The Old Bedford Music Hall  by Walter Sickert, c. Walter Richard Sickert ( May 31, 1860 in Munich, Germany &ndash January 22, 1942 in Bath, England 1885

Music hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people The term can refer to

1. A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts. A variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts especially Musical performances and Comedy Skits and British music hall was similar to American vaudeville, featuring rousing songs and comic acts, while in the United Kingdom the term vaudeville referred to more lowbrow entertainment that would have been termed burlesque. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s Burlesque is theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease)
2. The theatre or other venue in which such entertainment takes place;
3. The type of popular music normally associated with such performances.

Origins and Development

The Eagle Tavern in 1830

Music hall in London had its origins in entertainment provided in the new style saloon bars of public houses in the 1830s. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. These venues replaced earlier semi-rural amusements provided at traditional fairs and suburban pleasure gardens such as Vauxhall Gardens and the Cremorne Gardens. Vauxhall Gardens /vɒks'ɔl/ was a pleasure garden, one of the leading venues for public entertainment in London, England from the mid 17th century to These latter became squeezed out by urban development and lost their former popularity. ^[1]

The saloon was a room where for an admission fee or a higher price at the bar, singing, dancing, drama or comedy was performed. The most famous London saloon of the early days was the Grecian Saloon, established in 1825, at The Eagle (a former tea-garden), 2 Shepherdess Walk, off the City Road in north London. Often referred to by Londoners as " The City Road" the western extremity of the road is at The Angel Islington where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road ^[2] According to John Hollingshead, proprietor of the Gaiety Theatre, London (originally the Strand Music Hall), this establishment was "the father and mother, the dry and wet nurse of the Music Hall". John Hollingshead ( 9 September 1827 – 9 October 1904) was an English theatrical Impresario, journalist and writer during The Gaiety Theatre London was a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. Later known as the Grecian Theatre, it was here that Marie Lloyd made her début at the age of 14 in 1884. Matilda Alice Victoria Wood ( 12 February 1870 &ndash 7 October 1922) was an English Music-hall Singer, It is still famous because of an English nursery rhyme, with the somewhat mysterious lyrics:

Up and down the City Road
In and out The Eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel. "Pop Goes the Weasel" is a Jig, often sung as a Nursery rhyme, that dates back to 17th century England, and was spread across the Empire ^[3]

Another famous "song and supper" room of this period was Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms, 43 King Street, Covent Garden, established in the 1840s by W. Evans Music-and-Supper Rooms, 43 King Street Covent Garden, was a famous venue for music and singing in early nineteenth century London, providing the type of entertainment Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest H. Evans. This venue was also known as 'Evans Late Joys' - Joy being the name of the previous owner. Other song and supper rooms included the Coal Hole in The Strand, the Cyder Cellars in Maiden Lane, Covent Garden and the Mogul Saloon in Drury Lane^[1]. The Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn.

The music hall as we know it developed from such establishments in the 1850s and were built up in and on the grounds of public houses. Such establishments were distinguished from theatres by the fact that in a music hall you would be seated at a table in the auditorium and could drink alcohol and smoke tobacco whilst watching the show. In a theatre, by contrast, the audience was seated in stalls and there was a separate bar-room. A strange exception to this rule was the Britannia Theatre, Hoxton (1841) which somehow managed to evade this regulation and served drinks to its customers. The Britannia Theatre (1841&ndash1900 was located at 115/117 High Street Hoxton, London. Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, immediately north of the financial district of the City of London. Though a theatre rather than a music hall, this famous establishment later hosted music hall variety acts. ^[4]

The first music halls

Interior of the Canterbury Hall, opened 1852 in Lambeth

The establishment often regarded as the first true music hall was the the Canterbury, 143 Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth built by Charles Morton, afterwards dubbed "the Father of the Halls", on the site of a skittle alley next to his pub, the Canterbury Tavern. The Canterbury Music Hall was established in 1852 by Charles Morton on the site of a former skittle alley adjacent to the Canterbury Tavern at 143 Westminster Lambeth is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth, although the area is now more commonly known as Waterloo, after the railway station whose viaduct separates the The Canterbury Music Hall was established in 1852 by Charles Morton on the site of a former skittle alley adjacent to the Canterbury Tavern at 143 Westminster Westminster Bridge Road is a short but busy Road in London, SE1. Lambeth is a place in the London Borough of Lambeth, although the area is now more commonly known as Waterloo, after the railway station whose viaduct separates the Charles Morton ( 15 August 1819 &ndash 18 October 1904) was a Music hall and Theatre manager It opened on 17 May 1852: described as "the most significant date in all the history of music hall". Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1852 ( MDCCCLII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year ^[5] The 1852 hall looked like most contemporary pub concert rooms, but its replacement in 1854 was of then unprecedented size. It was further extended in 1859, later rebuilt as a variety theatre and finally destroyed by bombing in 1942. ^[6]

Another early music hall was The Middlesex, Drury Lane (1851). Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. Popularly known as the 'Old Mo', it was built up on the site of the Mogul Saloon. Later converted into a theatre it was demolished in 1965. The New London Theatre stands on its site. The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corners of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden ^[7]

The East End saw the building of several large music halls. These included the London Music Hall aka The Shoreditch Empire, 95-99 Shoreditch High Street, (1856-1935). Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney. This theatre was rebuilt in 1894 by Frank Matcham, the architect of the Hackney Empire. ^[8]Another in this area was the Royal Cambridge Music Hall, 136 Commercial Street (1864-1936). Commercial Street may refer to the following streets in England: Commercial Street Leeds Commercial Street (London Designed by William Finch Hill (the designer of the Britannia theatre in nearby Hoxton), it was rebuilt after a fire in 1898. ^[9]

The construction of Weston's Music Hall, High Holborn (1857), built up on the site of the Six Cans and Punch Bowl Tavern by the licensed victualler of the premises, Henry Weston, signalled that the West End was fruitful territory for the music hall. Weston's Music Hall was a Music hall and Theatre that opened on 16 November 1857 at 242-5 High Holborn. High Holborn is a road in Holborn in central London, England. In 1906 it was rebuilt as a variety theatre and renamed as the Holborn Empire. Weston's Music Hall was a Music hall and Theatre that opened on 16 November 1857 at 242-5 High Holborn. It was closed as a result of enemy action in the Blitz on the night of 11-12 May 1941 and the building was pulled down in 1960. The Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 in World War II. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[10]Significant West End music halls include:

• The Oxford, 14/16 Oxford Street (1861) - built up on the site of an old coaching inn called the Boar and Castle by Charles Morton, the pioneer music hall developer of The Canterbury, who with this development brought music hall to the West End. Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial Demolished in 1926. ^[11]
• The London Pavilion (1861). The London Pavilion is a building located on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the north-east side of and facing Piccadilly Circus in Facade of 1885 rebuild still extant. ^[12]
• The Alhambra, Leicester Square (1860), in the former premises of the London Panopticon. This article is about the former theatre in London Alhambra Theatres were located throughout the British Empire significant examples were located in London Bradford, This sophisticated venue was noted for its alluring corps de ballet and was a focal point for West End pleasure seekers. It was demolished in 1936. ^[13]

Other large suburban music halls included:

• The Old Bedford, 123-133 High Street, Camden Town (1861). Camden Town is the district of London, England around Camden High Street, in the London Borough of Camden. Built on the site of the tea gardens of a pub called the Bedford Arms. The Bedford was a favourite haunt of the artists known as the Camden Town Group headed by Walter Sickert who featured interior scenes of music halls in his paintings, including one entitled 'Little Dot Hetherington at The Old Bedford'. The Camden Town Group was a group of English Post-Impressionist artists active during 1911-1913 Walter Richard Sickert ( May 31, 1860 in Munich, Germany &ndash January 22, 1942 in Bath, England The Old Bedford was demolished in 1969. ^[14]

The Oxford Music Hall, ca. 1875

• Collins', Islington Green (1862). Islington Green is a small triangle of open land at the convergence of Upper Street and Essex Road (once called Lower Street in the London Borough of Islington Opened by Sam Collins, in 1862, as the Lansdowne Music Hall, converting the pre-existing Lansdowne Arms public house, it was renamed as Collins' Music Hall in 1863. It was colloquially known as 'The Chapel on the Green'. Collins was a star of his own theatre, singing mostly Irish songs specially composed for him. It closed in 1956, after a fire, but the street front of the building still survives (see below). ^[15]
• Deacons in Clerkenwell (1862). Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington.

A noted music hall entrepreneur of this time was Carlo Gatti who built a music hall, known as Gatti's, at Hungerford Market in 1857. Carlo Gatti (1817 &ndash 1878 was a Swiss Entrepreneur in the Victorian era. Hungerford Market was a Market in London, near Charing Cross on the Strand, housed in two different buildings on the same site from around 1680 He sold the music hall to South Eastern Railway in 1862, and the site became Charing Cross railway station. For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom Charing Cross railway station is a central London railway terminus With the proceeds from selling his first music hall, Gatti acquired a restaurant in Westminster Bridge Road, opposite The Canterbury music hall. Westminster Bridge Road is a short but busy Road in London, SE1. He converted the restaurant into a second Gatti's music hall, known as "Gatti's-in-the-Road", in 1865. It later became a cinema. The building was badly damaged in the Second World War, and was demolished in 1950. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In 1867, he acquired a public house in Villiers Street named "The Arches", under the arches of the elevated railway line leading to Charing Cross station. Villiers Street is a He opened it as another music hall, known as "Gatti's-in-The-Arches". The Charing Cross Music Hall was a Music hall established beneath the Arches of Charing Cross railway station in 1866 by brothers Giovanni and Carlo Gatti After his death his family continued to operate the music hall, known for a period as the Hungerford or Gatti's Hungerford Palace of Varieties. It became a cinema in 1910, and the Players' Theatre in 1946. The Players' Theatre is a Theatre in London Origins The history of the Players' is a microcosm of British theatrical history and many famous names have appeared ^[16]

By 1865 there were thirty-two music halls in London seating between 500 to 5000 people plus an unknown, but large, number of smaller venues. In 1878 numbers peaked, with seventy-eight large music halls in the metropolis and 300 smaller venues. Thereafter numbers declined due to stricter licensing restrictions imposed by the Metropolitan Board of Works and LCC, and because of commercial competition between popular large suburban halls and the smaller venues, which put the latter out of business. The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW was the principal instrument of London -wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889 ^[17]

Variety theatre

A new era of 'variety theatre' was signalled by the rebuilding of the London Pavilion in 1885. A variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts especially Musical performances and Comedy Skits and Contemporary accounts noted :

One of the most iconic of these new palaces of pleasure in the West End was the Empire, Leicester Square, built as a theatre in 1884 but acquiring a music hall licence in 1887. The Empire is a large cinema on the north side of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London. Like the nearby Alhambra this theatre appealed to the man about town by featuring alluring ballet dancers and had a notorious promenade which was the resort of courtesans. Another spectacular example of the new variety theatre was the Tivoli in the Strand built 1888-90 in an eclectic neo-Romanesque style with Baroque and Moorish-Indian embellishments. The Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The Tivoli became a brand name for music-halls all over the British Empire. ^[18]In 1892 an unsuccessful opera house in Shaftesbury Avenue applied for a music hall license and was converted into the Palace Theatre of Varieties. For the racehorse see Shaftesbury Avenue (horse Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in London, England, The Palace Theatre, is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster. Denied by the newly created LCC permission to construct the promenade, which was such a popular feature of the Empire and Alhambra, the Palace compensated in the way of adult entertainment by featuring apparently nude women in tableau vivants, though the concerned LCC hastened to reassure patrons that the girls who featured in these displays were actually wearing flesh toned body stockings and were not naked at all. Tableau vivant (plural tableaux vivants) is French for "living picture ^[19]One of the grandest of these new halls was the Coliseum Theatre built by Oswald Stoll in 1904 at the bottom of St Martin's Lane. The Coliseum Theatre (also known as the London Coliseum) is on St Sir Oswald Stoll ( 20 January 1866 &ndash 9 January 1942) was a British theatre manager and the co-founder of the Stoll Moss St Martin's Lane is a street in Central London, which runs from the church of St ^[20] This was followed by the London Palladium (1910) in Little Argyll Street. The London Palladium is a 2286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. Both were designed by the prolific Frank Matcham. Frank Matcham (22 November 1854 Newton Abbot, Devon – 17 May 1920 Southend-on-Sea, Essex) was a famous English theatrical ^[21] As Music Hall grew in popularity and respectability, and as the licensing authorities exercised ever firmer regulation,^[22] the original arrangement of a large hall with tables at which drink was served, changed to that of a drink-free auditorium. An auditorium (plural auditoriums, or less commonly auditoria) is the area within a theatre, Concert hall, or other performance space where the The acceptance of Music Hall as a legitimate cultural form was sealed by the first Royal Variety Performance before King George V in 1912 at the Palace Theatre. The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, normally However, in keeping with this new respectability the greatest music hall star of the day, Marie Lloyd, was not invited, being deemed too 'saucy' for the eyes and ears of monarchy. Matilda Alice Victoria Wood ( 12 February 1870 &ndash 7 October 1922) was an English Music-hall Singer, ^[23]

'Music Hall War' of 1907

The rise of syndicates controlling a number of theatres, such as the Stoll circuit, led to increased tensions between employees and employers. On 22 January 1907, a long brewing dispute between artists, stage hands and managers of the theatres came to a head at the Holborn Empire. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Weston's Music Hall was a Music hall and Theatre that opened on 16 November 1857 at 242-5 High Holborn. Strikes in other London and suburban halls followed, organised by the Variety Artistes' Federation. The strike lasted for almost two weeks and was known as the Music Hall War. ^[24] It became extremely well known, and was enthusiastically supported by the main spokesmen of the trade union and Labour movement - Ben Tillett and Keir Hardie for example. Benjamin Tillett ( September 11, 1860 &ndash January 27, 1943) was a British socialist, Trade union leader and James Keir Hardie (15 August 1856 - 26 September 1915 was a Scottish Socialist and labour leader and was the first independent labour Member of Parliament The strike ended in arbitration, which saw most of the main demands satisfied, including a minimum wage and maximum working week for musicians.

1907 poster from the Music Hall War between artists and theatre managers

Several music hall stars such as Marie Lloyd, Arthur Roberts Joe Elvin and Gus Elen were strong supporters of the strike, though they themselves earned enough not to be personally concerned in a material sense. Arthur Roberts ( 21 September 1852 - 27 February 1933) was an English comedian Music hall entertainer and actor Joe Elvin (real name Joseph Peter Keegan) ( 29 November, 1862 – 3 March, 1935) was a Cockney comedian and Music hall Gus Elen ( &ndash) was a British Music hall singer He achieved success from 1891 performing Cockney songs and sketches as a 'coster' comedian Background ^[25] Lloyd explained her support:

The pressure for greater rewards for music hall songwriters led to the application of copyright law to musical compositions. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for This in turn boosted the music publication industry, and the sale of music in printed form. This article deals with contemporary Popular music publishing The term Tin Pan Alley, for the music publication industry gained currency from the practice of rival publishers of banging together pots and pans in order to disrupt their competitors' musical auditions. Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular The music publishers at the time (Feldman, Francis and Day. . . ) were large, extremely profitable companies. They sold the right to sing songs to particular artists, and no other person had the right to sing the songs in public.

Recruiting

May 1915 poster by E. V. Kealey, from the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee

See also Recruitment to the British Army during World War I

World War I is considered by many to have been the high-water-mark of music hall popularity. At the start of 1914 the British Army had a reported strength of 710000 men including reserves of which around 80000 were regular troops ready for War. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Music hall artists and composers threw themselves into rallying public support and enthusiasm for the war effort. Patriotic music hall compositions like Keep the Home Fires Burning (1914), Pack up Your Troubles (1915), It's a Long Way to Tipperary (1914) and We Don't Want to Lose You (but we think you ought to Go), were sung both by audiences at home and the soldiers in the trenches. " It's a Long Way to Tipperary " is a British Music hall and marching Song written by Jack Judge and Harry Williams (Henry Singers like Marie Lloyd went even further, singing lyrics like I didn't like you much before you joined the army, John, but I do like yer cockie now you've got your khaki on (1914). Matilda Alice Victoria Wood ( 12 February 1870 &ndash 7 October 1922) was an English Music-hall Singer, ^[28]

Many songs were aimed at recruitment (All the boys in khaki get the nice girls, 1915); others satirized particular elements of the war experience. What did you do in the Great war, Daddy (1916) criticized profiteers and slackers; Vesta Tilley's I've got a bit of a blighty one (1916) showed a soldier delighted to have a wound just serious enough to be sent home. The forced rhymes give a sense of black humour (When they wipe my face with sponges/ and they feed me on blancmanges/ I'm glad I've got a bit of a blighty one). Blancmange, (bləˈmɒnʒ or /bləˈmɑːndʒ/ also known as shape) is a sweet Dessert commonly made with Milk or Cream and Sugar ^[29] Tilley's popularity reached its all-time high point at this time, when she and her husband, Walter de Frece, ran a military recruitment drive. Sir Walter de Frece ( 7 October 1870 &ndash 7 January 1935) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who In the guise of characters like Tommy in the Trench and Jack Tar Home from Sea, Tilley performed songs like The army of today's all right and Jolly Good Luck to the Girl who Loves a Soldier. This is how she got the nickname Britain's best recruiting sergeant - young men were sometimes asked to join the army on stage during her show. She also performed in hospitals and sold War Bonds. War bonds are a type of Savings bond used by combatant nations to help fund a war effort and as a Monetary policy for controlling Inflation from an Her husband was knighted in 1919 for his own services to the war effort, with Tilley becoming Lady de Frece. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. ^[30]

Possibly the most notorious of music hall songs from the First World War was Oh! It's a lovely war (1917), popularised by male impersonator Ella Shields. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Oh! What a Lovely War is Stage musical and 1969 Musical film. Drag kings are mostly female Performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male Gender stereotypes as part of their performance Ella Shields ( September 27 1879 &ndash August 05 1952) was a Music hall singer and male-impersonator.

Decline

Music hall continued in the inter-war period, but no longer as the single dominant form of popular entertainment in Britain. The arrival of radio, and the cheapening of the gramophone damaged it enormously. It now had to compete with Jazz, Swing and Big Band dance music, as well as with cinema. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Licensing restrictions also changed its character. In 1914 the LCC enacted that drinking be banished from the auditorium into a separate bar and in 1923 even the separate bar was abolished by parliamentary decree. The exemption of the theatres from this latter act prompted some critics to denounce this legislation as an attempt to deprive the working classes of their pleasures, as a form of social control, whilst sparing the supposedly more responsible upper classes who patronised the theatres. ^[31]Even so, the music hall gave rise to such major stars as George Formby, Gracie Fields, Max Miller, and Flanagan and Allen during this period. George Formby may refer to George Formby Jr, banjolele player singer and comedian 1904 - 1961 George Formby Sr Dame Gracie Fields, DBE ( January 9 1898 &ndash September 27 1979) born Grace Stansfield, was an English / Max Miller ( November 21[[ 894]] – May 7[[ 963]] the "Cheeky Chappie" was a 1930s English Music hall Comedian famous Flanagan and Allen were a British singing and comedy Double act popular during World War II.

After World War II, competition from television and other musical idioms, including Rock and Roll, led to the slow demise of the British music halls, despite some desperate attempts to retain an audience by putting on striptease acts. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African A striptease or Exotic dance is a form of erotic entertainment usually a Dance, in which the performer known as a "stripper" gradually undresses In 1957, the playwright John Osborne delivered this elegy^[32]:

The final blows came when Moss Empires, the largest British Music Hall chain, closed the majority of its theatres in 1960, closely followed by the death of music hall stalwart Max Miller in 1963, prompting one contemporary to write that: "Music-halls. Moss Empires was a British company formed from the merger of the theatre empires owned by Sir Edward Moss and Sir Oswald Stoll in 1898 Max Miller ( November 21[[ 894]] – May 7[[ 963]] the "Cheeky Chappie" was a 1930s English Music hall Comedian famous . . died this afternoon when they buried Max Miller". ^[33][34]Stage and film musicals, however, continued to be influenced by the music hall idiom. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Oliver!, Dr Dolittle, My Fair Lady, and many other musicals continued to retain strong roots in music hall. Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting. My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner The BBC series The Good Old Days, which ran for thirty years, recreated the music hall for the modern audience, and the Paul Daniels Magic Show allowed several speciality acts a television presence from 1979 to 1994. The Good Old Days was a popular BBC Television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983. Paul Daniels (born Newton Edward Daniels on 6 April 1938 is a British magician and television performer Aimed at a younger audience, but still owing a lot to the music hall heritage, was the late '70s series The Muppet Show. The Muppet Show is an American Television program featuring a cast of Muppets which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from ^[35]

History of the songs

The musical forms most associated with music hall evolved in part from traditional folk song and songs written for popular drama, becoming by the 1850s a distinct musical style. Subject matter became more contemporary and humorous, and accompaniment was provided by larger house-orchestras as increasing affluence gave the lower classes more access to commercial entertainment and to a wider range of musical instruments, including the piano. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers The consequent change in musical taste from traditional to more professional forms of entertainment arose in response to the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation of previously rural populations during the industrial revolution. is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one Urbanizationn (also spelled urbanisation) is the physical growth of Urban areas into rural or natural land as a result of population in-migration to an existing The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the The newly created urban communities, cut off from their cultural roots, required new and readily accessible forms of entertainment^[36].

Music halls were originally bar rooms which provided entertainment, in the form of music and speciality acts, for their patrons. By the middle years of the nineteenth century the first purpose-built music halls were being built in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The halls created a demand for new and catchy popular songs that could no longer be met from the traditional folk song repertoire. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Professional songwriters were enlisted to fill the gap.

The emergence of a distinct music hall style can be credited to a fusion of musical influences. Music hall songs needed to gain and hold the attention of an often jaded and unruly urban audience. In America from the 1840s Stephen Foster had reinvigorated folk song with the admixture of Negro spiritual to produce a new and vibrant form of popular song. Stephen Collins Foster (July 4 1826 – January 13 1864 known as the "father of American music" was the pre-eminent Songwriter in the United States Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America. Songs like Old Folks at Home (1851)^[37] and Golden Slippers (James Bland, 1879)^[38] spread round the globe, taking with them the idiom and appurtenances of the minstrel song. "Old Folks at Home" also known by the words of its first line "(Way Down Upon the Swanee River" is a song written in 1851 by composer Stephen Foster, to be The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits variety acts dancing, and Music, Other influences on the rapidly-developing music hall idiom were Irish and European music, particularly the jig, polka, and waltz. Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the entire island of Ireland, North and South of the border The jig (port is a Folk dance type as well as the accompanying dance tune type popular in Ireland. The polka is a fast lively Central European Dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas The waltz is a ballroom and folk Dance in time, performed primarily in Closed position.

Typically a music hall song consists of a series of verses sung by the performer alone, and a repeated chorus which carries the principal melody, and in which the audience is encouraged to join. The structures or Musical forms of Songs in Popular music are typically sectional forms such as Strophic form. A refrain (from Vulgar Latin refringere, "to repeat" and later from Old French refraindre) is the Line or lines that are In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or

In Britain, the first music hall songs often promoted the alcoholic wares of the owners of the halls in which they were performed. Songs like Glorious Beer^[39], and the first major music hall success, Champagne Charlie (1867) had a major influence in establishing the new art form. "Champagne Charlie" is a popular Music hall song from the 19th century made famous by George Leybourne. The tune of Champagne Charlie became used for the Salvation Army hymn Bless His Name, He Sets Me Free (1881). The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. When asked why the tune should be used like this, William Booth is said to have replied, Why should the devil have all the good tunes?. William Booth ( April 10, 1829 &ndash August 20, 1912) was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation The people the Army sought to save, knew nothing of the hymn tunes or gospel melodies used in the churches, but "the music hall had been their melody school"^[40]. A hymn tune is a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung

By the 1870s the songs had cut themselves free from their folk music roots, and particular songs also started to become associated with particular singers, often with exclusive contracts with the songwriter, just as many pop songs are today. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Towards the end of the style the music became influenced by ragtime and jazz, before being overtaken by them. Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States

Music hall songs were often unashamedly aimed at their working class audiences, reflecting the experiences and humour in their daily lives. Songs like My Old Man (Said Follow the Van), Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road, and Waiting at the Church, expressed in melodic form situations that the urban poor were very familiar with. My Old Man is an old Music hall song written by Fred W Leigh and Charles Collins, made popular by Marie Lloyd. Music Hall songs could be romantic, patriotic, humorous or sentimental, as the need arose^[36]. The most popular Music Hall songs became the basis for the Pub songs of the typical Cockney "knees up". In English popular culture, the "traditional" pub songs typified by the Cockney " Knees up " mostly come from the classics The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations Knees Up Mother Brown is a 1938 song composed by Harris Weston and Bert Lee.

Famous Music hall songs

For a fuller list see Music hall songs

• "Any Old Iron" (Charles Collins; Terry Sheppard) sung by Harry Champion. Music hall songs were sung in the Music halls by a variety of artistes " Any Old Iron " is old English Music Hall song written by Charles Collins Fred Terry and E Charles Collins may refer to Charles E Collins, independent candidate for the president of the United States in 1996 and 2000 Charles Collins (painter William Crump (1866 – January 14, 1942) better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was a famous British Music hall composer and star
• "Boiled Beef and Carrots" (Charles Collins and Fred Murray) sung by Harry Champion. "Boiled Beef and Carrots" is a comedic musical hall song published in 1909, and composed by Charles Collins and Fred Murray Frederick Anthony "Fred" Murray (born May 22 1982 in Clonmel, Ireland) is an Irish footballer, currently playing
• "The Boy I Love is up in the Gallery" (George Ware) sung by Nellie Power and Marie Lloyd. " The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery " is a Music hall song written for Nellie Power by George Ware in 1885 and made famous by Marie Lloyd. Matilda Alice Victoria Wood ( 12 February 1870 &ndash 7 October 1922) was an English Music-hall Singer,
• "Burlington Bertie from Bow" (William Hargreaves) sung by Ella Shields. " Burlington Bertie " was a Music hall Song composed by Harry B Ella Shields ( September 27 1879 &ndash August 05 1952) was a Music hall singer and male-impersonator.
• "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow" (Joseph Tabrar) sung by Vesta Victoria. Daddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow Wow was written in 1892 by prolific English songwriter Joseph Tabrar. Joseph Tabrar ( November 5 1857 &ndash 1931 was one of the most famous songwriters of British Music hall (similar to American Vaudeville Vesta Victoria ( November 26, 1873 &ndash April 7, 1951) was an English Music hall singer and comedian
• "Daisy Bell" (Harry Dacre) sung by Katie Lawrence. Harry Dacre (possibly originally Frank Dean or Henry Decker) (1860 - 1922 was an English Songwriter. Katie Lawrence ( 17 September 1868 &ndash 21 October 1913) was an English Music-hall Singer, best known
• "Down at the Old Bull and Bush" (Harry von Tilzer; Andrew B. Sterling) sung by Florrie Forde. Harry Von Tilzer ( July 8, 1872 - January 10, 1946) was a very popular United States Songwriter. Andrew B Sterling, born on August 26, 1874 - August 11, 1955. Florrie Forde ( 16 August 1875 &ndash 18 April 1940) born Flora May Augusta Flannagan, was an Australian popular Singer
• "Goodbye, Dolly Grey" (Paul Barnes; Will. Paul Barnes may refer to Paul Barnes (designer (born 1970 a prominent figure of modern UK graphic design Paul Barnes (musician (1901&ndash1981 D. Cobb) sung by George Lashwood.
• "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" (C.W. Murphy and Will Letters) sung by Florrie Ford. " Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? " music and lyrics by C Works Sole Credit Clara & Sarah – 1897 Baby Loo (How Can I Be Poor - 1898 Hooligan’s Canary – 1898 How
• "Hello, Hello, Who's Your Lady Friend?" (Harry Fragson; Worton David and Bert Lee) sung by Mark Sheridan. Harry Fragson was a British music hall singer and Comedian, born 2 July 1869 in Soho, London, and died in Paris Bert Lee ( June 11, 1880 - January 23, 1946) was an English songwriter
• "Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy" (C. W. Murphy and Will Letters) sung by Florrie Ford.
• "Honey Pie" (Lennon/McCartney), sung by Paul McCartney, a piece from The White Album. " Honey Pie " is a song by The Beatles, from their 1968 album ''The Beatles'' (the "White Album" The Songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, usually referred to as Lennon/McCartney, is one of the best-known and Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer,
• "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (1911) [1] (Fred Murray and Bert Weston) sung by Harry Champion. " I am Henery the Eighth I Am " (also " I'm Henery the VIII I Am " or " I'm Henery VIII I Am " spelled "Henry" in references Frederick Anthony "Fred" Murray (born May 22 1982 in Clonmel, Ireland) is an Irish footballer, currently playing
• "I Live in Trafalgar Square" (C. W. Murphy) sung by Morny Cash.
• "If It Wasn't For The 'Ouses In Between" (George Le Brunn; Edgar Bateman) sung by Gus Elen. Gus Elen ( &ndash) was a British Music hall singer He achieved success from 1891 performing Cockney songs and sketches as a 'coster' comedian Background
• "It's a Bit of a Ruin That Cromwell Knocked About a Bit" (Harry Bedford; Terry Sullivan) sung by Marie Lloyd. For the New Zealand politician see Harry Bedford (politician Henry "Harry" Bedford ( 15 October 1899 – 24 Terry Sullivan is a Fictional character in the British Soap opera Brookside, played by Brian Regan.
• "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" (1914) [2] (Jack Judge and Harry Williams) sung by John McCormack. " It's a Long Way to Tipperary " is a British Music hall and marching Song written by Jack Judge and Harry Williams (Henry Jack Judge, (christened John born in Oldbury, Worcestershire in 1878 died 28 July 1938 West Bromwich) was a song-writer and music-hall entertainer best Harry Williams may refer to Harry Williams (songwriter (1879–1922 American composer and lyricist Harry Williams (American football
• "Let's All Go Down the Strand" (Harry Castling and C.W. Murphy) sung by Charles R. Works Sole Credit Clara & Sarah – 1897 Baby Loo (How Can I Be Poor - 1898 Hooligan’s Canary – 1898 How Whittle.
• "My Old Man (Said Follow the Van)" (Charles Collins and Fred W. My Old Man is an old Music hall song written by Fred W Leigh and Charles Collins, made popular by Marie Lloyd. Charles Collins may refer to Charles E Collins, independent candidate for the president of the United States in 1996 and 2000 Charles Collins (painter Leigh) sung by Marie Lloyd.
• "Oh! It's a lovely war" sung by Ella Shields. Oh! What a Lovely War is Stage musical and 1969 Musical film.
• "Oh, Mr. Porter" (George Le Brunn; Thomas Le Brunn) sung by Marie Lloyd.
• "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay" (Harry J. "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay" is a Vaudeville and Music hall song copyrighted by Henry J Sayers) sung by Lottie Collins. Lottie Collins (1865 &ndash May 3, 1910) was an English singer and dancer
• "Where Did You Get That Hat?" (James Rolmaz) sung by J. C Heffron.
• "Waiting At The Church" [3] (Henry E. Pether; Frank W. Leigh) sung by Vesta Victoria.

Music hall songwriters

• Harry Dacre, composer of "Daisy Bell"
• Noel Gay, writer of "Lambeth Walk", "There's Something About a Soldier", "Leaning on a Lamppost"
• Fred Gilbert, composer of "The Man that Broke the Bank At Monte Carlo"
• Harry Lauder, writer of "Stop your Tickling Jock", "I Love A Lassie"
• George Le Brunn, writer of "Oh! Mr Porter!"
• Fred W Leigh, composer of "Don't Dilly Dally" and "The Army of Today"
• Arthur Lloyd, over 100 songs. Harry Dacre (possibly originally Frank Dean or Henry Decker) (1860 - 1922 was an English Songwriter. Noel Gay born Reginald Moxon Armitage ( July 15, 1898 - March 4, 1954) was one of the most successful British Composers Sir Henry Lauder ( 4 August 1870 - 26 February 1950) known professionally as Harry Lauder, was a notable Scottish Arthur Lloyd (1839-1904 was a Scottish singer songwriter comedian and stage producer primarily for Music hall in the United Kingdom.
• Lionel Monckton, composer of "Moonstruck", "Soldiers in the Park", "The Pipes of Pan"
• C.W. Murphy, composer of "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?"
• Felix Powell, writer of "Pack up Your Troubles"
• Joseph Tabrar, writer of "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow"
• Harry Wincott, writer of "The Old Dun Cow"
• George Alex Stevens, writer of "Mother I Love You", "Chump Chop and Chips" and "When the Harvest Moon is Shining". Lionel John Alexander Monckton (18 December 1861 – 15 February 1924 was an English writer and Composer of Musical theatre. Works Sole Credit Clara & Sarah – 1897 Baby Loo (How Can I Be Poor - 1898 Hooligan’s Canary – 1898 How " Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? " music and lyrics by C Felix Powell ( 1878 - 10 February 1942) was a British Staff Sergeant most famous for writing the music for marching song " Joseph Tabrar ( November 5 1857 &ndash 1931 was one of the most famous songwriters of British Music hall (similar to American Vaudeville Daddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow Wow was written in 1892 by prolific English songwriter Joseph Tabrar. Harry Wincott was an English Songwriter, born Alfred James Walden, 1 January 1867, London.

Music hall comedy

The typical music hall comedian was a man or woman), usually dressed 'in character',to suit the subject of the song, or sometimes in attired in absurd and eccentric style. Until well into the twentieth century the acts were essentially vocal, with songs telling a story, accompanied by a minimum of patter. They included a variety of genres, including:

• Lions Comiques: essentially, men dressed as a 'toff', who sang songs about drinking champagne, going to the races, going to the ball, womanising and gambling, and living the life of an Aristocrat.
• Male and female impersonators, perhaps more in the style of a pantomime dame than a modern drag queen. A drag queen is a person usually a man who dresses (or "drags" in female clothes and make-up for special occasions and usually because they are performing and entertaining A pantomime dame is a traditional character in British Pantomime. A drag queen is a person usually a man who dresses (or "drags" in female clothes and make-up for special occasions and usually because they are performing and entertaining Nevertheless these included some more sophisticated performers such as Vesta Tilley, whose male impersonations communicated real social commentary. Matilda Alice Powles ( May 13, 1864 &ndash September 16, 1952) was an English male impersonator.

'Stand up', spoken wisecracking acts and double acts with one performer being prompted and interrupted by a 'straight' partner, belong to later developments, derived partly from pantomime and partly from the importation of American comedy styles. The phrases 'I don't wish to know that!' and 'kindly leave the stage!' and some of today's habits, such as finishing on a song, belong to this later period. Inter-war radio programmes such as Band Waggon adapted the music hall and variety traditions to the new medium, while, more recently, 'The Goon Show' took radio comedy into the surreal. Band Waggon was a comedy Radio show broadcast by the BBC from 1938 to 1940 Early television variety shows picked up some of the pieces, but this was at a time when music hall was already on its last legs. A variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts especially Musical performances and Comedy Skits and Nearer to today, the spirit of music hall genre has enjoyed a new kind of life in television's The Muppet Show. The Muppet Show is an American Television program featuring a cast of Muppets which was produced by Jim Henson and his team from

Speciality acts

The vocal content of the music hall bills, was, from the beginning, accompanied by many other kinds of act, some of them quite weird and wonderful. These were known collectively as speciality acts, which, over time, have included:

Jules Léotard - The Daring Young man on the Flying Trapeze

• Aerial acts, of the sort usually seen at the Circus
• Adagio: essentially a sort of cross between a dance act and a juggling act, consisting usually of a male dancer who threw a slim, pretty young girl around. The French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (c 1842 - 1870 was the man who inspired the 1867 song " The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze " A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by two cords from a support to form a Trapezoid. Some aspects of modern dance choreography evolved from Adagio acts^[41].
• Magic acts and escapologists, such as Harry Houdini. Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps
• Cycling acts: again, a development of a Circus act, consisting of either a solo or a troupe of trick cyclists. There was even seven-piece a cycling band called Seven Musical Savonas, who played fifty instruments between them, and Kaufmann's Cycling Beauties, a troupe of girls in Victorian swim wear.
• Ventriloquists, or Vent acts as they were called in the business.
• Electric acts, using the newly discovered phenomena of static electricity to produce tricks such as lighting gas jets and setting fire to handkerchiefs through the performers fingertips. For the science of static charges see Electrostatics Static electricity refers to the accumulation of excess Electric charge in a
• Knife throwing and sword swallowing. Impalement arts are a type of Performing art in which a performer plays the role of human target for a fellow performer who demonstrates accuracy skills in disciplines Sword swallowing is a Performance art, in which the performer inserts a Sword into his or her Mouth and down the Esophagus towards the Stomach The most spectacular of its time was the Victorina Troupe, who swallowed a sword fired from a rifle.
• Juggling and plate spinning acts. Juggling is a physical human skill involving the movement of objects usually through the air for entertainment (see Object manipulation) Plate spinning is a circus manipulation art where a person spins plates, bowls and other flat objects on poles without them falling off Another variation was the Diabolo. The diabolo (commonly misspelled as diablo and mispronounced dia-BO-lo; formerly also known as "the devil on two sticks" is a Juggling prop consisting
• Feats of strength by both strongmen and strongwomen. Feats of Strength are acts strongmen exhibit to showcase their great strength In the 19th century the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength (before strength sports were codified into Weightlifting, Powerlifting etc Strongwoman refers to either a woman performing Feats of strength in a show or Circus, or a woman who competes in Strength athletics.
• Fire eaters and other eating acts, such as eating glass, razor blades, goldfish etc. A fire eater is an Entertainer, often a Street artist or part of a Sideshow.
• Wrestling and jujitsu exhibitions were both popular specialty acts, forming the basis of modern professional wrestling. Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two people in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of the opponent literally meaning the " art of softness " or "way of yielding" is a collective name for Japanese martial art styles consisting of grappling Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff
• Mentalism acts. Mentalism is an ancient performing art in which its practitioners known as mentalists, use mental acuity Cold reading, Warm reading, Hot reading Commonly a male mentalist, blindfolded on stage, and an attractive female assistant passing among the audience. The assistant would collect objects from the audience, and the mentalist would identify each by 'reading' the assistants mind. This was usually accomplished by a clever system of codes and clues from the assistant.
• Mime artists and impressionists. An impressionist is a performer whose act consists of giving the "impression" of being someone else by imitating the other person's voice and mannerisms
• Trampoline acts.
• Animal acts: Talking dogs, Flea circuses, and all manner of animals doing tricks. A flea circus refers to a circus Sideshow attraction in which Fleas are attached (or appear to be attached to miniature carts and other items and encouraged
• Stilt walkers. Stiltwalker parade 2004jpg|thumb|A stiltwalker participates in a parade dressed as a Court jester]] Stilts are poles posts or pillars used to allow a person or structure to
• Puppet acts, including human puppets and living doll acts. A puppet is a representational figure manipulated by a Puppeteer.
• Comic pianists, such as John Orlando Parry and George Grossmith. John Orlando Parry ( 3 January 1810 – 20 February 1879) was a Welsh actor pianist artist comedian and singer George Grossmith (9 December 1847 &ndash 1 March 1912 was an English Comedian, Writer, Composer, Actor, and singer
• Cowboy/Wild West acts.

Music hall performers

1867 Poster from the National Standard Theatre, Shoreditch. Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney. Not strictly a Music hall, but a theatre where many of these artists performed their Music hall acts.

• Arthur Askey (1900–1982)
• Joséphine Baker (1906–1975)
• Fred Barnes (1885-1938)
• Herbert Campbell (1844-1904)
• Kate Carney (1869–1950)
• Harry Champion (1866–1942)
• Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) - more famous as a silent film star
• Sydney Chaplin (1885–1965)
• Albert Chevalier (1861–1923)
• G. Arthur Bowden Askey CBE ( June 6, 1900 &ndash November 16, 1982) was a prominent English Comedian. Josephine Baker (or Joséphine Baker in Francophone countries ( June 3, 1906 &ndash April 12, 1975) was an American-born Fred Barnes (1885-1938 was an English Music hall artist He experienced extremes of success and failure and as a young gay man escaped to London Kate Carney (1869 &ndash 1950 was an English singer and Comedian who played the Music halls in London. William Crump (1866 – January 14, 1942) better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was a famous British Music hall composer and star For Sydney Chaplin's nephew son of Charlie Chaplin see Sydney Earle Chaplin Sydney Chaplin ( March 16 1885 &ndash Albert Onesime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis Chevalier ( March 21 1861 &ndash July 10 1923) was an English Comedian and H. Chirgwin
• Charles Coborn (1852–1945)
• The Cox Twins (1920-)
• Ken Dodd (1927-)
• Daisy Dormer (1883–1947)
• Leo Dryden (1864-1939)
• Clive Dunn (1920-)
• Gus Elen (1862-1940)
• Norman Evans (1901–1962)
• Gracie Fields (1898–1979)
• Flanagan and Allen (1896-1968) and (1893-1982). Charles Coborn ( 4 August 1852 &ndash 23 November 1945) was a British Music hall Singer and Comedian The Cox Twins, Frank and Fred, (born 1920 are British entertainers in the Music Hall tradition Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE (born November 8, 1927) is a veteran English Comedian and Singer Songwriter, famous Daisy Dormer (1883 &ndash 1947 born Kezia Beatrice Stockwell, was an English Music hall Singer born in Portsmouth. George Dryden Wheeler ( 6 June 1864 - 21 April 1939) was an English Music hall 'vocal comic' Clive Robert Dunn OBE (born 9 Gus Elen ( &ndash) was a British Music hall singer He achieved success from 1891 performing Cockney songs and sketches as a 'coster' comedian Background Norman Evans ( June 11, 1901 &ndash November 25, 1962) was a variety and radio artiste born in Rochdale, Lancashire, Dame Gracie Fields, DBE ( January 9 1898 &ndash September 27 1979) born Grace Stansfield, was an English / Flanagan and Allen were a British singing and comedy Double act popular during World War II.
• Florrie Forde (1875–1940)
• George Formby Senior (1876-1921)
• George Formby (1904–1961)
• Harry Fragson (1869-1913)
• Will Hay (1888–1949)
• Will Hammer (1887–1957) - more famous as the founder of Hammer Films
• Jenny Hill
• Fred Karno (1866-1941)
• Marie Kendall (1873–1964)
• Hetty King (1883–1972)
• Harry Lauder (1870-1950)
• Stan Laurel (1890–1965) - more famous as a Hollywood star
• Katie Lawrence d. Florrie Forde ( 16 August 1875 &ndash 18 April 1940) born Flora May Augusta Flannagan, was an Australian popular Singer George Formby Sr ( October 4, 1875 &ndash February 8 1921) was the father of George Formby Jr George Formby may refer to George Formby Jr, banjolele player singer and comedian 1904 - 1961 George Formby Sr Harry Fragson was a British music hall singer and Comedian, born 2 July 1869 in Soho, London, and died in Paris William Thomson Hay ( 6 December 1888 &ndash 18 April 1949) was an English Comedian, Actor and amateur William "Will" Hinds (1887 &ndash 1957 stage name Will Hammer, was one of the founders of Hammer Film Productions. Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Frederick John Westcott ( March 26, 1866 - September 18, 1941) best known by the stage name Fred Karno, was a Theatre Marie Kendall ( Marie Chester; 1873–1964 was a British Music hall Comedienne and Actress who had a successful career spanning 50 Winifred Emms ( April 4, 1883 &ndash September 28, 1972) best known by her Stage name Hetty King, was an English Sir Henry Lauder ( 4 August 1870 - 26 February 1950) known professionally as Harry Lauder, was a notable Scottish Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; June 16, 1890 &ndash February 23, 1965) was an English comic actor writer Katie Lawrence ( 17 September 1868 &ndash 21 October 1913) was an English Music-hall Singer, best known 1913
• Dan Leno (1860-1904)

1910 Hetty King - sheet music cover. Dan Leno born George Wild Galvin ( December 20, 1860 - October 31, 1904) was an English Music hall Comedian Winifred Emms ( April 4, 1883 &ndash September 28, 1972) best known by her Stage name Hetty King, was an English

• Jules Léotard (1839-1870)
• George Leybourne (1842–1884)
• Cecilia Loftus (1876–1943)
• Violet Loraine (1886–1956)
• Little Tich (1867-1928)
• Arthur Lloyd (1839-1904)
• Marie Lloyd (1870–1922)
• G. The French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (c 1842 - 1870 was the man who inspired the 1867 song " The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze " Joe Sanders (1842 – 15 September 1884) better known as George Leybourne, was an English Music hall performer Cecilia "Cissie" or "Cissy" Loftus (b October 22 1876, Glasgow Scotland &ndash July 12 1943) was a Violet Loraine ( 26 July 1886 – 18 July 1956) was an English Musical theatre actress and singer Harry Relph, known on the stage as ' Little Tich', ( July 21, 1867 - February 10, 1928) was an English Music hall Arthur Lloyd (1839-1904 was a Scottish singer songwriter comedian and stage producer primarily for Music hall in the United Kingdom. Matilda Alice Victoria Wood ( 12 February 1870 &ndash 7 October 1922) was an English Music-hall Singer, H. McDermott
• Max Miller (1894–1963)
• Lily Morris (1882–1952)
• Denise Orme (1885–1960)
• Arthur Roberts (1852-1933)
• George Robey (1869–1954)
• Ronnie Ronalde (1923-)
• Ella Shields (1879–1952)
• Mark Sheridan
• Stainless Stephen (1892-1971)
• Eugene Stratton (1861–1918)
• Harry Tate (1872-1940)
• Vesta Tilley (1864–1952)
• Peter Ustinov (1921–2004)
• Alfred Vance (1839–1888)
• Vesta Victoria (1873–1951)
• Vulcana (1875–1946) - main attraction of the Atlas and Vulcana Group of Society Athletes
• Max Wall (1908–1990)
• H. Vernon Watson (performing under the sobriquet Nosmo King)
• Daisy Wood (and the Sisters Lloyd)
• Billy Williams (1878-1915)
• Wilson, Keppel and Betty

Music hall in literature, drama, and screen

The music hall has been evoked in many films, plays, TV series and books. Max Miller ( November 21[[ 894]] – May 7[[ 963]] the "Cheeky Chappie" was a 1930s English Music hall Comedian famous Lily Morris ( September 30, 1882 – October 3, 1952) born Lilles Mary Crosby was an English Music hall performer who specialized Jessie Smither ( August 25 1885 &ndash October 20 1960) best known by her Stage name Denise Orme, was an English Arthur Roberts ( 21 September 1852 - 27 February 1933) was an English comedian Music hall entertainer and actor George Edward Wade ( 20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954) better known by his stage name George Robey, was an English Ronnie Ronalde (born Ronald Charles Waldron, 1923 London) is a British music hall Singer and siffleur. Ella Shields ( September 27 1879 &ndash August 05 1952) was a Music hall singer and male-impersonator. Arthur Clifford Baynes ( November 30, 1892 &ndash1971 was an English teacher and Comedian from the steel-making city of Sheffield Eugene Augustus Rühlmann ( May 8, 1861 &ndash September 15, 1918) was born in Buffalo New York. Harry Tate ( 4 July 1872 - 14 February 1940) was a Scottish Comedian who performed both in the Music halls and Matilda Alice Powles ( May 13, 1864 &ndash September 16, 1952) was an English male impersonator. Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (ˈjuːstɪnɒf or /ˈuːstɪnɒf/ 16 April 1921 – 28 March 2004) born Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinow Alfred Peek Stevens (1839 &ndash December 26, 1888) best known by his Stage name Alfred Vance, was an English singer in the Vesta Victoria ( November 26, 1873 &ndash April 7, 1951) was an English Music hall singer and comedian Kate Williams (1875 &ndash 1946 sometimes called Kate Roberts, better known by her Stage name Vulcana, was a Welsh Strongwoman Max Wall ( 12 March 1908 – 21 May 1990) was the stage name of English comedian Maxwell Lorimer H Vernon Watson (1886-1949 probably better known as his character Nosmo King, was a popular English variety artist Daisy Violet Rose Wood ( September 15, 1877 in Hoxton, London &ndash October 19, 1961) was an English Richard Isaac Banks (1878 - March 1915 who changed his name to Billy Williams after leaving his birthplace of Australia, was one of the most recorded popular entertainers Wilson Keppel and Betty were a popular British Music hall act in the middle decades of the 20th century who capitalised on the trend for Egyptian imagery

• About half of the film Those Were The Days (1934) is set in a music hall. Those were the Days ( 1934) is a film primarily remembered as Will Hay 's first major film role It was based on a farce by Pinero and features the music hall acts of Lily Morris, Harry Bedford, the gymnasts Gaston & Andre, G. Sir Arthur Wing Pinero ( 24 May 1855 - 23 November 1934) was an English Dramatist. Lily Morris ( September 30, 1882 – October 3, 1952) born Lilles Mary Crosby was an English Music hall performer who specialized For the New Zealand politician see Harry Bedford (politician Henry "Harry" Bedford ( 15 October 1899 – 24 H. Elliott, Sam Curtis and Frank Boston & Betty.
• A music hall with a 'memory man' act provides a pivotal plot device in the classic 1935 Hitchcock thriller The 39 Steps^[42]. The 39 Steps is a 1935 Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the adventure Novel The Thirty-nine Steps
• The Arthur Askey comedy film I Thank You (1941) features old time music hall star Lily Morris as an ex-music hall artiste now enobled as "Lady Randall". I Thank You is a 1941 British comedy film produced by Gainsborough Pictures, directed by Marcel Varnel, starring Arthur Askey and Richard "Stinker" In the last scene of the film, however, she reverts to type and gives a rendition of "Waiting at the Church" at an impromptu concert at Aldwych tube station organised by Askey and his side-kick Richard "Stinker" Murdoch. Aldwych tube station is a disused station formerly on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. Richard Bernard Murdoch ( 6 April 1907 in Keston, Kent - 9 October 1990) was a British comedic radio
• The Victorian era of music hall was celebrated by the 1944 film Champagne Charlie^[43]. Champagne Charlie was a 1944 musical film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti based on an 1860s play that in turn was based on the real life rivalry
• Charlie Chaplin's 1952 film Limelight, set in 1914 London, evokes the music hall world of Chaplin's youth where he performed as comedian before he achieved world-wide celebrity as a film star in America. Limelight is a 1952 comedy - drama Film written directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, co-starring Claire Bloom The film depicts the last performance of a washed-up music hall clown called Calvero at The Empire theatre, Leicester Square. The film premiered at the Empire Cinema, which was built on the same site as the Empire theatre^[44].
• The Good Old Days (1953 to 1983) was a popular BBC television light entertainment programme recorded live at the Leeds City Varieties which recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day performers in the style of the original artistes. The Good Old Days was a popular BBC Television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983. The Leeds City Varieties is a Grade II* listed Music Hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The audience dressed in period costume and joined in the singing, especially the singing of Down at the Old Bull and Bush which closed the show. The show was compered by Leonard Sachs who introduced the acts. Leonard Sachs ( 26 September 1909 - 15 June 1990) was a British actor In the course of its run it featured about 2000 artists. The show was first broadcast on July 20, 1953. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 1953 ( MCMLIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Good Old Days was inspired by the success of the Ridgeway's Late Joys at the Players' Theatre Club in London: a private members' club that ran fortnightly programmes of variety acts in London's West End^[45]. The Players' Theatre is a Theatre in London Origins The history of the Players' is a microcosm of British theatrical history and many famous names have appeared
• John Osborne's play The Entertainer (1957) portrays the life and work of a failing third-rate music hall stage performer who tries to keep his career going even as his personal life falls apart. John James Osborne ( December 12, 1929 &ndash December 24, 1994) was an English Playwright, Screenwriter, The Entertainer is a 1957 play by John Osborne, made into a Film in 1960, which told the story of a failing third-rate Music The story is set at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956, against the backdrop of the dying music hall tradition, and has been seen as symbolic of Britain's general post-war decline, its loss of its Empire, its power, and its cultural confidence and identity. It was made into a film in 1960 starring Laurence Olivier in the title role of Archie Rice^[46]. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron
• J. B. Priestley's 1965 novel Lost Empires also evokes the world of Edwardian music hall just before the start of World War I; the title is a reference to the Empire theatres (as well as foreshadowing the decline of the British Empire itself). John Boynton Priestley, OM ( 13 September, 1894 &ndash 14 August, 1984) was an English Writer and broadcaster Lost Empires is a 1986 television adaptation of J B Priestley 's novel of the same name and starred Colin Firth, John Castle and Moss Empires was a British company formed from the merger of the theatre empires owned by Sir Edward Moss and Sir Oswald Stoll in 1898 It was recently adapted as a television miniseries, shown in both the UK and in the U. S. as a PBS presentation. Priestley's 1929 novel The Good Companions, set in the same period, follows the lives of the members of a "concert party" or touring "Pierrot troupe". The Good Companions is a Novel by the English Author J B Priestley.
• The parodic film Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), based on the stage play by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, featured the music hall turns and songs that had provided support for the British war effort in World War I^[47]. Oh! What a Lovely War is Stage musical and 1969 Musical film. Joan Maud Littlewood ( 6 October, 1914 - 20 September, 2002) was a British theatrical director famous for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop is a Theatre group noted for their director Joan Littlewood.
• The popular British television series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971-1975) and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah (1979) each dealt frequently with the world of the Edwardian music hall, sometimes through references to actual Edwardian era performers such as Vesta Tilley or to characters on the show attending performances, and other times through the experiences of the popular character Sarah Moffat, who left domestic service several times and often ended up going on stage to support herself when she did. Upstairs Downstairs is a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British Drama set in a large Townhouse in Edwardian Thomas & Sarah is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979 Matilda Alice Powles ( May 13, 1864 &ndash September 16, 1952) was an English male impersonator. Sarah Moffat (born Clémence Moffat; July 1882 &ndash ? also known as Sarah Delice and Clémence Dumas, is a fictional character in the ITV
• Between 1978 and 1984 BBC television broadcast two series of programmes called The Old Boy Network^[48]. These featured a star (usually a Music Hall performer, but also some younger turns like Eric Sykes) performing some of their best known routines while giving a slide show of their life story. Eric Sykes, CBE (born 4 May 1923 is an English comedy writer and actor Artistes featured included Arthur Askey, Tommy Trinder, Sandy Powell, and Chesney Allen. Arthur Bowden Askey CBE ( June 6, 1900 &ndash November 16, 1982) was a prominent English Comedian. Thomas Edward Trinder CBE ( 1909 - 1989) known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage screen and radio comedian of the pre and Sandy Powell ( 30 January 1900 - 26 June 1982) was an English Comedian best known for his Radio work of the 1930s Chesney Allen (5 April 1893 - 13 November 1982 was a popular English entertainer of the Second World War period
• The modern Players' Theatre Club provides a brief impression of contemporary music hall in the film The Fourth Angel, where Jeremy Irons' character creates an alibi by visiting a show^[49]. The Players' Theatre is a Theatre in London Origins The history of the Players' is a microcosm of British theatrical history and many famous names have appeared Jeremy John Irons (born September 19 1948) is an English film television and stage Actor.
• Sarah Waters's book Tipping the Velvet (1998) revolves around the world of music halls in the late Victorian era, and in particular around two fictional "mashers" (drag kings) named Kitty Butler and Nan King^[50]. Sarah Waters is a British Novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society, such as Tipping the Velvet and For the TV serial based on the novel see Tipping the Velvet (TV serial Tipping the Velvet is a 1998 novel written Drag kings are mostly female Performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male Gender stereotypes as part of their performance

Surviving music halls

The Hackney Empire, August 2005

London was the centre of Music Hall with hundreds of venues, often in the entertainment rooms of public houses. With the decline in popularity of Music Hall, many were abandoned, or converted to other uses, such as cinemas and their interiors lost. There are a number of purpose built survivors, including the Hackney Empire, an outstanding example of the late Music Hall period (Frank Matcham 1901). The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a Music hall. Frank Matcham (22 November 1854 Newton Abbot, Devon – 17 May 1920 Southend-on-Sea, Essex) was a famous English theatrical This has been restored to its moorish splendour and now provides an eclectic programme of events from opera to "Black Variety Nights". A mile to the south is Hoxton Hall an 1863 example of the saloon-style. Hoxton Hall is a community centre and performance space in Hoxton, at 130 Hoxton Street in the London Borough of Hackney. It is unrestored but maintained in its original layout, and currently used as a community centre and theatre^[51]. In the neighbouring borough, Collins Music Hall (built about 1860) still stands on the North side of Islington Green. Islington is the central district of the London Borough of Islington. The hall closed in the 1960s and currently forms part of a bookshop^[52].

In Clapham, The Grand, originally the 1900 'Grand Palace of Varieties', has been restored, but its interior reflects its modern use as a music venue and nightclub^[53]. Clapham is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Greenwich Theatre was originally the 'Rose and Crown Music Hall' (1855), and later became 'Crowder's Music Hall and Temple of Varieties'. The Greenwich Theatre is a local Theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. The building has been extensively modernised and little of the original layout remains^[54].

In the nondescript Grace's Alley, off Cable Street, Stepney stands Wilton's Music Hall. Stepney is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wilton's Music Hall is a grade II* Listed building, a former Music hall and performance space in Grace's Alley off Cable Street in the London Borough This 1858 example of the giant pub hall survived use as a church, fire, flood and war intact, but was virtually derelict, after its use as a rag warehouse, in the 1960s. The Wilton's Music Hall Trust has embarked on a fund-raising campaign to restore the building^[55]. In June 2007 the World Monuments Fund added the building to its list of the world's "100 most endangered sites". The World Monuments Fund (WMF is a New York -based private Non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic Architecture and ^[56]

Many of these buildings can be seen as part of the annual London Open House event. Open House London is an organisation which promotes appreciation of architecture by the general public

1904 London Coliseum, Matcham theatre with London's widest proscenium arch

There are also surviving music halls outside London, a notable example is the Leeds City Varieties (1865) with a preserved interior. The Leeds City Varieties is a Grade II* listed Music Hall in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. This was used for many years as the setting for the BBC television variety show, based on the music hall genre, The Good Old Days. The Good Old Days was a popular BBC Television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983. The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford was built in 1914 for theatre impresario Frank Laidler, and later owned by the Stoll-Moss Empire'. The Bradford Alhambra is a Theatre in Bradford West Yorkshire. Sir Oswald Stoll ( 20 January 1866 &ndash 9 January 1942) was a British theatre manager and the co-founder of the Stoll Moss Sir Horace Edward Moss (1852&ndash 25 November 1912) was a British theatre impresario and the founder of the Moss Empires theatre company (now It was restored in 1986, and is a fine example of the late Edwardian style. Class and society Socially the Edwardian era was a period during which the British Class system was very rigid It is now a receiving theatre for touring productions, and opera^[57].

In Northern Ireland, the Grand Opera House (Belfast). Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period Frank Matcham. Frank Matcham 1895, was preserved and restored in the 1980s^[58]. The Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man is another Matcham design from 1900^[59] that remains in use after an extensive restoration programme in the 1970s. The Gaiety Theatre is a Theatre, on the Isle of Man. The theatre was built in 1899 to the designs of architect Frank Matcham, as an opera house and The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical In Glasgow, the Britannia Music Hall (1857), by architects Thomas Gildard and H. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom M. McFarlane remains standing, with much of the theatre intact but in a poor state having closed in 1938. There is a preservation trust attempting to rescue the theatre^[60].

One of the few fully functional music hall entertainments, is at the Brick Lane Music Hall in a former church in North Woolwich. North Woolwich is a place in the London Borough of Newham. It is located north of Woolwich proper which is on the south bank of the River Thames. For information. The Players' Theatre Club is another group performing a Victorian style Music Hall show at a variety of venues. The Players' Theatre is a Theatre in London Origins The history of the Players' is a microcosm of British theatrical history and many famous names have appeared

See also

The term "Music hall" is also used to describe some large musical venues, such as the Paris Olympia, Radio City Music Hall, and Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio (see Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra). Paris Olympia is a Music hall at 28 Blvd des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement Paris, France. Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City 's Rockefeller Center. As the fifth-oldest orchestra in the United States, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra ( CSO) has a legacy of fine music making as reflected in its performances

• Vaudeville
• Players' Theatre
• Shrewsbury Music Hall

References

Further reading

• Alexander, John, Tearing Tickets Twice Nightly:The Last Days of Variety (Arcady Press, 2002)
• Bailey, Peter, ed. Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer Rowland Hill AM ( 1744 - 1833) was a popular English preacher enthusiastic evangelical and an influential advocate of small-pox vaccination John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable , Music Hall: The Business of Pleasure, (Milton Keynes, Open University Press, 1986)
• Bergen, Edgar, How To Become a Ventriloquist, (Mineola: Dover Publications, 2000)
• Bratton, J. S. , ed. , Music Hall: Performance & Style (Milton Keynes, Open University Press, 1986)
• Bruce, Frank, More Variety Days: Fairs, Fit-ups, Music hall, Variety Theatre, Clubs, Cruises and Cabaret (Edinburgh, Tod Press, 2000)
• Busby, Roy, British Music Hall: An Illustrated Who's Who from 1850 to the Present Day (London: Paul Elek, 1976)
• Cheshire, D. F. , Music Hall in Britain, (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1974)
• Connor, Steven, Dumbstruck: A Cultural History of Ventriloquism (Oxford University Press, 2000)
• Earl, John, British Theatres and Music Halls (Princes Risborough, Shire, 2005)
• Garrett, John M. , Sixty Years of British Music Hall, (London, Chappell & Company in association with Andre Deutsch, 1976)
• Earl, John and Sell, Michael (eds. ) The Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres, 1750-1950 (A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 2000)
• Green, Benny, ed. , The Last Empires: A Music Hall Companion (London, Pavilion Books Ltd. in association with Michael Joseph Ltd. , 1986)
• Honri, Peter John Wilton's Music Hall, The Handsomest Room in Town (1985)
• Howard, Diana London Theatres and Music Halls 1850-1950 (1970)
• Hudd, Roy, Music Hall (London, Eyre Methuen, 1976)
• Maloney, Paul, Scotland and the Music Hall, 1850-1914 (Manchester University Press, 2003)
• Mander, Raymond, and Mitchenson, Joe, British Music Hall (London, Gentry Books, 1974)
• Mellor, G. J. , The Northern Music Hall (Newcastle Upon Tyne, Frank Graham, 1970)
• Mellor, G. J. , They Made us Laugh: A Compendium Of Comedians Whose Memories Remain Alive (Littleborough, George Kelsall, 1982)
• O'Gorman, Brian, Laughter in the Roar: Reminiscences of Variety and Pantomime (Weybridge, B. O'Gorman, 1998)
• Wilmut, Roger, Kindly Leave The Stage - The story of Variety 1919-1960 (London, Methuen 1985)
• The V&A Theatre Collections for Music Hall and Variety

External links

• The British Music Hall Society
• Remastered recordings of music hall artists
• The "Entertainment" section of www.victorianlondon.org
• Your Very Own Music Hall Company
• Arthur Lloyd (performer) site links to transcriptions of historical sources on performances and venues