Jeremy Pound investigates the curious reasons why various orchestras, choirs and chamber groups are called what they are
ILLUSTRATION: DAVID LYTTLETON
FIFTEEN OF NOTE
What’s in a name? Shakespeare’s question throws up all sorts of interesting answers when it comes to classical music ensembles. In many instances, it’s all pretty self-explanatory – the London Symphony Orchestra, for instance, or the Danish String Quartet. Others, such as the Hallé or Britten Sinfonia, name themselves after their founder or another celebrated musical figure. And then there are those – usually at either the early or contemporary ends of the musical spectrum, for some reason – whose titles are altogether more obscure in origin. Some have a historical explanation, others are more randomly chosen. All catch the eye. Here are 15 of our favourites…
1 Nash Ensemble
When Amelia Freedman, a student at the Royal Academy of Music, founded the Nash Ensemble in 1964, one can imagine concert-goers scratching their heads as to which famous musical figure the new group got its name from. Heddle Nash, the great English tenor? Unlikely, given this was a collective of instrumental players. In fact, the answer lay outside the world of music – Freedman took her inspiration from Buckingham Palace and Brighton Pavilion architect John Nash, whose magnificent terraces she used to walk past on her way to the Academy every morning.
2 Ensemble Bash
And then, in 1992, came Ensemble Bash. Ho ho. See what they did there? To be fair, the brand does exactly what it says on the tin – Britain’s Ensemble Bash is a four-person percussion outfit who have made their names commissioning and performing works from right across the world, often in the company of musicians such as pianist Joanna MacGregor and the Hilliard Ensemble. African music has become a speciality, and the players have spent extensive periods studying in Ghana.
3 Bang on a Can All-Stars
You might expect Bang on a Can All-Stars likewise to earn their crust hitting things. As it is, the six-player group, also founded in 1992, consists of just the one percussionist, plus cellist, clarinettist, guitarist, double bassist and pianist. The All-Stars themselves are an offshoot of the Bang on a Can organisation begun five years earlier by composers Julia Wolfe, David Lang and Michael Gordon with the aim of bringing contemporary music to new audiences in innovative ways. That name, we are told, is the result of an in-joke between the three founders that arose from making an early grant application.
4 Roomful of Teeth
‘Of all the parts of our body, the teeth are the longest
