THE FIRST FORTY YEARS
Dennis and Margaret Warwick

On a very stormy night, 16th December 1949, Ilkley Choral Society, assisted by members of Otley and Heckmondwike Societies, performed Handel's 'Messiah' in Ilkley Parish Church. The conductor was Charles Bainbridge who had founded the choir during that year. The audience filled the church despite the storm, and, as ever, 'Messiah' comforted and uplifted them. The organ accompaniment was played by Rupert Tong, and the soloists were Ruby Skinn (soprano), Freda Heward (contralto), John Tetlow (tenor) and Scott Joynt (bass).

Forty years is not long as choral societies go. The Halifax Choral Society, possibly the oldest of its kind in Britain with an unbroken history, celebrated its I50th anniversary in I967. P. M. Young (1981), who has traced the tradition of choral singing in Europe and America, suggests that “in the nineteenth century ….. music became not merely a distant delight to, but an activity for, the many". Choral Music was particularly popular in industrial communities and in the larger cities, areas where non-conformists were strongly represented. The new town halls, chapels and churches of the Victorian era provided spacious settings for the large choirs which developed. However, as Patterson, writing in 1902 points out, many of the choral societies folded nearly as frequently as they started. Major causes of decline would be financial over commitments, a run of poorly attended concerts and reduced patronage.Essentially choral societies seem to need not only good musical direction and committed singing members, but also efficient secretaries and treasurers, supported by willing helpers and fund raisers.

The choral tradition, despite its ups and downs, has been a vital component of our culture. Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose Serenade to Music is being sung in the fortieth anniversary concert, said that he believed;

“…a musical nation is not a nation which is content to listen. The best form of musical appreciation is to try and do it for yourself to get really inside the meaning of music. What makes me hope for the musical future of any country is not the distinguished names which appear on the front pages of the newspapers, but the music that is going on at home, in the schools and in the local choral societies”.
(Vaughan Williams, 1934)

Ilkley has no mean musical tradition. In Sutcliffe-Smith's 1928 survey of Yorkshire's musical accomplishments, which obviously puts much more emphasis on the large cities and towns, Ilkley is commended for its choral music, its annual competition and its church and chapel organists including J. H. Clough, Issac Hirst,.J W. Ibberson, and (above all) A T. Akeroyd. Arthur Picket might also have been mentioned in this context. There is no mention however of any particular Ilkley choir. 0tley is recorded as having a nineteenth century Philharmonic Society which had unfortunately suffered a major decline by 1928. The present Otley Choral Society was formed in 1943 after a festival in which several church choirs came together for a joint performance. Charles Bainbridge (CWB), at that time the music teacher at West Leeds Boys Grammar School and conductor of the Heckmondwike Choral Society, was conducting the Otley Society by 1945.

Ilkley grew as a spa town from the mid-nineteenth century, and was a place of resort rather than of industry, in contrast with Otley and many other West Yorkshire towns and cities. It did not therefore have the basis for a large and flourishing choral society. Its churches and chapels were nevertheless centres of music as well as religious activity and there were often joint musical festivals and performances of 'Messiah'. Ilkley's annual musical festival, in which choirs and musicians from all over Northern England compete, grew from the local festivals in the twentieth century. An operatic society also gave performances in the 1920s, and restarted in the 1950s. A concert club promoted an annual programme in the King's Hall in which established professional soloists and musical ensembles performed. It probably grew out of the desire of the residents of the town to promote their own musical culture as well as to offer annual visitors and tourists pleasure in their holidays at the spa.

Charles Bainbridge (CWB)
When CWB came to Ilkley in 1948, to teach at Ilkley Grammar School, he found that the musical tradition had not revived very vigorously after the Second World War. He was not alone in thinking that there could be more activity. The head of the Evening Institute at Ben Rhydding Secondary School, Mr. Parker, was a keen musical enthusiast. He encouraged CWB to take over an existing evening class in singing and music and to try to form a choral society. It would meet as an evening class during term-time and give concerts at appropriate intervals. A letter, published in the 'Ilkley Gazette', invited people to a meeting at All Saints School to discuss the founding of such a class in September 1949. Five people turned up to the meeting, including some from the previous class. Two of them are still singing in the choir at present, Lydia Pettitt and John Muncaster. Those present were cajoled into believing that they could form the nucleus of an Ilkley Choral Society, and fifty copies of Handel’s 'Messiah' were placed in front of them! "Go and find more singers" was the optimistic command.
CWB knew that he could also call on wider support. What he had in mind was that he would invite members of Otley Choral Society and Heckmondwike Choral Society to sing in Ilkley, so as to make up a large choir that would give a resounding performance.
In the event. there were about fifty members in the Ilkley Evening Class, meeting and rehearsing 'Messiah' by December 1949. They were a little unbalanced in terms of numbers in each voice part, but they were well supported by members of the other choirs, and when they sang on December 16th, 1949. in Ilkley Parish Church, there were about two hundred voices. CWB not surprisingly does not remember that it was a stormy evening outside. He had, using his musical connections to good advantage, engaged top class soloists, and the church was full to capacity. Entrance was by programme at two shillings and sixpence but a number of patrons who had each subscribed one guinea were also present.

The Ilkley members were invited to sing in Otley and Heckmondwike and the unique tradition developed of separate Choral Societies rehearsing a number of works and coming together for concerts under the baton of their tutor and conductor. Ilkley and Otley Societies have kept up the tradition to this day, regularly rehearsing chosen works and singing them either in Otley or in Ilkley^, or in both. CWB's method was to repeat the rehearsal in each town on different evenings even to the detail of the "same jokes”. Though there have been suggestions of amalgamation from time to time, they have been found impractical. In Ilkley we sing as Ilkley Choral Society, in Otley, as Otley Choral Society. This has meant that both Wharfedale towns now have a marvellous series of concerts to look back on. The range of works by different composers is tremendous. A complete list of them sung in Ilkley and ordered by composer follows:

The conductor Charles Bainbridge (CWB) looking at the list, singled out the first performance of Bach's B Minor Mass in Ilkley, on 14th April 1973, as the finest concert he remembers, but, sadly, the King's Hall was not full. It was also the work that he chose to conduct on the occasion of his final concert on 26th April 1980, when he retired from his post as conductor to the Ilkley Choral Society.

During the thirty one years in which he was the 'maestro', CWB strongly maintained the 'Messiah' tradition. Each year the choir sang the work in Ilkley, usually in the King's Hall, and in Otley, at the ParishChurch. The soloists were often nationally famous singers, or would become so, like Elizabeth Harwood, Alfreda Hodgson, Stephen Manton and Roger Stalman. lt is invidious to single out these from among many famous soloists who have stood before Ilkley audiences, but CWB was very keen to give young singers opportunities to be heard here, and this has oftenenhanced their reputations, as well as that of the choir itself.  After hearing 'Messiah' in the King's Hall on 17th December 1971 when Honor Sheppard, Margaret Hallworth, John Sowerby and Roger Stalman were the soloists, the music critic who wrote up the concert for the Ilkley Gazette, George Sykes. said that "the sound of this choir brings me here each year". (He also noted that the new staging that was being used in the Hall was a major improvement, considerably helping the audience to enjoy the performance).

During the early years, when it was not easy for northern audiences to hear or see opera performed, CWB introduced concert performances of well-known works such as Bizet's Carmen, Gounod's Faust and Verdi's Aida. By and large, however, the repertoire was drawn from the oratorio and sacred music tradition, and covered most of the well-known works, with particular emphasis on those by Handel and J. S. Bach. Since CWB's retirement, this has largely been maintained, though with a reduction in the frequency of 'Messiah' performances and the introduction of works by more recent composers.

In the 1980s the choir has been tutored and conducted by Marcus Huxley, and, successively, by Michael Harris and Matthew Beetschen, both assistant organists at Leeds Parish Church. When Michael Harris was appointed assistant organist at Canterbury Cathedral, Darius Battiwalla, organ scholar at Leeds University, stepped in at short notice until Matthew Beetschen was able to take up his appointment.

The Society's performances have been greatly assisted over the,years by orchestral ensembles, particularly in King's Hall concert. In churches and chapels, there has always been the benefit of an organ, and for many years Rupert Tong was the chosen concert organ accompanist. More recently, Simon Lindley of LeedsParishChurch and Robert Walker of 0tley have done the honours. When CWB wanted an orchestra, he very often turned to his great friend and cellist, Douglas Bentley, to bring together a number of professionals. In the1980s we have been supported on a number of occasions by the Harrogate Pro Musica Ensemble, and the St. Peter's Chamber Orchestra from Leeds. Our present conductor, Matthew Beetschen has formed the Wharfedale Sinfonietta, which will be on hand to give professional orchestral support to our concerts when needed.

Over the past twenty-six years, the Society has enjoyed and benefitted greatly from the services of Catherine Woodhouse, as rehearsal accompanist, harpsichord continuo player in many concerts and as a soprano in the choir, when not otherwise engaged. Before her, the choir rehearsals were accompanied by Mrs. E. Crawshaw, Mr. N. Tomblin, Mr. S. Ross, and Mr. M. Burman.

As Annie Patterson indicated at the turn of the century, a lot depends on an efficient organisation behind the choir.

Rehearsals in the early years took place on Friday nights, starting in All Saints School, but moving for the second season to the Grove Congregational Church School Room. That was the practice venue for many years, until it was felt that a change was needed, and Wells Road Methodist Church was then chosen. In 1985, with the closure of the church, rehearsals transferred to the Grove Church, now refurbished and renamed Christchurch. It provides the choir with excellent facilities, including committee rooms when required. The practices continued on Friday nights for almost twenty years, but in the last two decades rehearsals have been held on Mondays.

The finances of the choir have essentially been sustained by the subscriptions of the members, which consist of an annual sum, and a weekly 'offering' at rehearsals. The former started at two shillings and six pence in 1949, and has risen now to sixteen pounds, with concessionary rates for students. Two former members, Miss E.M. Smith and Miss M. Short, generously left us legacies. A social committee in the early days undertook to raise extra funds through coffee mornings, at homes, balls, dinners and other social events. We have been financially helped by some residents of Ilkley and district. A number became patrons of the Choral Society, and in the late 1950s, there were almost ninety people who paid annual subscriptions. However, the numbers dwindled in the 1970s and the practice of sending out new invitations ceased. We have also received support from public bodies. The former Ilkley Urban District Council made small grants, and we had support from the former West Riding County Council through the facilities of the Further Education Department. Recently we have had annual grants from Yorkshire Arts and Bradford Metropolitan District Council . We cannot assume, in the current political climate, that we will continue to receive such support. Clearly, however, the Choral Society has contributed to the cultural life of the district and it has been this which has surely justified our successful applications for grants.

The Ilkley Choral Society has always existed to provide an opportunity for those who love singing together to enjoy the collective experience and to give others some pleasure through performances in the district. In so doing it has benefitted from a deep seated choral tradition, on which CWB was originally able to build. A question mark may rest over the continuity of this tradition, as it seems difficult to recruit and retain younger members in this age of social and cultural change. There is no need for undue pessimism, however, when we consider the youthfulness of our recent conductors and the soloists and instrumentalists they have introduced.   Further our fruitful and happy co-operation with the Otley Choral Society continues. The Otley members will be celebrating their fiftieth anniversary season in 1992/3, and we look forward to joining them in their celebrations, just as they are singing with us now in our fortieth.

REFERENCES

Halifax Choral Society, (1967), 150th Anniversary, Souvenir Brochure and Comprehensive Programme, Halifax.
The Ilkley Gazette, 1949-1989.
Annie W. Patterson, (1902), The Story of Oratorio, Scott, New York.
J. Sutcliffe-Smith, (19281, A Musical Pilgrimage in Yorkshire, Jackson, Leads.
M. Troughton, (1963), "The Story of Ilkley and Otley Choral Societies", The Dalesman, February.
R. Vaughan Williams, (1934), National Music, University Press, Oxford.
P. M. Young, (1981), The Choral Tradition, Norton, London.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The story of the first forty years is largely based on the carefully written minutes of Society committee meetings.  We are therefore indebted to all the secretaries, whose names appear above. Scrapbooks compiled by the secretaries were also consulted, so that a full record of all Ilkley Concerts could be reconstructed. We thank Charles Bainbridge for giving us time to talk about the history of the Choral Society. Lydia Pettitt and Howard Clarke also offered useful information and all present committee members, including

Clifford Barber, Mary Carruthers, Suzanne McCallion, Sylvia Tilford and Stuart Woodhouse, as well as the current officers, made useful suggestions about the content and lay-out of the account. Thanks are also due to Charles Mason of the Halifax Choral Society for the loan of a history of his society, and to Donald Webster, a long-standing friend and authority on church music, for indicating possible sources of information.