Chapter 5 (PDF, 280.3KB)
CHAPTER 5 EXTERNAL FACTORS IN THE DECLINE OF THE PHILHARMONIC The decline and ultimate demise of the Royal Philharmonic Society of Sydney can be attributed to many factors. The evidence in the previous chapter has shown that the absence of a strong and long-term conductor during the second half of the Philharmonic’s existence hampered the organisation’s advancement. This artistic deterioration was further worsened by an increase in internal arguments, specifically among members of the committee. Later, during the Lastelle years, this conflict was felt between members of the choir and their conductor. These internal issues were further compounded by other significant factors. Externally, the Philharmonic faced a change in musical trends, increase in competition from several sources, specifically the ABC, and an ongoing lack of support from the city and state governments. As the Philharmonic faced artistic decline, the response from the press became more negative and public support for the ensemble waned. A close examination of these external factors will reveal the part they played in the collapse of the Royal Philharmonic Society of Sydney. A Change in Musical Trends and an Increase in Competition The amateur choral music society was an institution of the nineteenth century. These societies originated in Europe, specifically England, in the tradition of performances by amateur musicians encouraged by the Enlightenment movement of the eighteenth century.1 The social elites in Australia in the late nineteenth and early 1 Donald Jay Grout and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, 5th ed. (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1996), 443-444.
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