Aeolian Hall (London): Difference between revisions

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Aeolian Hall, at 135–137 New Bond Street, London, began life as the Grosvenor Gallery, being built by Coutts Lindsay in 1876, an accomplished amateur artist with a predeliction for the aesthetic movement, for which he was held up to some ridicule. In 1883, he decided to light his gallery with electricity. An outhouse became a substation, and equipment was installed in the basement, which upset some of the neighbours, and caused others to buy electricity from him. Thus began the system of electrical distribution in use today, but the threat of fire ended these activities, and by 1890, Lindsay was forced to sell out to the Grosvenor Club. By 1903 the whole building was taken over by the Orchestrelle Company of New York (the Aeolian Company). As manufacturers of musical instruments, and especially the mechanical piano-player known as the pianola, they converted the space into offices, a showroom, and a concert hall.

Aeolian Hall was a popular venue for the Russian recitalist Vladimir Rosing. The hall was even turned into an intimate opera house for one set of performances. In June 1921 Rosing presented, with director Theodore Komisarjevsky and conductor Adrian Boult, a season of Opera Intime, performing The Queen of Spades, The Barber of Seville, and Pagliacci.^[1] On 12 June 1923 the first performance of Facade, music by William Walton, poems by Edith Sitwell, took place.^[2]

After the destruction of their St George's Hall studios in March 1943,^[3] the BBC took it over for the recording and broadcast of concerts and recitals. The premises are currently converted to office use but remain otherwise intact.

References

^ Boult, Adrian Cedric. My Own Trumpet (1973), p.48, Hamish Hamilton, London.
^ Stephen Lloyd, William Walton: Muse of Fire
^ Institute of Broadcast Sound Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine accessed 16 April 2007

External links

Media related to Aeolian Hall, London at Wikimedia Commons

History of the London Aeolian Hall

51°30′44″N 0°08′39″W / 51.5121°N 0.1443°W / 51.5121; -0.1443

[1] Boult, Adrian Cedric. My Own Trumpet (1973), p.48, Hamish Hamilton, London.

[2] Stephen Lloyd, William Walton: Muse of Fire

[3] Institute of Broadcast Sound Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine accessed 16 April 2007

[1]

[2]

[3]

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+{{Short description|Former art gallery and concert venue}}
-'''Aeolian Hall''' located at 135-137 New Bond Street, began life as the [[Grosvenor Gallery]], being built by Sir Coutts Lindsay in 1876, an accomplished amateur artist, with a predeliction for the [[aestheticism|aesthetic movement]], for which he was held up to some ridicule. In 1883, he decided to light his gallery with electricity. An outhouse became a substation, and equipment was installed in the basement, which upset some of the neighbours, and caused others to buy electricity from him. Thus began the system of electrical distribution in use today, but the threat of fire ended these activities, and by 1890, Lindsay was forced to sell out to the Grosvenor Club.  By 1903 the whole building was taken over by the Orchestrelle Company of New York (the Aeolian Company). As manufacturers of musical instruments, and especially the mechanical piano-player known as the pianola, they converted the space into offices, a showroom, and a concert hall.
+{{For|the Aeolian Hall in Canada|Aeolian Hall (London, Ontario)}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
+[[File:Salon of the Vocalion Warerooms, Aeolian Hall, London.png|thumb|Salon of the [[Vocalion Records|Vocalion]] warerooms, Aeolian Hall (1916)]]
+'''Aeolian Hall''', at 135–137 [[New Bond Street]], [[London]], began life as the [[Grosvenor Gallery]], being built by [[Coutts Lindsay]] in 1876, an accomplished amateur artist with a predeliction for the [[aestheticism|aesthetic movement]], for which he was held up to some ridicule. In 1883, he decided to light his gallery with electricity. An [[outhouse]] became a substation, and equipment was installed in the basement, which upset some of the neighbours, and caused others to buy electricity from him. Thus began the system of electrical distribution in use today, but the threat of fire ended these activities, and by 1890, Lindsay was forced to sell out to the Grosvenor Club. By 1903 the whole building was taken over by the Orchestrelle Company of New York (the Aeolian Company). As manufacturers of musical instruments, and especially the mechanical piano-player known as the pianola, they converted the space into offices, a showroom, and a concert hall.
-Aeolian Hall was a popular venue for the Russian recitalist [[Vladimir Roosing]]. The hall was even turned into an intimate opera house for one set of performances. In June 1921 Rosing presented, with director [[Theodore Komisarjevsky]] and conductor [[Adrian Boult]], a season of ''Opera Intime'', performing ''[[Queen of Spades]]'', ''[[Barber of Seville]]'', and ''[[Pagliacci]]''.<ref>Boult, Adrian Cedric. ''My Own Trumpet'' (1973), p.48, Hamish Hamilton, London.</ref>
+Aeolian Hall was a popular venue for the Russian recitalist [[Vladimir Rosing]]. The hall was even turned into an intimate opera house for one set of performances. In June 1921 Rosing presented, with director [[Theodore Komisarjevsky]] and conductor [[Adrian Boult]], a season of ''Opera Intime'', performing ''[[The Queen of Spades (opera)|The Queen of Spades]]'', ''[[The Barber of Seville]]'', and ''[[Pagliacci]]''.<ref>Boult, Adrian Cedric. ''My Own Trumpet'' (1973), p.48, Hamish Hamilton, London.</ref> On 12 June 1923 the first performance of ''[[Façade (entertainment)|Facade]]'', music by [[William Walton]], poems by [[Edith Sitwell]], took place.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=gnxM_3gNVFUC&dq=benjamin+britten+%22edward+clark%22&pg=PA263 Stephen Lloyd, ''William Walton: Muse of Fire'']</ref>
-After the destruction of their [[St. George's Hall (London)|St George's Hall]] studios in March 1943,<ref><cite>[http://wiki.ibs.org.uk/audiocompendium/index.php?title=St._George's_Hall Institute of Broadcast Sound] accessed 16 April 2007</cite></ref> the BBC took it over during the Second World War, for broadcasting and recording concerts and recitals, giving up the premises in 1975.  The Beatles recorded "Taste of Honey" in Aeolian Hall on 10 July 1963 for a BBC broadcast of "Pop Goes the Beatles", a regular BBC radio show.  This particular recording aired on 23 July 1963 (See insert from "The Beatles, Live at the BBC" EMI).  It is now called Renoir House, the building that fronts New Bond Street is today (July 2012) under redevelopment with only the frontage preserved, however the hall at the back of the site survives and has been divided into offices for Sotheby's.
+After the destruction of their [[St. George's Hall (London)|St George's Hall]] studios in March 1943,<ref>[http://wiki.ibs.org.uk/audiocompendium/index.php?title=St._George's_Hall Institute of Broadcast Sound]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928134813/http://wiki.ibs.org.uk/audiocompendium/index.php?title=St._George%27s_Hall |date=September 28, 2007 }} accessed 16 April 2007</ref> the [[BBC]] took it over for the recording and broadcast of concerts and recitals. The premises are currently converted to office use but remain otherwise intact.
 ==References==
@@ Line 9: / Line 13: @@
 ==External links==
+{{Commons category-inline}}
 *[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=42105#s4 History of the London Aeolian Hall]
+{{Authority control}}
-{{coord|51.5121|-0.1443|type:landmark|display=title}}
+{{Coord|51.5121|-0.1443|type:landmark|display=title}}
 [[Category:Music venues in London]]
-[[Category:Buildings and structures in Westminster]]
+[[Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster]]
-[[Category:Art museums and galleries in London]]
-[[Category:Visitor attractions in Westminster]]
-[[fr:Aeolian Hall]]