NOTE.

-The first part of this account was \Hit ten by

!\fr. F. L. Staples, one of the original members, for
the occasion of the Society's 40th birthday. It has
since been brought up-to-date, to cover the full half.
century.
 'fhe N.A.O.U. m 1881

C . \Vr.st combe W. Bundock C. lhil c,v \V. \V, Pen ford W. (}:good \V. Collis J. 'Stratl1ing Brow n

A. ::;tracllin g VV . On-vies J. H. Hopson E.. L. Staples T. i\lattlH:w~ A. Carr F. C Seymour \V.T.Toms C .\V. Hohinso:1 V\l,Trnen W,Goc.Hrey

T.Bun<lock P. E. IJnvics \V, Dines Eritw ~ll

(conduc to 1)
 N.A.0.U. 1879--1919.

I1["@
,v1rr
'Jt•)~
HE N.":.0·1!· was the o~tcome of a meetin~ of nin~ ~; ten ent~usias!ic
bud_ding mstrumentahsts, held at t~e- Queen s _ Hotel m l~/9.
\tVlule here, rules were drawn up, off1c1als appomted, and th
. e Society .
launched upon its career. Its origin may be traced back to a troupe
of " Christy Minstrels " some years earlier, whose vocal efforts were
sustained and accompanied by two or three fiddles, flute, cornet,
double bass, and, of course, the indisper.sable long-suffering piano.

A room in the " Queen's " Hotel yard, over Pickford's office, was an appro-
priate practice room for the new Society to co~mence its operations. Those days
have been called spacious-and so they were-spacious enough, at any rate, to
allow a generous interval for hot supper supplied from the adjoining hotel. To the
uninitiated this might seem to savour of laxity or indiscipline, but let them be
assured that cornet and clarinet were blown, and fiddles "scraped " with renewed
vigour by these zealots through these replenishments of the "outward man."
Alas ! these times are no more.

By the courtesy of Messrs. Hopson and Sons, the use of their carpet room for
practices (free of all charge) was offered and gratefully accepted in 1882, ·and for a
long time the Society enjoyed this privilege until it migrated to Cary's Room, which
was then newly-built. Through further accessions to its members it became
necessary to seek larger accommodation . The next remove was to the Lecture
Hall, more than twenty years since, and it looks like finding there its permanent
home .

. The first concert, given in 1880, was memorable alike for its novelty, for the
delighted audience, which filled the old Town Hall, arid made the echoes ring with
its applause, and for the substantial sum of money realized. It was quite a usual
thing to make a profit of £25 on the two concerts (morning and evening), and it
enabled the N .A.O.U. to send substantial aid to such local objects as the Volunteer
Fire Brigade, the Literary and Scientific Institute, and the Berks Volunteers.

Entertainments and meetings of every kind were comparatively few in those

days, not as now, when the calls on the time and purse of the ?-vera~e citizen are

3
 almost past reckoning up. The incident which stands out most in recollection,
perhaps, was the performance of the oYerture to the " Crown Diamonds " (A 11ber).
Two London players ,wre engaged, and the rapid passages for the violins towards
the end, e:--,:ecuted ,,·ith such crispness and dash , so astonished some of the local
players , that they listened or:en -mouthecl and left their own parts to take care of
themselves.

Passing now to a concert gi,·en in February, 1882, conspicuous for the first
bassoon solo" :.Iusette" Halldef's -lth Concerto, played by J. H. Hopson, affection-
ately knmn1 as "Joe" in inner circies and out er ones as well , a player now of this
not easy instrument "·horn it ,,·ould be difficult t o beat \Yi thin the ranks of amateurs.
Secondl::, for tbe rendering of Haydn's" F arewell" Symphony, ,Yhere the play<'i-s
finish cne-by-one and lea\·e the platform until only the conductor is left beating to
empty chairs. and awa kened at last to a sense of his loneliness. Thirdly, and most
import2.ntl~-, the orchestra Y,as graced b~- the presence of lady players for the first
tin,::> . Onl:: thc~;e \\·ho haYe ~;cen a good many summers come and go can really
appreciate thi:' momentous e,·ent. \."\'e haYe become accustomed in these days
to see th~ fai;- sex eng;:igecl in almos t e,·er.r form of actiYity, but in the year of grace
1882 (so far 2.s the memon- of the compiler of these notes can be trusted) no lady
amateur player of any st1·ingecl in;;t rurnen4: had ever appeared on a public p)atform
in "· e,vhnr y. though she might possibly haYe sung-" but that is different, you
kno,_. ! "

The committee uf thilt <la\· felt their responsibilities acutely. They met early
and ofren at meetings ~uthorized and unauthorized. The:: met sitting, standing
and \';alking , and at 12.::t . in their collective wisdom decided to engage a lady
professional Yio~in;n, \';'lh the t,rn-fold object of keeping the three Kewbury ladies
in countenance and n,aking a complete g uanette of first and second violin, viola
and 'ceEo.

As nothing seems to be considered complete without its funny side, two inci-
c.ents m a,: be mentioned , both occurring in the early eig hties :-

In a mo,-ement of one of H aydn's S,·mphonies two consecutive silent bars

oc::ur, and a lady's ';oice from the front seats \\'as easily heard to say : " We do ours
in lard ! ''

.-\ professional clarinet pla::er, v;ho had been too much occupied with " taking
the e'.c,:ation of the sun," could not on any terms be induced to play his solo exceut
seated \Yitb his back to the audience and his clarinet oYer the b~ck of the chair.
As a result of this col!tre-tcmps a ,·er:; small sub-committee of tactful men were
detail ed to reduce to a min imum the chances of any possible repetition.

G. H. Bates (m2.ster of the \'\'esleYan Day School) \\·as the first conductor, but
after one _\·ear he '.vas ,:;,1ccccdec1 b_,. \\'. Dines Eatwell. Dines . as he ,ms always
J.
cailed, made the N.A.O.U. his pride and joy, brought to it a good stock of geniality,
a great faculty for attending to details, and worked untiringly for it con amore.
He was associated in 1885 with Mr. J. S. Liddle, in a joint-conductorship, and this
arrangement lasted until his death in 1893.

The years 1883-4 witnessed a great addition to the number of lady players,
principally in the string department, including even the double bass; most of whom
were pupils of the present conductor, which fact guaranteed they were efficiently
taught, and largely accounts, too , for their aspirations towards a higher order of
music than had hitherto found a place in the N.A.O.U. programmes, and for their
remaining outside the ranks for a considerable time. ·

The beginning of 1885 ushered in a period of unrest and opposition. It was

the old, old conflict between those who, in the main, were satisfied to stick to the
ancient paths, and those whose spirits sought an upward flight.

In the end the progressives won the day. The ladies joined the orchestra in
a body, being given an assurance on the principal points for which they had con-
tended, and th ese were :-a higher order of music, and a professional conductor.
So the storm-clouds passed away, which at one time seemed to threaten annihila-
tion.

It may be said without fear of contradiction that in this year (1885), the
Orchestral Union turned a corner in its history. The refining effect of a large
accession of lady players and the influence of the new conductor tended to a higher
degree of discipline, a keener attention to work all round, and an ever-growing
appreciation of the best music. These characteristics have remained through the
following years, and are certainly not less in evidence to-day.

:Mr. Liddle came to his office with a prodigious capacity for work and full
professional knowledge, with a resolution to aim at the highest, and from this
resolve he has never deviated one iota. He accomplished great things. He
instilled into his players a love of the best music, brought them to a hi1;her pro-
ficiency of playing, and through them elevated the popular taste, for an apprecia-
tive and faithful audience of perhaps 250 can alw-.ys be counted on : an
achievement of which he must well have been proud, and found in it solid satis-
faction.

Space does not permit of mention being made individually of the manv ex-
cellent instrumentalists and sound musicians who have filled the ranks of the
orchestra from the early days down to the present time.

But one name is easily singled out from all the rest, and to omit it from this
record would be like having the play without Hamlet. It is the name of Dr.
j
Marian Arkwright. To tell of-all this gifted lady's work in t-he cause of music
generally, and her -devoted service to the N.A.O.U., would require many pages.
Ivfo:s Arkwright joined the orchestra as far back as 1885, and each succeeding year
forged some new link to bind her with the Society in gratitude and respectful
admiration. When in 1913 she won the highest musical distinction which England
can confer, her academic triumph cast its lustre, not on herself alone, but some
reflected light fell on the institution, of which she had been so long the strongest
support and the brightest ornament.

The primary· object of the N.A.O.U. is, of course, the practice of purely
or.::hcstral muc:.ic, but for long years it has done much more than this by supplying
t.he band for the performances of its sister society-" The Newbury Choral," and
by se_ncing strong contin 6ents to neighbouring towns such as Reading, Walling-
ford, Bath and Blandford, with a similar object. As a society it lacks principally
one thing, and lacks it abundantly, i.e., a concert room, where its music may be
really heard and enjoyed. ·

E .L.S.

Newbury, Noven:ber, 1919.

5
 N.A.O.U. 1919-1929.

The foregoing notes carry the history of the N.A.0.U. to the winter of 1919.
At that time, the Orchestra consisted of 53 players, and the subscribers numbered
110. In brief, owing to the persistent and determined work of its supporters, the
Society was firml y on its feet ; the level of performance was steadily rising, and the
financial balance usually tipped on the right side.

But shortly it was to experience two shattering blows. Within a year of

one another, both Mr. Liddle and Dr. Arkwright died with tragic suddenness.
To their many friends and acquaintances, the personal loss was irreplaceable, while
the Society was deprived, not only of two vigorous and compelling leaders in suc-
cession, but of the general stimulus and help which each imparted as a focus of
musical activity in the neighbourhood.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to their work and to the spirit they had fostered
and left behind them, was the fact that, far from drifting rudderless to disintegra-
tion, the N.A.0.U. promptly faced the task of carrying on what they had so ex-
cellently begun. In the person of Mr. D. G. A. Fox, already well known to the
Society, they found a conductor with a deep and original insight into music, and
an enthusiasm so white-hot as to make equal demands almost on the players as
on himself. Mr. Fox, having once accepted the appointment, allowed nothing
to stand in his way : neither the pressure of his own work at Bradfield, th.e long
drives on dark winter nights, irregular meal hours, nor the handicap of his lost arm.
Under his direction the technical standard rose amazingly, and the playing took
on a polish and precision such as it had never known before.

He was fortunate in finding an able second in Mr. William Every,-com-

paratively speaking, a newcomer to the town. Mr. Every identified himself
with the Orchestra from the first, and acted as deputy Conductor in the absence
of Mr. Fox. His remarkable gifts for coaching early made themselves felt, and
individuals came to learn that their small subscriptions to the Orchestra covered
not only practice in concerted playing, but extremely valuable tuition as well.

It was mainly the work of these two that repaired the breach left by the
loss of Mr. Liddle and Dr. Arkwright. Since then, the Society has suffered other
'i
deprivations, among them the deaths of Mr. \Valter Penford, and Miss Lena
Elliott, both firm supporters for many years.

Of the latter's influence in the Society it is difficult to speak too warmly.

For fifteen years she identified herself with every phase of its existence, and
though for some time before her death she was unable to be a playing member,
she remained on the Committee until her last illness. It will not be lightly for-
gotten how, when bad times came, and the membership fell off till it numbered
onlv five, Miss Elliott, by her personal efforts, kept the remnants together, and
maintained a nucleus round which the ranks reformed. That was long ago, but
her memory is still fresh and green , for her setvices were of the kind which leaves
its mark on hearts, if not on paper.

Others have retired from active participation, or left the neighbourhood,

yet there still remain with the N.A.0 .U. thirteen members whose association
dates from over a quarter of a century, and one who has been with the Society
since the day when it was first formed.

It is to be hoped that :i.\fr. Joseph Hopson will be with us for many years to
come, and it is to be hoped, too, that, as he looks round the ranks of the players,
numbering now close on a hundred, he feels that fifty years of work, begun so
light-heartedly in that upper room of the Queen's Hotel, have come to fruition,

'Joe' is the father of the Orchestra in more senses than one , for, not content
with being its oldest member, he has been to it a ,vise and kindly parent, always
ready with advice, help, or whatever services are needed, and al\vays putting
its interests before his own. Only those who have worked ·with him can appre-
ciate what he has done for music in Newbury. It is probable that our music,tl
societies o,ve more to him than to any one single man.

There is another member to whom reference is due in this Jubilee year. If

there is one thing that an amateur orchestra needs to raise it above mere medio-
crity, it is efficient leading, and in this respect the N .A.Q.U. is singularly favoured
in the personality of Mr. Henry Flint. In the hundreds of concerts he has led,
there is no instance on record of his ever having hesitated or slipped, and this,
when one considers the complexity of the works performed, the demands made
on him by conductors, and the occasional erratics of sections of his followers, is
a truly remarkable feat. Among Amateur orchestras,-one must be silent as
to Professional ones,-breakdowns are not unknown. There was a case in a
city, not far distant, where for many bars an oboe was the sole survivor, and the
conductor beat time for it patiently till the other instruments joined in one bv
one. It is at moments such as these that the leader is looked to to pull thin;s
together, and it is due to Mr. Flint that in our own Orchestra no such contretemps
has ever occurred. Gifted with a countenance of unshakeable calm, he inspires

8
 a confidence that nothing can disturb . The new member, pausing trom his
headlong semiquavers, may snatch a glance at his leader, and wonder how any
man can fiddle through such stuff with no more effort than if he were practising
alone in his room. Did he know ' Henry ' better, he would realise that the eye
which seems absorbed in t he music, is in reality ,vatching every movement of
the Conductor, and would mark, by the slow and saturnine smile which illumines
those impassive features, that a crisis has threatened, and been averted.

:Vfr. Flint is we!! known in the district as Hon. Conductor of the Operatic
Society, and his experience of directing opera, a very special and difficult art,
becomes doublv valuable when he is seated at the leader' s desk. It is largely
owing to his influence that the playing of the Orchestra is becoming more flexible
each year.

In the matter of performances, the Society has maintained its seasonal

programme for the past ten years, without a break. Concerts have been given
each winter and spring, and in 1923, the experiment was tri ed of preceding the
concert with a musical lecture , designed to give the audience an insight into the
music, and to familiarise them with its main themes and design . This proved
to add considerabl y to their enjoyment of the concert itself, and it has been
repeated on seYeral occasions ; but there remains still a considerable body of
people, who while appreciati ng music, find its technicalities rather bewildering.
It was in the hope of rea!.:hing this section of the public that a series of Promenade
Concerts, consisting mainly of rather less difficult music, was instituted in 1924.
Such admirable examples of light music as \Vormser's Enfant Prodigue Suite,
Sullivan's Di Ballo O\·erture, and Elgar's Dances from the Bavarian Highlands
were incl uded, and the innovation met with a very considerable response. The
takings at the door were rather more than doubled. It seemed probable that,
as was recognised by Sir Henry \'Food ·when he started to musicalise London,
the secret of attracting audiences lay in a judicious mixture which would appeal
to many tastes and offend none.

At any rate, from this time dated a marked stimulus which reached its peak
in 1925 and 1926, when Beethonn 's Ninth, and Tschaikowski's Fifth Symphonies
·were given to crowded houses. lf it be pointed out that this is classical music
in its most complex form, the reply is that both these Symphonies are so well
known and so widely appreciated, that the mind is not called upon to make an
undue an d prolonged effort in listening to them, as it would be with less familiar
works. It would seem, indeed, that more than anything else, it is an excess of
unfamiliar music which empties the hall.

. _Sometimes the N.A.O.l:. has been criticised for not playing a greater pro-
pornon of 'popular' music,-in which category the critics include ' descriptive
pieces,' musical comedy, and even Jazz. But let those who advocate such a
policy think for a moment; - A ·concert. is _pi;-ececl,ed by many rehearsals, and
involves work of preparation by scores of players and an immense, (and usually
not understood) amount of concentration on the part of the Conductor: Would
it be worth while focussing all this effort on sqme ·Jerry~built piece of music
which in a short time will be ~olla:psed, · decayed and forgotten, when, with the
same labour we can rear one of those great cathedrals of sound that have stood
the bitter :winds of ages, and bec9me more beautiful with each passing year ?
Surely not. There can be no doubt which is the better worth the cost.

But on the other hand, to exclude all that · is ·light and tuneful, will never
be the policy of the· N_.·A.0.U. . Its aim is t_o give pleasure as well as intellectual
enjoyment,- but pleasure that will last , and not fade and dwindle into boredom
after a few repetitions: With half a: century of inusic behind it, the Society asks,
not the indulgence of a few, but the recognition of many; and in its Jubilee year,
makes th_is app_e al;-

To the musical, to lend their talent and increase its numbers : to the artistic
and the critica( to ·take notice of its work ·a nd second it3 efforts ; and to the
general public,~its oldest friends,-to recognise its ~xistence as personal to
them, and by their -presence at its concerts, to shovv that they wish it well.
Decemfer; 1929: · ··

9:lzis :J3ro~lrure i, de,igned and printed

- _by:--
GEO. W. SIMPSON,
'f5; Northbrook Street, Ne·u:6u"ry. l;?_erks.
 The N.A.O.U. m 1929
1:,,
·'l'l
;~·· - ·,

IlA,1< Row: J Davey, W Rodd, R S eward, Mrs Arthur Davies, Arthur Davies, Mrs Ashby, Mrs ~~ackwor th, S Carter, H Comyns, A Hill, H Page
SECOND Row: Major llramwcil, Miss E Wilder, E. L St,tplcs, Miss Waldron, Miss Croft. Mrs frank Ncate, V Cord~n, M1:;;s Neill, D F Usma.ston, Miss Nowell Smitb 1 Miss S tainer
1'-Hss f\;orman, Miss Minns, '
T1111m Row Miss Russell, Miss Leeke, Miss $ pa,·row, Miss Luke, Miss de Vitr~, Miss I Flin<, Miss Haod, Mi ss Holding, J 1-1 Hopson, Col. Mackwortl>, r M riartley, Major Asbby,
S Rawlinson
FouRTH Row: A Camp, G H I<.een 1 G W Simpson, R W Harris, Miss G Eggleton, Mrs M Slade, Mrs W Lawrence, Mrs Bramwell, Miss W Morton, Miss Green, 1\-Iiss Wood,
Mi ss Staples, Mrs Robinson, Mr \\'alt er
FWTH Row: Mrs P Thomas, J H Bowman, Mrs P Hopson, W H Flint, D GA Fo,, W Every, Mrs Medlicott, Mrs Macartney, Miss Fyfield, R Allder, H Webb, Miss M l:ltewart
FRoNT Row . Miss H Clegg, Miss M Jame~. Miss Matthews 1 Mrs W M1dwinrnr 1 Miss Wal!:er, Miss clly, Miss Litt!~, ~\li:;.:; Sexton. Mi:s L1pscumt> 1 M1s!l Nl!whook, Miss Ferris,
Miss Eastwood
ABSENT MEMBERS: Mrs Dallin, Mrs Ker, Miss Hedges, Capt FM White, Mrs H 13 Turnm, Mrs l'a1ll.,y, Dr lililuy, Y.iss M Liddle, Miss Liddle, Mrs Burmester, Miss Hothwc,11,
H J{elford, L Hobbins
[Flashligltt photograph by E, LongmatP. 1Newbury,

~ ' .,;,,._