The Oldest Music Festival in Europe
Music Festivals have long played an important part in the British way of life. Some reached their peak in the 19th century but have since faded into obscurity. Many of today's important festivals, such as Bath and Cheltenham, started only after the Second World War. Yet for over 250 years, the Three Choirs Festival has maintained a unique position amongst the annual events, giving it the distinction of being the oldest music festival in Europe. Long before the birth of Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven, the annual "Music Meeting" was taking place in the cathedral cities of Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester
The date when the choirs of the three cathedral cities first came together to "make music" is uncertain. An advertisement in the "Worcester Postman" in 1719, addressing "Members of the yearly Musical Assembly in these parts", suggests that the event had been in existence for some years. It was not until 1724 that the Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral, the Rev Dr Thomas Bisse, instituted both the "Music Meeting" and the Festival Charity. Dr Bisse had supported the Music Meeting for some years before. In 1720 he published a paper entitled, "A Rationale on Cathedral Worship or Choir Service", which he read at the Anniversary Meeting of the Choirs of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford". Some years later he preached the sermon "Musick - the Delight of the Sons of Men" at Hereford on September 7th, 1726. It was based on Ecclesiastes ch2, v8: "I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men as musical instruments, and that of all sorts".
In those days, the annual Music Meeting lasted two days, beginning on the second Tuesday in September. The days began with Matins in the host cathedral sung by the combined choirs with orchestral accompaniment. In the evenings, secular concerts were held at other venues in the host city. What constituted "secular" or "sacred" music then, was more strictly defined than today. The oratorio was considered firmly to be secular entertainment, and it was not until 1759, the year of Handel's death, that the Messiah was heard in an English cathedral. It is significant that this happened at Hereford during the Festival, which by now had grown to three days in length.
The performances of oratorio in the Cathedral were well established by 1834, and to accommodate the larger chorus, they were moved from the choir to the knave. The Festival had become an important social event and so popular that people would flock to the Cathedral at 8 a.m., even though the main service didn't begin until eleven. The evening performances had long outgrown the Music Room at the Cathedral School and were transferred to the new Shire Hall in 1819.
The 19th century saw the rise of the "star" soloists. Famous singers were engaged, such as the Italian contralto Madame Alboni, who was paid £200 for two evening performances in 1847. The higher sums demanded by performers put a severe strain of Hereford's limited finances, standards of performance declined and the Festival steadily declined. Its fortunes recovered again with the arrival of the railways and in 1858, crowds flocked to the Cathedral for a performance of the Messiah. A continuous stream of visitors arrived in the City from eight in the morning and all the numbered seats in the Cathedral were taken quickly. A press report stated that "The audience was prodigious, every seat being filled, even the tombs being covered."
But in the Cathedral Close, the Festival was not always looked on with the same enthusiasm. Dean Dawes was openly hostile to anything connected with what he termed "the abominable festival." He is even reputed to have taken away the key to the choir so as to deprive visitors of their entertainment. Archdeacon Freer found it so annoying that he left the city for the duration, as did the Precentor. However, its popularity continued to increase and in 1867 festival-goers flocked to hear Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale", sing at three performances. In 1870 Royalty was present, in the form of Prince and Princess Christian who attended an oratorio in the recently gas-lit Cathedral, the first such evening performance there.
The opposition of the clergy continued, culminating in 1875 with what became known as the "Mock Festival" at Worcester when the Dean and Chapter refused to allow the Cathedral to be used for performances which did not equate with their idea of worship. Only the three Cathedral Choirs took part. There were no oratorios, no orchestra and no soloists. The Rev Dr Barry, Canon of Worcester Cathedral, preached a sermon on the nature of cathedral worship and the function of music therein. The organist, Samuel Sabastian Wesley, is reputed to have played the Dead March from Saul as "a practical comment on the tendency of the sermon". In spite of the good Mr Wesley's efforts, the Festival looked as though it would die.
Fortunately, the civic authorities did not share the view of the Dean and Chapter of Worcester. Prior to the 1876 Festival at Hereford, the Mayor publicly declared the support of the Council for the continuation of the event in its previous form. He invited his peers at Gloucester and Worcester to "come over to Hereford to give support". There was a hearty response and all three bodies proceeded to the Cathedral "in state" to mark the opening service. Thus began a tradition which continues to this day, marking the link between the Festival and the City.
In 1889 George Robertson Sinclair was appointed organist at Hereford. Through his influence the closing years of the century began to show a rise in musical standards. Sinclair's great friend Sir Edward Elgar began an association with the Festival which was to continue until his death. Vaughan Williams came to Hereford in 1912 and began another long and musically rewarding association.
The First World War was to halt the Festival for five years. Percy Hull was appointed Organist at Hereford in 1918 and during the inter-war years he greatly expanded the repertoire, bringing the Festival very firmly into the 20th century. There was considerable controversy in 1930 when Elijah was omitted from the programme. In 1927 the Opening Service was broadcast for the first time and a recording made. The Festival was interrupted again by World War II but resumed in Worcester in 1946, largely due to the efforts of Percy Hull. The following year he was knighted.
During the post-war period the repertoire has been extended further with many new works taking their places alongside the traditional favourites and representing all that is finest in English music.
The Festival Charity
The Festival Charity was founded prior to the Meeting at Gloucester in 1724 by the Rev Dr Thomas Bliss, Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral. He suggested that a collection be taken up after the morning service "for placing out or assisting to the education and maintenance of the Orphans of the poorer Clergy of the Dioceses of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford". His suggestion was adopted and over £30 was collected at the Cathedral doors. Some years later it became customary to collect offerings after every concert and the Charity became an inseparable feature of the Meetings. The 1985 Hereford festival raised £6,500. Recently certain changes have come about. The Festival itself is now a Registered Charity and the Church makes adequate provision for widows and their families. The Festival is extremely costly to mount and it is felt inappropriate to charge admission and at the same time ask for donations. Collections are now restricted to the first and last concerts and at the close of Evensong each day. The distribution of the Charity is decided by the Dean and Chapter of the host Cathedral.
The Organists
It is the Cathedral Organist who bears the heaviest burden during the Three Choirs Festival. He has the responsibility of planning the programme, rehearsing the Cathedral Choirs and Festival Chorus and conducting the services and concerts. Notable organists at Hereford have been; Samuel Sabastian Wesley (1832-35), George Townsend Smith (1843-1877), George Robertson Sinclair (1889-1917), Sir Percy Hull (1918-1949), Meredith Davies (1950-1956), Dr Melville Cook (1956-1966), Richard Lloyd (1966-1974) and the long-serving and greatly respected, Roy Massey, who was appointed in 1974 and who retired recently, in 2002.
The Festival Chorus
As the name implies, The Festival has always centred around the three Cathedral Choirs. In the early days the events in the Cathedrals were performed entirely by the choristers and lay clerks, while the evening concerts depended entirely on the latter and their musical friends. Handel's increasingly popular choral works demanded far more of the Chorus than formerly and other singers were gradually brought in to augment it. By 1770, the Chorus included women and by the end of the 19th century, singers were brought from as far off as northern England. In the early part of the 20th century, the increasing availability of singers from the flourishing local choral societies led to the Chorus accepting only residents of the "Three Counties". The Festival Chorus today retains a core of professional singers within a chorus of amateurs, ensuring a very high standard of musical performance.
The Music
Information on the musical content of the early Music Meetings is rather scant but it is known that Purcell's setting of the "Te Deum and Jubilate" was a regular part of the repertoire until 1784. There were minor works by Henry Hall, Barnabas Gunn and anthems by Boyce, but it was Handel who was to dominate 18th century programmes with oratorios such as "Alexander's Feast","Samson", "Judas Maccabaeus" and "The Messiah". Haydn's "Creation" was heard first in the Festival of 1800 and from about 1840 onwards, the "Mendelssohn era" was marked by the inclusion of "Elijah" every year until 1930.
The middle years of the 19th century saw the introduction of Spohr, Rossini, Mozart and Beethoven, but Bach had to wait until the 1870s. Around the turn of the century the works of Elgar began to be featured and in later years came to dominate the Festival. Parry's compositions were performed regularly, his "De Profundis", given at Hereford in 1891, being one of the earliest works to be commissioned especially for the Festival.
Amongst those who have introduced or conducted new works at Hereford have been Delius in 1901, with his Dance Rhapsody No.1, Vaughan Williams with his "Fantasia on Christmas Carols" in 1912. Other names include Stainer, Coleridge-Taylor, Bantock, Holst, Sullivan, Howells, Finzi, Walford Davies, and in recent years, Lennox Berkley, McCabe, William Mathias and Paul Patterson. Works by Walton, Bliss and Britten have taken their places in the repertoire alongside the traditional masterpieces.
Based on an MSC Community Project publication
©1988 Hereford City Council
Books about the Three Choirs Festival
© Starblazer 2001
- Three Choirs: A History of the Festival - Gloucester, Hereford, Worcester
- Anthony Boden / Hardcover / Published 1992