The Modern Symphony Orchestra (sometimes called the ''Northern Polytechnic Modern Symphony Orchestra'') was a

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

amateur orchestra that existed from 1931 to 1983.

History

The Modern Symphony Orchestra was founded by Arthur Dennington, who led several smaller orchestral amateur ensembles in Northern London at that time and combined them in 1931 into a symphony orchestra. The name ''Modern Symphony Orchestra'' derived from the fact that the orchestra wanted to play "modern" music by contemporary and little known composers, and allow young soloists to perform with the orchestra.Article in the Polytechnic of North London University house journal ''Pipeline'', January 1982 (no. 27) The orchestra's first concert hall was

Islington Town Hall Islington Town Hall is a municipal facility in Upper Street, Islington, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters for Islington London Borough Council, is a Listed building#England and Wales, Grade II listed building. History The buildi ...

. But owing to the poor acoustics there the orchestra moved to the Polytechnic Theatre in Holloway Road. In 1938 the Modern Symphony Orchestra was officially adopted by the Polytechnic Music Trades School and so became a part of the Northern Polytechnic Institute. Because of the terms of its charter the polytechnic was unable to subsidise the orchestra, but it provided rehearsal space and a theatre in which to perform.Chissell, Joan
"The Modern Symphony Orchestra"
''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' was an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer's Musical Times and Singing Circular'', but in 1844 he sold it to Alfr ...

'', January 1952, p. 27 In accordance with the name of the orchestra, contemporary, unknown or rarely heard compositions were performed regularly from the beginning, programmed alongside well known works. The quality of the orchestral playing and the openness to modern compositions allowed the orchestra to perform world and British premieres after only a few years of existence. The Oboe Concerto by

Ruth Gipps Ruth Dorothy Louisa ("Wid") Gipps (21 February 1921 – 23 February 1999) was an English composer, oboist, pianist, conductor and educator. She composed music in a wide range of genres, including five symphonies, seven concertos and ma ...

, for example, received its world premiere by the Modern Symphony Orchestra on 13 June 1942 (with soloist Marion Brough)Annual Reports of the Polytechnic of North London University and the orchestra gave the British premiere of

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of ...

's 1947 revision of

Petrushka Petrushka ( rus, Петру́шка, p=pʲɪtˈruʂkə, a=Ru-петрушка.ogg) is a stock character of Russian folk puppetry. It was first introduced by traveling Italian performers in the first third of the 19th century during a period of W ...

. Other first performance in England included Roussel's , Tibor Harsanyi's ''La joie de vivre'',

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( ; ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sma ...

Seven Early Songs The Seven Early Songs (''Sieben frühe Lieder'') (c. 1905 – 1908), are early compositions of Alban Berg, written while he was under the tutelage of Arnold Schoenberg. They are an interesting synthesis combining Berg's heritage of pre-Schoenberg s ...

(with the 1928 orchestral accompaniment) and Frank Martin's '' Petite symphonie concertante''. In the 1940s the recognition and reputation of the orchestra rose; as a result

Sir Adrian Boult Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London ...

visited the orchestra in 1949 and "expressed his appreciation at the enterprise and standard of playing shown and gave it as his opinion that the Modern Symphony Orchestra could claim to be one of the best amateur orchestras in the country." Boult later became the president of the orchestra and held the position for two decades. In 1952 the music critic of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' praised the enterprising spirit of Dennington and his orchestra and expressed regret that many professional concerts in London failed to match it. In the post-war era the orchestra received a modest grant from public funds, enabling it to recruit professional players, particularly for complex modern scores. Soloists who performed with the orchestra ranged from little-known artists to world-renowned performers. The 1949–50 concert season saw

Frederick Grinke Frederick Grinke CBE (8 August 1911 – 16 March 1987) was a Canadian-born violinist who had an international career as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He was known especially for his performances of 20th-century English music. Training ...

and Norman Walker, "both of whom offered their services as a tribute to the work of the orchestra." Other soloists in the following years included

Jean Pougnet Jean Pougnet (20 July 1907 – 14 July 1968) was a Mauritius, Mauritian-born concert violinist and orchestra concertmaster, leader, of British nationality, who was highly regarded in both the lighter and more serious classical repertoire during t ...

Sophie Wyss Sophie Adele Wyss (5 July 189725 December 1983) was a Swiss soprano who made her career as a concert singer and broadcaster in the UK. She was noted for her performances of French works, many of them new to Britain, for giving the world premieres ...

Florence Hooton __NOTOC__ Florence Hooton (8 July 1912 – 14 May 1988) was an English cellist, chamber music performer and teacher, responsible for many important British music premieres in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Life She was born in Scarborough, the daughter o ...

Dennis Brain Dennis Brain (17 May 19211 September 1957) was a British French horn, horn player. From a musical family – his father and grandfather were horn players – he attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. During the Second World War he served ...

, Tessa Robbins and Eileen Broster. Up-and-coming soloists were engaged:

Joyce Hatto Joyce Hilda Hatto (5 September 1928 – 29 June 2006) was an English concert pianist and piano teacher. In 1956 she married William Barrington-Coupe, a record producer who was convicted of Purchase Tax evasion in 1966. Hatto became famous very ...

performed in 1955 with the orchestra at the beginning of her career, and

Howard Shelley Howard Gordon Shelley (born 9 March 1950) is a British pianist and conductor. He was educated at Highgate School and the Royal College of Music. He was married to fellow pianist Hilary Macnamara with whom he performed and recorded in a two-pia ...

played in the 1971–72 season at the age of 21. For the ''Rare Recorded Editions'' label the orchestra recorded overtures by Auber and Cherubini. Partly inspired by the Modern Symphony Orchestra's example, Ruth Gipps went on to found the One Rehearsal Orchestra in 1955, renamed in 1963 as the London Repertoire Orchestra and still running today.

Notable performances

Herbert Murrill Herbert Henry John Murrill (11 May 1909 – 25 July 1952) was an English musician, composer, and organist. Education and early career Herbert Henry John (later just Herbert) Murrill was born in London, at 19, Fircroft Road in Upper Tooting, the ...

: Concerto for cello and orchestra (first public performance on 09. March 1938 with

Anthony Pini Carlos Antonio Pini OBE (15 April 1902 – 1 January 1989) was a cellist, known as a soloist, orchestral section leader and chamber musician. He was principal cellist of five major British orchestras between 1932 and 1976, and a teacher at the Roy ...

(cello)) * Harold Brazier: Theme and variations for orchestra (world premiere on 31. January 1942 with the composer conducting) *

: Oboe concerto (world premiere on 13. June 1942 with Marion Brough, oboe) * Joyce Chapman: Nocturne for orchestra (world premiere on 16. October 1943) * Ruth Gipps: Violin concerto (world premiere on 05.02.1944 with the composer's brother Ernest as soloist and conducted by Arthur DenningtonBroeker, Tobias (2014): The 20th century violin concertante – A repertoire guide to the compositions for violin concertante written between 1894 and 2006. Stuttgart: self-published (e-book). *

Tibor Harsányi Tibor Harsányi (27 June 1898 in Magyarkanizsa, Kingdom of Hungary – 19 September 1954 in Paris) was a Hungarian-born composer and pianist. He studied at the Budapest Conservatory under Zoltán Kodály. He toured as a pianist around Europe an ...

: ''La joie de vivre'' (English premiere on 19. February 1949) * Lila Lalauni: Piano concerto No.1 (English premiere on 25. May 1949 with the composer as soloist in her first appearance in England) * Frank Martin: Symphonie concertante (English premiere on 01. November 1952) * Jurriaan Andriessen: Concertino for piano and orchestra (English premiere on 21. March 1953) *

Alan Bush Alan Dudley Bush (22 December 1900 – 31 October 1995) was a British composer, pianist, conductor, teacher and political activist. A committed communist, his uncompromising political beliefs were often reflected in his music. He composed prol ...

: Piano concerto (first public performance on 15. May 1954) * Kenneth Pakeman: Symphonic poem "Perelandra" (world premiere on 26. June 1954) *

Roberto Gerhard Robert Gerhard i Ottenwaelder (; 25 September 1896 – 5 January 1970) was a Spanish and British composer, musical scholar, and writer, generally known outside his native region of Catalonia as Roberto Gerhard.Malcolm MacDonald. 'Gerhard, Roberto' ...

: ''Cancionero de Pedrell'' (English premiere on 23. October 1954 with

(soprano)) * Hugo Godron: Concert-suite for piano and strings (English premiere on 23. October 1954 with Ria Groot (piano)) *

Dimitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

: Holiday Overture (English premiere on 25. May 1957) *

Alan Rawsthorne Alan Rawsthorne (2 May 1905 – 24 July 1971) was a British composer. He was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, and is buried in Thaxted churchyard in Essex. Early years Alan Rawsthorne was born in Deardengate House, Haslingden, Lancashire, to ...

: Nursery Songs (first public performance in London on 26. April 1958 with

(soprano)) *

Stephen Dodgson Stephen Cuthbert Vivian Dodgson (17 March 192413 April 2013) was a British composer and broadcaster. Dodgson's prolific musical output covered most genres, ranging from opera and large-scale orchestral music to chamber and instrumental music, as ...

: Guitar concerto (English premiere on 04. July 1959 with

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

(guitar)) *

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...

: Seven Pieces from the incidental music to "Aladdin" (English premiere on 04. July 1959) * Geoffrey Bush: Concertino for piano and orchestra (first public performance on 11. February 1961 with Eric Parkin (piano))

References

{{authority control 1931 establishments in England 1983 disestablishments in England British symphony orchestras London orchestras Disbanded orchestras Musical groups established in 1931 Musical groups disestablished in 1983