The Original Mountain Ash and District Choral Society

In 2005, our choir was kindly donated some fascinating materials relating to a 'Mountain Ash and District Choral Society' active in the early part of the 20th Century. The materials include a set of accounts dated October 1913, a programme and tonic sol-fa song book relating to a 'Great Welsh Concert' at the 1911 'Festival of Empire' at Crystal Palace and a programme and set of accounts for a performance in 1913 in The Pavilion, Mountain Ash of 'King Olaf' conducted by the composer Sir Edward Elgar.

The programme for 'King Olaf' is a truly fascinating document. The performance of 'King Olaf', conducted by the composer, formed the first half of the concert. The Mountain Ash Choral Society, with some 290 members, was accompanied by The Queen's Hall Orchestra. The programme also reveals that the leader of the viola section was one E Coates who would go on to compose the famous 'Dam Buster's March'. The second half of the concert consisted of miscellaneous orchestral items conducted by the choir's own conductor, Mr T W Millar. One of the choir's accompanists, Mr Steve Evans, was the violin soloist in Saint Saens' difficult showpiece 'Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso for Violin and Orchestra, Op.28, and the concert concluded with Edward German's Symphony No.2, 'Welsh Rhapsody for Orchestra', composed for the Cardiff Festival of 1904.

The concert formed part of the 'South Wales Music Festival' which, in 1913 consisted of four concerts:

April 21st, Swansea

Swansea and District Male Choir
'Antigone' (Mendelssohn) and a Miscellaneous Programme
Conductors: Sir Henry J Wood & Mr L R Bowen

April 22nd, Neath

Neath Choral Society
'Omar Khayyam' (Bantock)
Conductor: Mr T Hopkin Evans

April 23rd, Mountain Ash

Mountain Ash Choral Society
'King Olaf' (Elgar) and a Miscellaneous Programme
Conductors: Sir Edward Elgar & Mr T W Millar

April 24th, Newport

Newport Choral Society
'The Dream of Gerontius' (Elgar)
Conductor: Mr A E Sims

Site last updated 28/06/08