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The Holywell Music Room is the city of
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
's
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...
hall, situated on Holywell Street in the city centre, and is part of Wadham College. It is said to be the oldest purpose-built music room in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, and hence Britain's first
concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that ma ...
.


History

The Holywell Music Room, which is part of Wadham College, Oxford, was one of the earliest purpose built concert venues in the world and the first in Europe. Prior to the advent of concert halls, recitals would happen at private aristocratic venues, royal courts, or in churches. It was built in 1748, probably under the direction of William Hayes and it was designed by Dr Thomas Camplin, the vice-principal of St Edmund Hall. The venue was important for popularizing the music of
Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...
in 18th century England. He was the most frequently performed composer during 1788–1791; at short notice he was unable to attend a planned visit to the venue while in Oxford in 1791. By 1836, the building was being used for purposes beyond concerts, including auctions and exhibitions. During the 1870s, the
Oxford Philharmonic Society Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the U ...
would give weekly concerns. In 1910, the building was leased by the Oxford University Musical Union. In 1959, the building was restored. The building was
Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
in 1954.


Building

The building cost £1,263 and 10s, equivalent to approximately £2.5 million in 2018,Comparing labour costs between 1748 and 2018, £1,263 and 10s is valued at approximately £2,425,000.00 b
MeasuringWorth.com
/ref> and included
chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent ...
s that had previously been hung in
Westminster Hall The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...
for
Coronation of George IV The coronation of George IV as King of the United Kingdom took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 19 July 1821. Originally scheduled for 1 August of the previous year, the ceremony had been postponed due to the parliamentary proceedings of ...
and donated to Wadham College. The building was funded by public subscription. The auditorium seats 200, includes an
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
, which likely dates from the 1800s and originated in
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
. The room is the venue for a wide variety of music performances. upright=1.1, A singer and her accompanist competing in the final round of Bampton Classical Opera's Young Singers' Competition in December 2021 in the Holywell Music Room


See also

* Sheldonian Theatre *
Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college is named after the Anglo-Saxon Saint, Hilda of Whitby and was founded in 1893 as a hall for women; it remained a women's college until 200 ...


Notes


References


External links

*
University of Oxford Faculty of Music

Pindrop Performances

Oxford Coffee Concerts




from
Daily Information ''Daily Information'' (or ''Daily Info'' for short) is a printed information sheet in Oxford, England, displayed especially around the University colleges and departments, but also in local businesses. It has been in continuous existence since 28 S ...

Appeal for the extension and renovation of the Holywell Music Room
{{Coord , 51.7552, -1.2532, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Music venues completed in 1748 Music venues in Oxfordshire Concert halls in England