It's a dimension of music-making that once was integral to many a British holiday experience, yet now has all but vanished. The tide went out, you might say, on the professional seaside (or pier, or spa) orchestra many decades ago. In their glory days, though - perhaps a quarter-century on either side of 1900-these ensembles were everywhere, from Bridlington to Eastbourne, New Brighton to Worthing, Blackpool to Bexhill-on-Sea, Cleethorpes to Brighton... the list is astonishing.
Yes, they were of widely varying sizes and instrumental make-ups, and tended to work to highly flexible perceptions of what repertoire was appropriate for a given coastal clientele. But classically trained musicians were in demand, with classical/light classical numbers part of the mix. Finding work beside the sea was essential to many players whose regular orchestras didn't pay them over the summer. Hallé musicians, for example, might head for Blackpool; members of London orchestras could be found at Ramsgate. Holst, no less, supplemented his income as a seaside trombonist.
One reliable route by which musicians and orchestras found each other was via adverts in the journal The Era. In April 1906, we see a 'first class lady violinist' seeking 'summer engagement, hotel or seaside orchestra or solo. Highest references'. Fast-forward to 1932 and a seaside orchestra needed a 'first class trumpet. Must be fine soloist and orch player. 20 weeks.
Alice Maclean with the Spa Orchestra at Scarborough.
This story is from the August 2024 edition of BBC Music Magazine.
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This story is from the August 2024 edition of BBC Music Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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