The Pro Arte Orchestra was a British

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ...

founded in 1955.Potts, Joseph E.
“Orchestral Profile – The Pro Arte Orchestra”
''

The Gramophone ''Gramophone'' is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continued to edit the magazine until 1961. It was ...

'', October 1959, p. 163 (p. 33 in online version)

Background

The Pro Arte Orchestra was founded as a limited company chaired by the double-bass player Eugene Cruft; directors also included Archie Camden and Antony English. The initial aim was to perform "the finest of the lighter classics in orchestral music". The first concert was given at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

on 21 October 1955 with a Rossini overture, Schubert's Unfinished, Lalo's

Symphonie Espagnole The ''Symphonie espagnole'' in D minor, Op. 21, is a work for violin and orchestra by Édouard Lalo. History The work was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo Sarasate, and premiered in Paris on February 7, 1875. Although called a "Spanish S ...

and works by Strauss and Chabrier, conducted by Sir

Malcolm Sargent Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent (29 April 1895 – 3 October 1967) was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated include ...

. Much of the work of the orchestra, however, was in the recording studio, particularly for the Pye-Nixa label. Among others, the orchestra recorded in the studio between 1956–62 8 Gilbert and Sullivan operas (complete), as well as overtures for several others, all under the baton of Malcolm Sargent, all for the EMI label. In the early years other players in the orchestra included Cecil Aronowitz, Francisco Gabarró, Richard Adeney, Peter Graeme, Gervase de Peyer, Raymond Cohen and

Alan Civil Alan Civil OBE (13 June 1929 – 19 March 1989) was a British horn player. Civil began to play the horn at a young age, and joined the famous Royal Artillery Band and Orchestra at Woolwich, while still in his teens. He studied the instrument ...

. The last London performance advertised by the orchestra was in 1970."Today's engagements", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'', 30 March 30 1970, p. 8.

Discography

Albinoni Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (8 June 1671 – 17 January 1751) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. His output includes operas, concertos, sonatas for one to six instruments, sinfonias, and solo cantatas. While famous in his day as an opera comp ...

Marcello Marcello is a common masculine Italian given name. It is a variant of Marcellus. The Spanish and Portuguese version of the name is Marcelo, differing in having only one "l", while the Greek form is Markellos. Etymology The name originally means ...

, Cimarosa: Oboe concertos ( Evelyn Rothwell) *

Arnell Arnell is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: People with the surname *Alan Arnell (1933–2013), English-born former footballer *Alma Arnell (1857–1934), Swedish painter *Amy Arnell, American singer * Ginny Arn ...

: The Great Detective – ballet suite *

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

: Concerto for four harpsichords, Clavier Concertos 1 and 5 Mindru Katz *

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

: Violin Concerto (

Igor Oistrakh Igor Davidovich Oistrakh (russian: И́горь Дави́дович О́йстрах; uk, Ігор Давидович Ойстрах 27 April 1931 – 14 August 2021) was a Soviet and Russian violinist. He was described by ''Encyclopædia Brita ...

) * Coates: Cinderella, London Bridge, The Enchanted Garden, By The Sleepy Lagoon, Footlights *

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

Pomp and Circumstance Marches The ''Pomp and Circumstance Marches'' (full title ''Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches''), Op. 39, are a series of five (or six) marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar. The first four were published between 1901 and 1907 ...

, Op. 39, Nos. 1 and 4 ( George Weldon) * Gay: ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sa ...

'' *

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his train ...

Music For The Royal Fireworks The ''Music for the Royal Fireworks'' ( HWV 351) is a suite in D major for wind instruments composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 under contract of George II of Great Britain for the fireworks in London's Green Park on 27 April 1749. The ...

, Concerto a due cori in F Major (No. 2) *

Hely-Hutchinson The name Hely-Hutchinson or Hely Hutchinson may refer to: *The Family name of the Earls of Donoughmore: **Christiana Hely-Hutchinson, 1st Baroness Donoughmore (died 1788), Irish peer **Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 1st Earl of Donoughmore (1756–1825) ...

: Carol Symphony (1966) * Herrmann: ''Wuthering Heights'' * Janáček: Sinfonietta and opera preludes *

Piccinni Piccinni is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Niccolò Piccinni (1728–1800), Italian composer **Teatro Piccinni, Italian theater in Bari, Apulia *Louis Alexandre Piccinni (1779–1850), Italian-French composer, grandso ...

: ''La Cecchina, ossia La buona figliuola'' *

Rawsthorne Rawsthorne or Rawsthorn is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alan Rawsthorne (1905–1971), English composer * Alice Rawsthorn (b. 1958), English journalist * John Rawsthorne (b. 1936), English Catholic bishop * Isabel Rawsthor ...

: Madame Chrysanthème – Ballet Suite, Street Corner Overture *

Sullivan Sullivan may refer to: People Characters * Chloe Sullivan, from the television series ''Smallville'' * Colin Sullivan, a character in the film ''The Departed'', played by Matt Damon * Harry Sullivan (''Doctor Who''), from the British science f ...

- Mackerras: ''

Pineapple Poll ''Pineapple Poll'' is a Gilbert and Sullivan-inspired comic ballet, created by choreographer John Cranko with arranger Sir Charles Mackerras. ''Pineapple Poll'' is based on "The Bumboat Woman's Story", one of W. S. Gilbert's Bab Ballads, wr ...

'' *Sullivan: ''

Iolanthe ''Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri'' () is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, first performed in 1882. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh of fourteen operatic collaborations by Gilbert ...

'', ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'', ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, where it ran at the Sa ...

'', ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879 ...

'', ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, and ran for 571 performances, ...

'', ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when face ...

'', '' Ruddigore'' and ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

''; overtures ''Cox & Box'', ''The Sorcerer'' and ''Princess Ida''.

References

{{Authority control London orchestras Disbanded orchestras Musical groups established in 1955 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 Pye Records artists 1955 establishments in the United Kingdom 1970 disestablishments in the United Kingdom