Holywell Music Room | |
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General information | |
Location | Oxford, England |
Owner | Wadham College, Oxford |
Technical details | |
Material | Wood and stone |
The Holywell Music Room is the city of Oxford's chamber music hall, situated on Holywell Street in the city centre, and is part of Wadham College. It is said to be the oldest purpose-built music room in Europe, and hence Britain's first concert hall.
The Holywell Music Room, which is part of Wadham College, Oxford, was one of the earliest purpose built concert venues in the world and the first in Europe. [1] Prior to the advent of concert halls, recitals would happen at private aristocratic venues, royal courts, or in churches. [2] It was built in 1748, probably under the direction of William Hayes [3] and it was designed by Dr Thomas Camplin, the vice-principal of St Edmund Hall. [4] The venue was important for popularizing the music of Haydn in 18th century England. He was the most frequently performed composer during 1788–1791; at short notice he was unable to attend a planned visit to the venue while in Oxford in 1791. [5] [6]
By 1836, the building was being used for purposes beyond concerts, including auctions and exhibitions. During the 1870s, the Oxford Philharmonic Society would give weekly concerns. In 1910, the building was leased by the Oxford University Musical Union, and John Henry Mee wrote his essay The Oldest Music Room in Europe the following year. [6] In 1959, the building was restored. [7] The building was Grade II* listed in 1954. [8] [9]
The building cost £1,263 and 10s, equivalent to approximately £2.5 million in 2018, [note 1] and included chandeliers that had previously been hung in Westminster Hall for Coronation of George IV and donated to Wadham College. [10] The building was funded by public subscription. [3] The auditorium seats 200, [2] includes an organ, which likely dates from the 1800s and originated in Holland. [10] The room is the venue for a wide variety of music performances.
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Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performance, composition, conducting, music theory and history, and has trained some of the most important figures in international music life. The RCM also undertakes research, with particular strengths in performance practice and performance science.
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety and size of settings, from private houses and small nightclubs, dedicated concert halls, amphitheatres and parks, to large multipurpose buildings, such as arenas and stadiums. Indoor concerts held in the largest venues are sometimes called arena concerts or amphitheatre concerts. Informal names for a concert include show and gig.
The year 1748 in architecture involved some significant events.
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Holywell Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It runs east–west with Broad Street to the west and Longwall Street to the east. About halfway along, Mansfield Road adjoins to the north.
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Events from the year 1748 in Great Britain.
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William Hayes was an English composer, organist, singer and conductor.
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The Reid Concert Hall is a small music venue in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the south-western corner of Bristo Square about 0.53 kilometres (0.33 mi) south of the Royal Mile, and is part of the University of Edinburgh. Originally opened in 1859 as the Reid School of Music by the university's professor of music, John Donaldson (1789-1865), it was designed by the Scottish Architect David Cousin and is a Category A listed building. The hall is named after General John Reid, an army officer and musician who founded the Chair of Music at the university. The Reid Concerts take place every 13 February.
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