Sydney Northcote
Encyclopedia
History of the Queen's Hall by Mariel Brown Sydney Northcote
Sydney Northcote was a British musician, writer, editor, composer, arranger, adjudicator and administrator. He was born in Bargoed
, Glamorganshire, Wales
in 1897. He attended Lewis School, Pengam
and later studied at the Royal College of Music
in London. He took the Oxford B.Mus degree in 1923 and commenced D.Mus in 1932. For some twenty years he was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Heritage Crafts School in Chailey, Lewes, England; and from 1926 to 1941 he taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London. In 1941 he was appointed Music Advisor to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
. He died at the age of 70 in Croydon, Surrey, England, on 16 May 1968. An obituary appeared in The Times
.
As a writer on music, he championed the cause of the English composer C.W.Orr, and contributed articles to the 5th Edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (MacMillan, 1954). He wrote a number of books, including The Ballad in Music – Byrd to Britten (Norwood Editions, 1977), A Survey of English Song (Baker, 1966) and The Songs of Henri Duparc (Dobson, 1949). As an editor he was responsible for The New Imperial Edition of Solo Songs (Boosey and Hawkes, 1949) and jointly with E.T.Davies, Caneuon Cenedlaethol Cymru - National Songs of Wales (Boosey & Hawkes, 1959), contributing 43 of his own arrangements to this volume.
As an adjudicator, he regularly visited a number of countries, including Canada; in 1963 he adjudicated at the Winnipeg Music Festival
, and in Lethbridge, Alberta; and for many years he was a popular adjudicator in Trinidad and Tobago. At the Trinidad Music Festival in 1950, he was impressed with the standard of performance of the young musicians whom he listened to, and dismayed at the lack of an adequate performance venue for them; together with Helen May Johnstone, President of the Trinidad Music Association, he began to lobby the British Government for improved facilities, and was influential in helping to raise funds for the project from the UK Carnegie Trust. As a result of these efforts, the Queen’s Hall was opened in Port-of-Spain in 1959.
History of the Queen’s Hall by Mariel Brown http://www.queenshalltt.com/history.
Sydney Northcote was a British musician, writer, editor, composer, arranger, adjudicator and administrator. He was born in Bargoed
Bargoed
Bargoed is a town in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly and straddles ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. 'Greater Bargoed', as defined by the local authority Caerphilly County Borough Council,...
, Glamorganshire, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1897. He attended Lewis School, Pengam
Lewis School, Pengam
Lewis School, Pengam is a comprehensive school founded in 1729 in the town of Pengam and, latterly, nearby Gilfach, in the Rhymney Valley in south Wales.- Location :...
and later studied at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
in London. He took the Oxford B.Mus degree in 1923 and commenced D.Mus in 1932. For some twenty years he was Organist and Master of the Choristers at Heritage Crafts School in Chailey, Lewes, England; and from 1926 to 1941 he taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
in London. In 1941 he was appointed Music Advisor to the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust
Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is a charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom, established by Scottish-born American steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on the model of his U.S. foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York....
. He died at the age of 70 in Croydon, Surrey, England, on 16 May 1968. An obituary appeared in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
As a writer on music, he championed the cause of the English composer C.W.Orr, and contributed articles to the 5th Edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (MacMillan, 1954). He wrote a number of books, including The Ballad in Music – Byrd to Britten (Norwood Editions, 1977), A Survey of English Song (Baker, 1966) and The Songs of Henri Duparc (Dobson, 1949). As an editor he was responsible for The New Imperial Edition of Solo Songs (Boosey and Hawkes, 1949) and jointly with E.T.Davies, Caneuon Cenedlaethol Cymru - National Songs of Wales (Boosey & Hawkes, 1959), contributing 43 of his own arrangements to this volume.
As an adjudicator, he regularly visited a number of countries, including Canada; in 1963 he adjudicated at the Winnipeg Music Festival
Winnipeg Music Festival
The Winnipeg Music Festival or Winnipeg Music Competition Festival Inc as it is formally known as was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1919 by the Men's Musical Club ....
, and in Lethbridge, Alberta; and for many years he was a popular adjudicator in Trinidad and Tobago. At the Trinidad Music Festival in 1950, he was impressed with the standard of performance of the young musicians whom he listened to, and dismayed at the lack of an adequate performance venue for them; together with Helen May Johnstone, President of the Trinidad Music Association, he began to lobby the British Government for improved facilities, and was influential in helping to raise funds for the project from the UK Carnegie Trust. As a result of these efforts, the Queen’s Hall was opened in Port-of-Spain in 1959.
External links
- Sources :
History of the Queen’s Hall by Mariel Brown http://www.queenshalltt.com/history.