Record

Performance TitleEmpire Day Concert by Royal Command in the Presence of Their Majesties The King and Queen
Performance Date24 May 1938
Performance DayTuesday
Performance Time20:30
Main PerformersIsobel Baillie,
Elsie Suddaby,
Astra Desmond,
Keith Falkner,
Mary Jarred,
Robert Easton,
Walter Widdop - vocals

Dykes Bower,
Dr Henry Ley,
Sir Walter Alcock - organ
Orchestra or BandRoyal Military School of Music Trumpeters
ChoirsMassed Choir of 2,000 voices:
The BBC Singers,
Edinburgh Royal Choral Union,
Belfast Philharmonic Society,
Eisteddfodau
ConductorsMalcolm Sargent,
Sir Hugh Allen,
Sir Henry Wood,
Greenhouse Allt,
Godfrey Brown,
Bumford Griffith,
W R Allen
Set ListOrgan Soli: 'Minuet in D', Maurice Green (Dykes Bower),
'Allegro in D', Arne (Dykes Bower),
'Prelude in D Minor', Stanford (Dr Henry Ley),
'Trumpet Tune and Air', Purcell (Dr Henry Ley),
'Andante in D', Hollins (Sir Walter Alcock),
Trumpet Fanfares (Sir Granville Bantock, Royal Military School of Music Trumpeters),
Dr Ernest Bullock (Royal Military School of Music Trumpeters),
Major Adkins (Royal Military School of Music Trumpeters),
'God Save the King',
Air: 'To Heart-Easing Mirth', Purcell (Isobel Baillie, Elsie Suddaby, Astra Desmond),
Chorus: 'Soul of The World', Purcell,
'Sumer is Icumen in',
'Agincourt Song',
Ayre in Foure Parts: 'Never Weather-Beaten Sail', Campion (Keith Falkner),
Ballet: 'Welcome, Sweet Pleasure', Weelkes (BBC Singers),
Madrigal: 'All Creatures Now Are Merry-Minded', Benet,
Overture: 'The Beggar's Opera', Pepusch,
Glee: 'The Cloud-Capt Towers', Stevens,
Part-Song: 'Over Hill, Over Dale', Hatton,
Psalm CL: Dyson,
Two Orchestral Pieces: 'Puck's Minuet', Howells,
'A Hornpipe', Murrill,
Three Scottish Airs: 'Scots Wha Hae Wi' Wallace Bled' (Edinburgh Royal Choral Union),
'Ca' The Yowes Tae The Knowes' (Astra Desmond),
'Wi' A Hundred Pipers An A' (Edinburgh Royal Choral Union),
Choral Song: 'England', Hubert Parry,
'The Bells', Byrd, arr. Gordon Jacob,
Choral Song: 'In Praise of Neptune', Ireland,
Two Irish Airs And Part-Song: 'Heraclitus', Stanford (Belfast Philharmonic Society),
'The Unseen Comrade' (Mary Jarred),
'The Ould Lammas Fair', Macaulay (Belfast Philharmonic Society),
Imperial March: Elgar,
Part-Song For Double Choir: 'Sir Patrick Spens', Pearsall,
Three Welsh Melodies: 'Hunting The Hare', Eisteddfodau,
'Y Bore Glas' (Margaret Rees),
'Llanfair' (Eisteddfodau),
Motet: 'O Spiritual Pilgrim', Holst (Elsie Suddaby),
Two Orchestral Pieces: 'La Calinda', Delius,
'Paen', Bax,
Three English Folk-Songs: 'The Sailor From Sea' (Keith Falkner, Isobel Baillie, Robert Easton),
'The Crystal Spring' (Keith Falkner, Isobel Baillie, Robert Easton),
'Twankydillo' (Keith Falkner, Isobel Baillie, Robert Easton),
'Everyone Sang', W H Harris (Walter Widdop),
Finale: Cantata 'Dona Nobis Pacem', Vaughan Williams (Elsie Suddaby, Keith Falkner),
'Jerusalem', Parry,
National Anthem: 'God Save the King'
Royal PresenceHM King George VI,
HM Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother)
Performance NotesThe programme is accompanied by a book of music - ''The 1938 Book of Choral Music to be Sung to Their Majesties The King and Queen and Broadcast to Nation and Empire'.

Premiere of 'Everyone Sang', W H Harris.

Associated Press Archive hold British Movietone B&W footage of the event (Story No. BM33442).

The event was broadcast by BBC Radio.
Related Archival MaterialProgramme (RAHE/1/1938/50)
URLhttps://thirdlight.royalalberthall.com/pf.tlx?NWNA95NhXzo0a
Catalogue
Reference NumberTitleDate
RAHE/1/1938/50Concert by Royal Command - In the presence of Their Majesties The King and Queen24 May 1938
RAHE/8/2/7Choral Music to be sung to the King and Queen on Empire Day24 May 1938
RAHE/8/2/8Royal Masonic Institute for Girls (RMIG) - Some account of the history, objects and work of the institution, 12th Issue 19321932
Work
Ref NoTitleNo of Performances
_Bapcv_Xif_MEmpire Day Concert by Royal Command in the Presence of Their Majesties The King and Queen1
Performers
CodeName of Performer(s)
DS/UK/1218Baillie; Dame; Isobel (9 March 1895-24 September 1983); DBE; Scottish soprano singer
DS/UK/1348Suddaby; Elsie (1893-1980); British lyric soprano
DS/UK/1568Desmond; Astra (1893-1973); British contralto singer
DS/UK/1721Falkner; Sir; Keith (1900-1994); English bass-baritone
DS/UK/1307Jarred; Mary (1899-1993); English opera singer
DS/UK/1742Easton; Robert (1898-1987); British bass
DS/UK/1219Widdop; Walter (1892-1949); British operatic tenor
DS/UK/1231Alcock; Sir; Walter Galpin (29 December 1861-11 September 1947); MVO; English organist and composer
DS/UK/67Sargent; Sir; Malcolm (29 April 1895-3 October 1967); English conductor and organist
DS/UK/1178Allen; Sir; Hugh (23 December 1869-20 February 1946); GCVO; English conductor and organist
DS/UK/39Wood; Sir; Henry (3 March 1869 – 19 August 1944); CH; English conductor
DS/UK/3647Greenhouse-Allt; Wilfred (fl 1930s-1950s); Dr; British organist, conductor
DS/UK/3649Dykes Bower; Sir; John (1905-1981); CVO; British cathedral organist
DS/UK/3650Ley; Henry George (1887-1962); English organist, composer, music teacher
DS/UK/3652Brown; Edward 'Godfrey' (1874-1955); OBE; British conductor
DS/UK/1368Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1900-2002); HM; British Queen consort of King George VI
DS/UK/1700George VI (1895-1952); British King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India (1938-1947)
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