From the Archive: A violin signed by 43 original Members

Back in 2016, a member of the public phoned the LSO to tell us about a violin coming up in an online auction, which we might be interested in. The intriguing instrument is inscribed on the back with 43 signatures, all from some of the very first Members in 1904 of the newly-formed London Symphony Orchestra. Many had formerly been with the Queens Hall Orchestra, and resigned en masse in September 1903, shortly before the formation of the LSO.

Libby Rice, LSO Archivist, managed to get hold of the dealer who had put the violin up for auction. On agreeing a price, the instrument was removed from the auction and made its way to the LSO’s extensive archive (which also includes, among many other things, Leonard Bernstein’s tails, and autograph books from the first days of the LSO).

‘The violin was a very remarkable discovery,’ says Robert Turner, LSO Viola.’ In the accounts of the genesis of the LSO, there is nothing on the formative discussions, apart from a quote from film maker Humphrey Jennings saying: ‘The LSO was born in the autumn of 1903 in a railway carriage between Manchester and London.’ The violin, which has 1904 scratched on the button at the back, is the only actual piece of physical evidence, though I don’t think the founders can have scratched their names on it during the bumpy train journey. I have always thought that this act was to do with unalterably committing to what must have been a big step into the unknown in creating a new orchestra.’

The history of the violin itself is unclear. We know it was made in France, and presume it belonged to then LSO Leader, Arthur Payne. But beyond that, its provenance is something of a mystery, and it remains a curious part of the LSO’s long history.

The Violin’s Signatories

Arthur W Payne Leader
T H Morrison First Violin
Philip Lewis First Violin
Edmund Maney First Violin
William H Reed First Violin (later Leader from 1912)
Edward Carwardine First Violin
Edward Lardner First Violin
Frank Bartlett First Violin
J W Breeden First Violin
William Sutton First Violin
Ellis Roberts First Violin (Director and Chairman of the Board 1905-09)
Jaques Taube First Violin
H Wynn Reeves First Violin (Director 1924-30)
Theodore Stier First Violin
Horace Ralph First Violin (Director 1920-22)
W H Eayres Principal Second Violin
Ed E Halfpenney Second Violin
Edgar R Wilby Second Violin
Charles Newton Second Violin
Jim Ricketts Second Violin
Thomas A Kelley Second Violin
Edward H Hann Second Violin
Wallace Sutcliffe Second Violin
Walter Hann Second Violin
C B Parker Second Violin
Edgar Horton Oboe
Daniel S Wood Principal Flute
H W Hollis Flute
Robert Gray First Violin
E Meiyer Violin
Alex Solomon (Chips) Second Violin
Charles J Hayes Second Violin
Frank Stewart Second Violin
William A Brennan Second Violin
Alfred Hobday Principal Viola
Ernest Yonge Viola
V Addison Violin
T Lawrence Viola
John Ansell Viola
Cecil Dorling Viola
Joseph T Field Cello
William H Stewart Double Bass
William R Streather Double Bass