New Mill Male Voice Choir has in recent years put New Mill squarely on the map in musical terms. However, perhaps it is not so well known that New Mill has been musically well-mapped in past times too.
New Mill Church’s choir was formed in 1873, which by 1876 had reached such a standard that its weekly anthem schedule was advertised in the Huddersfield Chronicle. This was maintained for some years, and indeed the choir has functioned without a break from that time to the present.
But there is more. Going further back to the 1850s, the records tell us that New Mill was noted for its Choral Society, whose base was the Duke of Leeds Arms (the old building which was demolished in the 1930s to make room for widening of the crossroads). If you have the patience (and the eyesight – the print is small!) to work through the microfilmed copies of the Weekly Chronicle in the Local History Library at Huddersfield, you will find a welter of interesting articles, including regular reports of meetings of the New Mill Choral Society. I would like to quote from one or two of these.
From 26 January 1856: “The society of musicians at Newmill held their annual gathering [this would be the 4thAGM of New Mill Choral Society] at the Duke of Leeds Arms. The number of instrumental and vocal performers was about 60, who performed a selection of pieces from Handel’s Messiahunder the leadership of Mr. M. Rollinson. The solo treble parts were sung by Misses Hinchliffe and Charlesworth. On the conclusion of the musical treat, the party sat down to a good substantial supper”.
From 22 March 1856: “… the monthly meeting of Newmill Choral Society took place …. when the musicians performed Judas Maccabeusunder the leadership of Mr. M. Rollinson. The solos were not effective; but the choruses were well-sustained”.
From 29 March 1856 (note only 1 week after the previous performance): “In aid of the funds of the Newmill Choral Society the members obtained permission for the use of the commodious National School of the village, in which to give a grand oratorio. The event came off on Good Friday, but was not so extensively patronised as the promoters could have wished, and the practical result from a pecuniary point of view was a failure. The host of performers (numbering some 140) consisted of …. [soloists and vocalists]… together with some 20 violin performers, some 10 violon-cellos, two double-basses, two trombones, two flutes, two cornopeans, a bassoon and drums. The performance was Handel’s oratorio of the Redemption, under the leadership of Mr. M. Rollinson. The performers acquitted themselves excellently and were warmly and heartily applauded. The whole was concluded about six p.m. when the performers adjourned to the Duke of Leeds Arms, and the Rose and Crown, to partake of an excellent repast”.
(The Rose and Crown was one of eight pubs in New Mill at that time, situated at the bottom of Church Street at its junction with Barraclough Row; the building has been a private residence for many years now. Handel enthusiasts may be puzzled as to the identity of his oratorio Redemption, which does not figure in lists of his compositions. Apparently, a Samuel Arnold in 1786 published a selection of favourite works of Handel, formed into a “regular drama”, and this may well have been popular in the mid nineteenth century).
Similar reports abound around those years. It seems that this was a society of musicians and singers sufficiently skilled to meet and perform without much rehearsal, presumably mostly for their own enjoyment. Indeed, with the number of performers indicated in those buildings, it is difficult to see where an audience of any size would be seated!
