Our diamond jubilee concert programme… from 1946!

Recently found in a second-hand bookshop: a copy of the programme from the sixtieth anniversary concert given by the South West London Choral Society back in November 1946.

It’s a fascinating window into the history of the choir that reveals much about the choral society’s origins.

The typography has a definite art deco influence while the formal, respectful language is very much from a different age.

The concert begins with a no doubt stirring performance of “God Save the King” followed by Mendelssohn’s “Hymn of Praise”. The remainder of the first half featured Mendelssohn’s “Symphonia cantata“, while the second half of the concert included Palestrina’s “Surge Illuminare” and songs by Mary Hamlin and John Turner.

The rousing finale was a performance of Parry’s “Blest Pair of Sirens” which the modern incarnation of the choir have performed in recent years.

The venue was the Methodist Central Hall on Mitcham Lane in Tooting, a grand theatre which had been recently renovated after wartime bomb damage. The building was eventually demolished for a Marks and Spencer store in 1967, though it now hosts a Primark store.

Download the full programme (PDF, 2MB)