Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 2. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 124.
  17. ^ P. Horton, "William Sterndale Bennett, composer and pianist", in T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, eds, The piano in nineteenth-century British Culture: Instruments, Performers and Repertoire (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), pp. 119-48.
  18. ^ T. M. Ellsworth, "Victorian pianists as concert artists: the case of Arabella Godard", in T. M. Ellsworth and S. Wollenberg, eds., The Piano in Nineteenth-Century British Culture: Instruments, Performers and Repertoire (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 153.
  19. ^ M. Musgrave, The Musical Life of the Crystal Palace (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), pp. 67-81.
  20. ^ M. Kilburn, London's Theatres (New Holland Publishers, 2002), p. 112.
  21. ^ a b D. M. Randel, The Harvard Dictionary of Music (Harvard University Press, 2003), p. 292.
  22. ^ M. Kennedy, The Hallé, 1858-1983: a History of the Orchestra (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1982).
  23. ^ C. Harvie, No gods and precious few heroes: Twentieth-century Scotland (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 3rd edn., 1998), p. 137.
  24. ^ a b M. Ainger, Gilbert and Sullivan: a dual biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).
  25. ^ W. Tyldesley, Michael William Balfe: his life and his English operas (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2003).
  26. ^ F. M. L. Thompson, The University of London and the world of learning, 1836-1986 (Continuum, 1990), pp. 184-5.
  27. ^ R. A. Streatfeild. The Opera (BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2007), p. 223.
  28. ^ V. B. Lawrence and G. T. Strong, Reverberations, 1850-1856 (Chicago IL: University of Chicago Press, 1995), p. 541.
  29. ^ M. Ainger, Gilbert and Sullivan: a dual biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), pp. 83-4.
  30. ^ G. P. Upton, The Standard Oratorios (BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2008), p. 46.
  31. ^ W. L. Hubbard, The American History and Encyclopedia of Music: Musical Biographies Part Two (Kessinger, 2005), p. 176.
  32. ^ D. Shrock, Choral Repertoire (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 532.
  33. ^ Michael Musgrave, The musical life of the Crystal Palace (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), pp. 107-8.
  34. ^ D. M. Randel, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music (Harvard University Press, 1996), p. 184.
  35. ^ R. Beale, Charles Hallé: a Musical Life (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007), p. 128.
  36. ^ D. J. Grout, A Short History of Opera (Columbia University Press, 2nd edn, 1965), p. 488.
  37. ^ H. E. Smither, A History of the Oratorio: the Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (UNC Press, 2000), p. 311.
  38. ^ J. N. Moore, Edward Elgar: a Creative Life (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).
  39. ^ a b R. A. Stradling and M. Hughes, The English Musical Renaissance, 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction (London: Taylor & Francis, 1993), p. 47.
  40. ^ R. A. Stradling and M. Hughes, The English Musical Renaissance, 1860-1940: Construction and Deconstruction (London: Taylor & Francis, 1993), p. 46.
  41. ^ J. Dibble, C. Hubert H. Parry: His Life and Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998).
  42. ^ J. Dibble. Charles Villiers Stanford: man and musician (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002).
  43. ^ van der Merwe, Peter, Roots of the classical: the popular origins of western music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), p. 361.
  44. ^ B. Sweers, Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 47.
  45. ^ J. N. Moore, Edward Elgar: a Creative Life (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 91.
  46. ^ M. Gardiner, Modern Scottish Culture (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), p. 196.
  47. ^ M. McCarthy. Passing it on: the transmission of music in Irish culture (Cork: Cork University Press, 1999), pp. 108-9.
  48. ^ M. Kennedy, Portrait of Walton (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989).
  49. ^ D. Matthews, Britten (Haus Publishing, 2003).
  50. ^ J. R. Doctor, The BBC and ultra-modern music, 1922-1936: shaping a nation's tastes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).
  51. ^ T. Knighton and D. Fallows, Companion to Medieval and Renaissance Music (University of California Press, 1997), p. 428.
  52. ^ a b B. Sheerman, ed., The future sustainability of the higher education sector: international aspects, eighth report of session 2006-07, Vol. 2: Oral and written evidence (London: HM The Stationery Office, 2007), p. 346.
  53. ^ D. Clark and J. Staines, Classical music: the rough guide (London: Rough Guides, 2001).

References

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