In the third of our pieces recalling landmark moments in the history of music at Cranleigh, Speech Hall is constructed, the first music scholarships are founded, and the School’s first full musical production is performed.
1929 The new Speech Hall was used for the first time for the Summer Concert despite one of the conditions of its construction being that it was not used for entertainment. “For many years concerts and choir practices had taken place in the gymnasium, in a dust-laden atmosphere smelling of gas,” Maurice Allen, who had succeeded Harris as Director of Music in 1924, recalled. “The Speech Hall at one stroke gave Cranleigh a convenient and dignified centre to work from.”
1930 The new John Compton organ was installed in the Chapel at a cost of £2220. A new House Instrumental Music Competition was held.
1931 David Loveday arrived as Headmaster and immediately sought to revive music and drama, as his two predecessors tolerated rather than encouraged the arts. He persuaded the governors to fund music scholarships, almost unknown in public schools at the time. This led to a series of exceptional musicians finding their way to Cranleigh, rather than rival schools which may have boasted far better facilities but no financial incentive. While not leading to any great depth of musical ability, it enabled Cranleigh to build a reputation for fostering musicians.
1932 HMS Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan, the school’s first full musical production, was performed in the Speech Hall with over a thousand people attending the three shows. The rejuvenated school orchestra performed “a source of intense pleasure to its members, if not the audience,” one witness said.
1933 The first instance of the school and village choral societies combining in a production of Mendelssohn’s Elijah in the Speech Hall. The newly renovated Williams Library was used for an instrumental concert for the first time. A second followed weeks later. These collaborations continue to the present time.
1934 Loveday’s music scholarships started. Years later, he said: “It came from a headmaster whose ignorance of musical theory and whose appalling musical taste have been the mockery of all those who have benefited from his bright idea.”
1938 The Daily Mail carried a feature on the school titled “Cranleigh is Music Conscious”. The Cranleighan noted: “The article was one of a series describing the great public schools and the writer, perhaps wearied a little by the games-consciousness of other schools previously accounted for, decided to underline the cultural side of school life, and this in spite of Cranleigh’s long-standing prowess on the rugger field and its growing academic distinction.”
