Becky Bavill brings us the second part of this fascinating story of a musical life in Leeds… In the first part of this article, I had identified the author of the music and her family. What I was interested in now were the two people Amelia’s father felt were important enough to him or his…
Tag: music
A Dream of Leeds (Part I)
This week on the Secret Library Leeds we welcome Library and Digital Assistant Becky Bavill for a deep-dive into the family history archives, all sparked by some cross-departmental collaboration with our colleagues in the Music Library… In a box in the music department is a printed pianoforte piece. It’s called ‘The Dream’ by the late…
The Wickham Family
This week we hear from Library and Digital Assistant Kirsty Lodge, on an intriguing discovery that wasn’t a discovery, but which turned out to be another discovery entirely – leading to some inspired cross-departmental working… When departments collide! Sometimes the most interesting discoveries, come about because of chance, coincidence, or serendipity. When the Music department…
Leeds Gig Heritage
As paper ticket transactions become a thing of the past, the Leeds Local Studies library is creating a living record of Leeds gig history. Anyone with an old ticket stub or a memory of a past Leeds gig can contribute to the collection, and with no end date, this is a collection of tickets and…
Professional Orchestras in Leeds
This week guest author, Geoffrey Mogridge, tells us about the formation of professional orchestras in Leeds. In 1902 Herbert Fricker, Leeds City Organist, inaugurated a series of ‘Saturday Evening Free concerts’ in which several local organisations, choral and orchestral were invited to assist. 850 seats were reserved at prices of 1/-, 6d and 3d. In…
The Musical History of St Anne’s Cathedral
This week we hear from guest author, Geoffrey Mogridge, who tells us about the musical history of Leeds Cathedral. The Cathedral Church of St AnneSt Anne’s Church was situated on the west side of Cookridge Street facing Park Row until demolition for road widening in 1903. The ceremonial opening of old St Anne’s took place…
The Alternative Heritage of Leeds
This week we welcome guest blogger, Festival of Gothica, who tell us about a new project working jointly with Leeds Libraries. Leeds has a rich alternative heritage but was influential in birthing the goth subculture as we know it today. Other cities celebrate their musical history and shape their events and tourism around it, Liverpool…
“Abysmal Performance of Depravity Rock”: The Sex Pistols in Leeds, December 1976
by Antony Ramm, Local and Family History, Central Library Forty-years ago this week, the Sex Pistols finally began their 1976 UK tour. “Finally,” because – as the BBC has remembered this week – all but three of the projected dates on that tour were cancelled following the band’s notorious TV appearance on Bill Grundy’s Today show. Those…
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