| Secondary Performers | C Ellis - cornet,
Maud Puddy,
Lily Fairney,
Arthur Wontner,
Margaret Cooper,
Harry Dearth,
Lottie Venne,
Elsie Spain,
Leslie Henson,
Thornley Dodge,
Phyllis Bedells,
George Grossmith,
Helen Mar,
Courtice Pounds |
| Orchestra or Band | Royal Artillery Band,
Westminster Orchestral Society |
| Conductors | E C Stretton,
Lennox Clayton |
| Set List | Special Programme of Music (Royal Artillery Band):
'Massonica', Sir Homewood Crawford,
Overture: 'Il Guarany', Gomez,
'Russian Cradle Song', Lazare Krein,
Air de Ballet: 'La Savannah', Mackenzie,
'Capriccio Italien', Tchaikovsky,
Burmese Suite: 'The Pagoda of Flowers', Amy Woodforde Finden,
'Danses Flamandes', Jan Blockx,
'Entr'acte' (Nero), Coleridge-Taylor,
'Suite of Serbian Dances', Sistek,
Overture: 'The Frogs of Aristophanes' (Acharnians), Sir Hubert Parry,
'The Little Pigs, Minnuet' (Acharnians), Sir Hubert Parry,
Cornet Solo: 'Romance', Sir Homewood Crawford (C Ellis),
'Intermezzo American', Scassola.
14:00: President and Member of the Organising Committee receive HRH Princess Alexander of Teck, who will perform the opening ceremony
15:00-16:00: Entertainment by prominent members of the theatrical profession in the Entertainment Hall:
Piano Solo (Maud Puddy),
Song (Lily Fairney),
Recitation (Arthur Wontner),
Piano (Margaret Cooper),
Song (Harry Dearth),
In a Monologue (Lottie Venne),
Songs (Elsie Spain),
Humorous songs (Leslie Henson).
15:30-21:00: Teas and Entertainments by the Representative Committees of the Allied Nations in the Boxes and Cafes Chantants
16:00-16:30: Music (Royal Artillery Band)
16:30-17:30: Entertainment by prominent members of the theatrical profession in the Entertainment Hall
Piano Solo (Maud Puddy),
Caricaturist (Thornley Dodge),
Dance invented for this occasion (Phyllis Bedells),
Song (George Grossmith),
Piano (Margaret Cooper),
The Story Teller (Helen Mar),
Songs (Courtice Pounds)
17:00-18:00: Music (Royal Artillery Band):
'Overture', Ansell,
'Dance of the Hours' ('La Gioconda), Ponchielli,
'Miniature Suite', Eric Coates,
Ronde Nocturne: 'Veilleurs de Nuit', Bosc,
Melody: 'Rosemary', Elgar,
'Valse des Fleurs' (Casse Noisette), Tchaikovsky,
19:00-21:00: Concert (Westminster Orchestral Society):
Overture: 'Phedre', Massenet,
March: 'Heroique', Saint-Saens,
'Two Dances', Brahms,
'Gypsy Dance' Von Holst,
Gavotte: 'The Blue Girls', Sir Homewood Crawford,
Overture: 'Meistersingers', Wagner.
Waltz: 'Coppelia', Delibes,
Mazurka: 'Coppelia', Delibes,
Suite: 'Le Cid', Massenet,
Waltz: 'Eugen Onegin', Tschaikowsky,
March: 'Solenelle', Glazanow
Prelude: Act 3 'Lohengrin', Wagner,
Entr'acte: 'Philemon', Gounod,
March', Berlioz,
20:30: Special attraction to be arranged [unconfirmed a time of programme publication] |
| Royal Presence | HRH Princess Alexander of Teck,
HRH The Princess Royal,
HRH Princess Arthur of Connaught,
HRH Princess Victoria,
HRH Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein,
HRH Princess Henry of Battenberg |
| Performance Notes | 'Christmas in Wartime' in aid of War Relief; divided the hall into sections such as 'Hospital Comforts' - Clothing, Sick Room Furniture, Nurses' Needs; Fighting Forces - Books, Music, Made-Up Parcels for 5 + 10 shillings and £1; Made by the Wounded; British Prisoners of War - Smokes, Edibles and Made-Up Parcels.
HM Queen Maria Amelie of Portugal was meant to open the first day but was indisposed.
The Hall boxes were rented to institutions and business firms and there was also character reading and palmistry and a lightening sketch artist.
The sections were:
Hospital Comforts:
Clothing,
Amusements and Sundries,
Sick Room Furniture,
Nurses' Needs,
Dairy Produce, Game,
Flowers.
Fighting Forces:
Clothing,
Necessaries,
Books,
Music,
Made-Up Parcels,
Edibles.
Made by the Wounded
Prisoners of War:
Sundries,
Smokes,
Edibles,
Made-Up Parcels.
Dependants, or Christmas Presents suitable for those at home:
Children's Corner,
Clothing,
Needlework,
Handicrafts,
Bric-a-brac,
Pictures.
"At the Albert Hall yesterday Princess Alexander of Teck, who was accompanied by the Duchess of Albany, opened a monster entertainment called 'Christmas in Wartime'. The affair has been arranged, under the patronage of the Queen, Queen Alexandra, and several other members of the Royal family, in aid of the Funds of the Professional classes War Relief Council.
The professional classes have suffered very severely in many cases through the conditions imposed by the war, and it was very pleasant to see so large and clearly generous minded a crowd of people present. But then, charity apart, the Albert Hall is well worth visiting just now for its own sake; and the Christmas in Wartime will have been so widely talked about by now that still larger crowds may be expected there today and to-morrow between the opening at 11 in the morning and the closing at 10 at night.
The great floor is covered in stalls and booths full of interesting things to buy and give away for Christmas presents. The colours of the Allied nations decorate the circles ; in the boxes tea may be had, and luncheon and dinner are served at reasonable prices in the gallery. And all the while, besides the buying and selling and so forth, there is music or entertainment of some kind going on.
Sketches by Famous Artists - this is the section which contains the most interesting stall in the bazaar - Mrs Ralph Peto's collections of drawings and etchings. There are so many choice things here that it would be well worth the while of connoisseurs and collectors to drop in. Mr John S Sargent has (probably for the first time in his career) given sketches from his sketch book to be sold for the good object. There is a drawing by Burne-Jones. there are specimens of Max Beerbohm, some excellent Orpens', a John, a Walter Bayes; drawings by MacEvoy, Muirhead Bone, Albert Rothenstein, John Nash, Pryde, Ned Yates, Harvard Thomas and many other well known artists."
(The Times, 9 December 1915)
Taken from the programme:
Each Day Games and Competitions will be held all day in the Boxes (round the edge of the Floor) Nos. 10, 15, 21, and 27.
Character-Reading and Palmistry in Boxes 1 and 35.
Lightning Sketch Portraits in Box No. 36; also Mr Louis Wain in Box 32.
Embassy and Legation Tea-Rooms. The French, Russian, and Italian Embassy Tea-rooms will be arranged in the First Tier Boxes. (The Belgian and Serbian Legation Tea-rooms will be arranged in the crush rooms on the same floor as the First Tier Boxes).
"The wives of the Ambassadors and Ministers of the Allied countries are taking an active part, and many well-known public entertainers are giving their services. The hall presented a magnificent colour-scheme, of which the principal note was wedgewood-blue and white. No fewer than twenty-six seperate Governments were represented at the different stalls by ladies in national costume."
(The Daily Telegraph, 9 December 1915)
Artist, Louis Wain drew some of his famous cat pictures for the exhibition which were auctioned off for war charities. |
| Related Archival Material | Programme (RAHE/1/1915/41),
Handbill (RAHE/6/1915/),
Digital Poster (IWM) |