Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra
Dance band on the Titanic
Most people know the story of the sinking of the Titanic... and that the band played on nobly as the ship went down. What you may not know is that the band leader - Wallace Hartley - was a former member of the Phil.
He appears to have joined the orchestra in 1895 as one of the First Violins and is recorded as having attended rehearsals during the 1896/7 season.
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In the 1897/8 season he didn't attend rehearsals - hence the note on the left. Addressed to Mr Hartley at his home in Somerset Road, and dated December 1898, it reads: "Dear Sir, The committee of the Philharmonic Soc wish to know if they can rely upon your attendance at the rehearsals and concerts in future." He did rehearse again with the orchestra in the following season, but after that we lose track of him. Sadly, the archives don't confirm which concerts he may have played in.
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We are grateful to Andrew Clarkson for alerting us to this bit of history.
To find out more about Wallace Hartley and the Titanic, visit Andrew's
site at:
titanic-titanic.com
The title? An album by the American singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. A warm and generous person in the cut-throat music biz. As a young journalist, your webmaster had the pleasure of interviewing him back around 1980. A true gentleman, and sadly missed.
Huddersfield Philharmonic Society is a registered charity.