First Philharmonic

Established by musicians in 1813, the Philharmonic is the world's second oldest concert society: only Leipzig is senior. Weber and Mendelssohn were active honorary members, and many instrumentalists and singers of international repute mounted its platforms. Berlioz, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Dvorak, and Strauss all came to preside over their music. Celebrating a venerable institution, this history, based upon exhaustive research in the Society's archives, also addresses wider themes which continue to bear upon concert life: the evolution of repertoire and performance, audience, agent, and conductor; networks of recruitment; patronage and the marketplace; London orchestras; fees and rehearsals.