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Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Proms - the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts

The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Proms is the largest classical music festival in the world. The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Written Archives Centre holds extensive files relating to the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú’s work and history in creating classical music performances.

The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Proms is the largest classical music festival in the world. It runs for 8 weeks over the summer months and is predominantly held at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Founded by Sir Henry Wood and Robert Newman, the inaugural season opened at Queen’s Hall, London in 1895.

The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú’s relationship with the Proms started in 1927, after the death of Robert Newman, when the 32nd season was broadcast to the nation. Sir Henry Wood continued to be the conductor and driving force behind the concerts.

When the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1930 it became the main orchestra for the Proms.

1944 saw Wood celebrate his 75th birthday and his golden Jubilee conducting the Proms. The season was abandoned after three weeks because of the danger of flying bombs. Wood died in August that year.

Promenade Concert Posters from 1951 and other years underneath in a large drawer
Promenade Concert Posters held by the Written Archive

The Proms carried on after Wood’s death and now embraces an even wider range of music genres, a literary festival, talks and family activities.

The Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Written Archives Centre holds files relating to the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú’s work and history in creating classical music performances. They include music reports and composer files for individual composers and artists, meetings of minutes relating to music commissioned by the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú, the development of the Third Programme and Radio 3, publicity material and outside broadcast files for symphony, opera and Promenade concerts.

Typewritten memo
Internal memo regarding Sir Henry Wood’s fees for conducting and supplying music, 2 June 1927. From Wood’s contributor file – RCONT1 Sir Henry Wood (Personal file 1)
Newspaper cutting with headline 'First Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Prom - Queen's Hall not big enough'
Newspaper cutting from the Weekly Dispatch reviewing the first night of the Proms, 14 Aug 1927. From series of newspaper cuttings albums – P452/2 Book 7b
Blank press voucher for admission to Promenade Concerts 1927
Press voucher for the Proms, 1927. From a series of posters and tickets – Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Publications (Series 11)
Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Hand Book 1928 front cover, and two pages from the book called 'The Foundations of Music: the Promenade Concerts"
Article on the Promenade Concerts, 1928. From the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Handbooks, published annually.
Typewritten Internal memo dated September 1930 with handwritten reply
Internal memo regarding Sir Henry Wood’s continuing contract and the introduction of the first permanent Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú orchestra at the 1930 Prom, 12 Sept 1929. From Wood’s contributor file – RCONT1 Sir Henry Wood (Personal file 2)
Poster with a dramatic picture of Sir Henry Wood with a large conducting baton. The poster reads "In the Queen's Hall W1 Promenade Concerts"
Postcard of a poster for the 1937 Proms showing Sir Henry Wood. From the 100th season postcard pack – Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Publications (Series 10)
Typewritten letter to the Director General from 1944. Henry Wood says the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú are best placed to carry on his life's work after his retirement.
Letter from Sir Henry Wood expressing his wish to transfer the Proms to the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú, 26 May 1944. From corporate file about Promenade Concerts and use of Wood’s name – R22/772. Used by permission of the Royal Academy of Music
Proms programme 1944 with various cartoon musical instruments. The location has changed to the Royal Albert Hall and in addition to Sir Henry Wood associate conductors are Basil Cameron and Sir Adrian Boult
Front cover of the Jubilee Season Proms Programme, 1944. From the series of bound volumes of Proms Programmes – Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Publications (Series 9)
Proms exhibition Tickets in three colours for different years. They have 'specimen copy' stamped on them.
Proms tickets 1955, 1959 and 1960. From a series of posters and tickets – Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Publications (Series 11)
Some Proms programmes from the late 1990s and early 2000s
Modern promotional material. From the posters and publicity section of Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú Publications (Series 10)

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