A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Monday Popular Concerts, The
MONDAY POPULAR CONCERTS, THE, were commenced on Monday, Jan. 3, 1859, and have now been carried on for more than twenty years during the winter season of each year. They were projected by Chappell & Co. primarily with the view of benefitting the shareholders of St. James's Hall, among whom they themselves, Cramer, Beale, & Co., and other friends, were largely interested; and secondly, to provide concerts for London during the winter. When the experiment was first made, the usual price of concert tickets was half a guinea, and for reserved seats fifteen shillings. The larger area of St. James's Hall allowed Chappell & Co. to try whether a sufficient audience might not be permanently collected to enable them to give the half-guinea accommodation for a shilling, and the reserved seats for five shillings. The first concerts were of a miscellaneous character, consisting largely of old ballads and well-known instrumental pieces. Success was then fluctuating, depending in a measure upon fine nights and new comers to make them productive. At this stage it was suggested to Mr. Arthur Chappell by an eminent musical critic, to try concerts of classical chamber-music, which could rarely be heard, and thus to collect a permanent audience from the lovers of music resident in London and the suburbs. Mr. J. W. Davison suggested the first six performances, which were announced as a Mendelssohn night, a Mozart night, a Haydn and Weber night, a Beethoven night, a second Mozart night, and a second Beethoven night. This series produced a small profit, but the following evenings resulted in loss. It was then proposed to give up the experiment, but this was strenuously opposed both by Mr. Arthur Chappell, and by his friend and adviser, who has continuously annotated the programmes, and has thereby contributed largely to the success. Two more concerts were tried, which fortunately yielded a fair profit, and from that time the system has been continued, and the circle of music-lovers has been gradually expanding. As to the title of 'Monday Popular Concerts,' which is still continued, the following extract from one of the daily papers is amusing, and has much truth in it: 'The appellation Popular Concerts was originally, in fact, an impudent misnomer. The music given was of the most consistently unpopular character. Most speculators would have either altered the name of the entertainment or modified the selection of the compositions performed: Mr. Chappell took a bolder course—he changed the public taste.'
During the twenty years, the unprecedented number of 674 performances have been given. As soon as the undertaking was fairly established, it became necessary to secure the services of the most celebrated performers continuously, and thus a considerable risk had to be incurred. For instance, in 1866 Piatti received an offer of a large sum per annum for a permanent engagement abroad, and the like was assured to him here. The valuable services of Joachim, of Madame Schumann, and other great executants who reside abroad, had to be secured by considerable sums guaranteed, to ensure yearly visits. Mr. Arthur Chappell has been greatly assisted by the goodwill of all the artists who have appeared at the concerts, who have always been ready to sink their own individuality to perfect the performance of the music. The artists feel that they have a thoroughly sympathetic audience, and therefore take pleasure in performing to them. Mr. Arthur Chappell has, on his part, tried to include in the programmes music of the highest standard, and has engaged the greatest living artists to perform it. In order to avoid frequent repetitions a pamphlet has been printed, giving the date of every performance of each work. Among these, very many have been heard in England for the first time at these concerts. [App. p.719 "For additions see Saturday Popular Concerts, and add that the 1000th concert took place on Monday, April 4, 1887."]