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20/11/03

RNCM ARCHIVES NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Letters from Sir Charles Hallé and the violinist Joachim;  teachers' testimonials on composer Alan Rawsthorne's progress as a student; the original manuscript of Delius' Sonata no. 1 for violin and piano - these are among the many discoveries made by archivist Sarah Wickham as she catalogued the Royal Northern College of Music's extensive archives.  With that task now near completion, the archives - full of items of national and international import for music historians and others - will finally be open to the public from the beginning of December. The occasion will be marked by a special exhibition of items relating to local composer Thomas Pitfield, timed to coincide with performances of two of his piano concertos on 2 and 5 December.

The key collections in the RNCM archives are as follows:
· Organisational archives of the Northern School of Music and the Royal Manchester College of Music
· The performing archive of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble
· Personal papers covering the entire careers of the violinists Adolph Brodsky and Philip Newman, the soprano Elizabeth Harwood, and Walter and Ida Carroll - the prominent Manchester music educationalists
· The correspondence of Sir Charles Hallé with EJ Broadfield, Gustav Behrens and others
· The compositions of Alan Rawsthorne, John Ogdon, Thomas Pitfield, Arthur Butterworth  and John Golland

As the result of the extensive work done by Sarah Wickham, funded through a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and support from a number of trusts, it is now possible for members of the public to view items for research purposes.  The whole collection is also listed on the web at
www.rncm-archive.rncm.ac.uk/. Visits to the archives are by appointment only during Library opening hours (Mon -Thurs 9 - 7; Fri 9 - 5, Sat 9 - 1 during term-time; Mon-Fri 10 - 4.30 during vacations; closed Bank Holidays and at other exceptional times). Contact details are as follows:
· email: [log in to unmask]
· mail: Archives, Royal Northern College of Music, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9RD, UK 
· telephone: +44(0)161 907 5211 
· fax: +44(0)161 273 7611

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Notes to Editors

1) In addition to the £50,000 funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the RNCM archive project also received support from The Ida Carroll Trust, The Golland Trust and The Rawsthorne Trust.

2) Interesting discoveries made during the cataloguing of the RNCM archive include:
- scripts, music, masks and props created by Thomas Pitfield for his musical morality plays Adam and the Creatures and The Hallowed Manger - performed at Chester, Bowden and a number of other local places. These will be among the items on display in the RNCM archive exhibition in early December.

- testimonials from teachers at the Royal Manchester College of Music on Alan Rawsthorne's time as a student (he graduated in 1929) "He has an instinct for artistic interpretation which is rare in students, allied to a keen enthusiasm which is certain to stimulate those with whom he comes in contact".  

- a letter from Charles Hallé's collection outlining his "campaign" for the 1871 winter season of the Manchester Gentlemen's Concerts with details of the repertoire he wished to present to the audiences (he became conductor of the Gentlemen's Concerts at the end of 1849, at the invitation of the directors)                                      	

- a letter from the violinist Joachim 1893 : "Having been professionally engaged at Manchester for more than forty years, I cannot but be impressed by the great advances in love and understanding of music made during that time" - on the establishment of the Royal Manchester College of Music

- the manuscript of Delius' Sonata no. 1 for violin and piano  - score and parts used in the premiere in Manchester, 1915, by Arthur Catterall (violin) and RJ Forbes (piano) - both of the RMCM 

- performance and background notes by the pianist John Ogdon on Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum - the recording of which, in 1988, was acknowledged as the crowning glory of Ogdon's career.

3) The Exhibition of memorabilia associated with Thomas Pitfield will be on display on the exhibition concourse at the RNCM from Monday 1 December until Monday 8 December.  Admission is free.

4) The two relevant concerts with which this exhibition coincides are:

Tuesday 2 December at 12 noon	

RNCM Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Andrew Penny
Piano Anthony Goldstone
Pitfield                Piano Concerto No. 1

Admission: free


Friday 5 December at 7.30pm

RNCM Symphony Orchestra
Conductors Mark Shanahan and Andrew Penny
Piano Peter Donohoe
Berlioz         Les francs juges 
Pitfield        Piano Concerto No. 2
Berlioz         Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14

Tickets: £5, £10, £15 (£4.50, £9, £13.50) are available from the Box Office, Royal Northern College of Music, 124 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9RD. Tel.: 0161 907 5555; email: [log in to unmask] 

The Pitfield performances are both part of a recording project for the Naxos label.
	
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For further information contact
Marian Blaikley on 0161 907 5282; email: [log in to unmask] or
Lisa Pring on 0161 907 5377; email: [log in to unmask]