CLASSICAL MUSIC ON UK RADIO 1945-1995 Tony Stoller Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of Bournemouth University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2015 1 Copyright statement This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and due acknowledgement must be always be made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, this thesis. Author’s declaration A small amount of material referred to or included in this thesis was published previously in Stoller, T., 2010 Sounds of Your Life, the history of Independent Radio in the UK. Eastleigh: John Libbey Publishing. That is cited as a reference where appropriate and included in the bibliography. 2 ABSTRACT Tony Stoller Classical music on UK radio, 1945-1995 This thesis comprises the first comprehensive narrative account of the history of classical music radio in the UK between 1945 and 1995, from before the launch of the Third Programme until after the launch of Classic FM. It describes and analyses the rich range of output across all relevant radio stations in this period, rebutting the conventional assumption that this aspect of British radio was simply about the Third Programme and Radio 3. At almost all times during the second half of the 20th Century, those stations were not the majority providers of classical music radio. Classical music radio over these years was marked by a series of high points, when the provision of elite and popular output combined to open the genre to a wide range of listeners; and then by a series of retreats from those summits. During three spells – the late Forties, the late Sixties and the early Nineties – a multi-channel offering of both highbrow and middlebrow music, linked and presented in an accessible way, achieved broad appeal and wide audiences, and realised the potential for this public good. The classical music programming of Independent Local Radio between 1973 and 1990 did the same in individual localities, to a previously unappreciated extent. This new narrative history of classical music radio in the UK highlights and is dominated by the dialectic between highbrow and popular culture, between elite and demotic taste, and between a class-based and a classless approach to radio broadcasting. Original audience data demonstrate a consistent potential audience for classical music radio of some five to six million throughout these years, provided listeners felt they were allowed to listen in. Original content analysis demonstrates a canonic repertoire of classical music radio, arrived at and maintained on a reflexive basis between the producers and the consumers of this genre, centred on the works of 19th Century European composers. That canon has remained largely unchallenged except at the popular margins, in contrast to modern approaches to the literary canon, and distinguishes classical music from other art forms. This account illustrates a particular aspect of listening, whereby classical music radio can validly be both foreground and background. The influence of individuals, and therefore the relevance of biography within this history, is shown to be significant, but overall less important than the social, political, cultural and economic context in which the radio services operated, and which shaped their output. Classical music radio is an archetypal element of public service radio broadcasting. This narrative shows that it has been provided during this period by stations outside the main cultural cohort, even from 1973 outside the BBC. As such, it challenges institutional definitions of public service broadcasting, and demonstrates how relationships between the producers of radio and its consumers can operate at many levels, testifying to the multi-threaded tapestry of UK cultural life as a whole in the second half of the 20th century. 3 LIST OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Page Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 12 SECTION I: CONTEXT, DEFINITIONS AND METHODOLOGY 2. What is classical music radio? 15 the canonic repertoire of ‘classical music’ defining ‘classical music’ taxonomy of classical music a working definition of ‘classical music radio’ 3. UK society, classical music and broadcasting, 1945 to 1995 Historical literature review 26 a selective literature review post-war historical literature classical music in the 20th century social and cultural theory conclusions 4. Writing the history of classical music radio Methodology, sources, datasets and ethical issues 35 narrative history the period under review datasets programme content database audience databases timeline and key personnel other primary sources: written archives sound archives interviews secondary sources ethical issues SECTION II: NARRATIVE HISTORY OF CLASSICAL MUSIC 5. The Forties – Overture and Allegro 46 general history and literature review pre-war and wartime classical music radio legacy of the war and post-war reorganisation 4 classical music on the Home Service and the Light Programme 1945- 1946 arrival of the Third Programme 29 September 1946 classical music radio 1947-49 assessing the output 6. The Fifties – Adagio 69 general history and literature review classical music radio 1950-53 conservatism and retrenchment 1954-55 re-organisation of BBC radio and the end of Haley’s pyramid 1956-58 changing the guard, 1959 7. The Sixties – Scherzo 89 general history and literature review classical music radio in 1960 the impact of William Glock classical music radio 1961-1964 the Music Programme classical music radio 1965 reactions to the new pattern of classical music radio classical music radio 1966-1969 “Broadcasting in the Seventies” report multi-channel radio 8. The Seventies – Counterpoint and Variations 117 general history and literature review classical music radio 1970-1973 the arrival of competition in UK radio background development of the ILR network obligations towards live music secondary rental mechanism classical music radio 1973-1977 ILR’s programming approach ‘rumours of wars’ 1978-9 the end of the affair 9. The Eighties – Fugue 141 general history and literature review classical music radio in 1980 BBC musicians’ strike and its impact classical music radio 1981-84 apex of ILR classical output audiences for classical music on ILR secondary rental and programme sharing the ‘ Heathrow Conference’ classical music radio 1985-9 5 10. The Nineties – Finale nobilmente 169 general history and literature review classical music radio 1990-1992 the recasting of Radio 3 the arrival of Classic FM classical music radio 1993-5 comparing Radio 3 and Classic FM content comparisons audience comparisons concluding the narrative 11. Classical music radio after 1995 – Coda 196 SECTION III: CONCLUSIONS 12. Conclusions 199 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND LIST OF REFERENCES 213 APPENDICES A. Content database 249 B. Audience databases 255 C. Timeline 273 D. Key senior personnel 282 6 LIST OF TABLES Tables and charts within text Chapters Table 4.1 List of interview material Table 5.1 Classical music as a percentage of total BBC radio output before 1945 Table 5.2 Data summary sample week 1945 Table 5.3 Data summary sample week 1946 Table 5.4 Data summary sample week 1947 Table 5.5 Data summary sample week 1948 Table 5.6 Data summary sample week 1949 Table 6.1 Data summary sample week 1950 Table 6.2 Data summary sample week 1951 Table 6.3 Data summary sample week 1952 Table 6.4 Data summary sample week 1953 Table 6.5 Data summary sample week 1954 Table 6.6 Data summary sample week 1955 Table 6.7 Data summary sample week 1956 Table 6.8 Data summary sample week 1957 Table 6.9 Data summary sample week 1958 Table 6.10 Data summary sample week 1959 Table 7.1 Data summary sample week 1960 Table 7.2 Data summary sample week 1961 Table 7.3 Data summary sample week 1962 Table 7.4 Data summary sample week 1963 Table 7.5 Data summary sample week 1964 Table 7.6 Data summary sample week 1965 Table 7.7 Data summary sample week 1966 Table 7.8 Data summary sample week 1967 Table 7.9 Data summary sample week 1968 Table 7.10 Data summary sample week 1969 Table 7.11 Audience comparison between Music Programme and Third Programme Table 8.1 Data summary sample week 1980 Table 8.2 Data summary sample week 1971 Table 8.3 Data summary sample week 1972 7 Table 8.4 Data summary sample week 1973 Table 8.5 Data summary sample week 1974 Table 8.6 Data summary sample week 1975 Table 8.7 Data summary sample week 1976 Table 8.8 Data summary sample week 1977 Table 8.9 Data summary sample week 1978 Table 8.10 Data summary sample week 1979 Table 9.1 Data summary sample week 1980 Table 9.2 Data summary sample week 1981 Table 9.3 Data summary sample week 1982 Table 9.4 Data summary sample week 1983 Table 9.5 Data summary sample week 1984 Table 9.6 Capital Radio classical music audiences Table 9.7 Data summary sample week 1985 Table 9.8 Data summary sample week 1986 Table 9.9 Data summary sample week 1987 Table 9.10 Data summary sample week 1988 Table 9.11 Data summary sample week 1989 Table 10.1 Data summary sample week 1990 Table 10.2 Data summary sample week 1991 Table 10.3 Data summary sample week 1992 Table 10.4 Radio 3 classical music format 1990-1995 Table 10.5 Radio 3 classical music composers featured 1990-1995 Table 10.6 Radio 3 Composers of the Week 1990-1995 Table 10.7 Data summary sample week 1993 Table 10.8 Data summary sample week 1994 Table 10.9 Data summary sample week 1995 Table 10.10 Average length of broadcast works on Classic FM and Radio 3 1993 Table 10.11 Sub-genres of