Jonathan Scott rounds up the essential online resources for tracing musical forebears
If your ancestor played in a major orchestra, opera or theatre, there’s a good chance you may find some record of their career. The survival of records from smaller music halls, theatres and clubs varies a great deal, but even travelling musicians, regional brass bands and school concerts often left a paper trail. You might try registers from prestigious music schools, online hubs of concert playbills, or trawl local newspapers. Indeed if a show was moderately successful, you should be able to track its progress through advertisements and reviews – your relation may even have been singled out for praise or condemnation.
We’re also taking in the early recording industry in Britain which began in the late 1800s, although it really took off in the first decade of the 20th century. This was a new source of income for many professional musicians, although not all of them liked it. Some were suspicious of the flat fees and recording horns of the Edwardian studio. Others worried that the new technology would put them out of a job by removing the thirst for live performance.
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE COLLECTIONS
w rohcollections.org.uk The Royal Opera House traces its history back to 1728, when actor-manager John Rich commissioned John Gay to write The Beggar’s Opera. Following its success, Rich built the first Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, West London, which opened in December 1732. This site is dedicated to the Opera House’s heritage. Click through to the ‘Collections’ section to view the different categories of material, from posters and costumes, to playbills and scores. The archive is particularly comprehensive from 1946, with material from resident companies (both at Covent Garden and on tour), as well as visitors. There’s also a free database of performances at the Opera House, with details of musicians and backstage staff: rohcollections.org.uk/Performances.aspx.
REID CONCERTS
w reidconcerts.music.ed.ac.uk This is a wonderful tool for researching the Reid Concerts, which have been held at the University of Edinburgh every year since 1841. They were named after General John Reid (1721–1807), who bequeathed funds to establish a chair of music at the university in 1839. Click ‘Performers’ in the menu bar and you can narrow your search by name, groups and ensembles, orchestra and chorus, or even instrument. So selecting ‘viola’, f
