Making music...
A PICTURE that appears to show a magician and his church ‘human organ’ in rural Warwickshire has given a fascinating insight into life at the time.
The image shows what looks like a church organ formed by a group of boys with a magician at the centre of it.
They are posing in a large group dressed as organ keys, with a man in the middle dressed up in a magician’s costume.
Quintessentially English, the picture is a bit quirky and at first glance you’re not quite sure what’s going on.
You might even be mistaken for thinking it’s a mystical picture from Grimm’s Fairy tales, or even a panto dress rehearsal.
Well you wouldn’t be far off. The picture was taken in the grounds of Warwick Castle in 1929, at a time of cultural revival after the Great War.
It was a performance of Gustav Holst’s Golden Goose, a choral ballet, put on by a Mr R.A.F Mears and the boys of Warwick school.
The human organ turns out to be, in fact, gnomes under the Magician’s (Mr Mears) control.
The picture is part of Warwickshire County Records office’s extensive collection, and they have kindly let us use the picture.
We spoke to Ben Earl from Warwickshire County Records Office who filled us in on the fascinating story behind the picture.
“Holst’s Golden Goose is a choral ballet, tapping into revivalism of Elizabethan entertainment forms, hence the use of mime, and other nods to traditional formats.
“This is all a celebration of Englishness, a re-affirmation of national culture after the Great War, and in that case, what better scene for the performance than Warwick Castle! Holst was big on tradition, having revived Purcell’s Fairy Queen, and given its first performance of modern times” he said.
The performance was actually put on to raise funds for St Nicholas Church which still stands in Warwick.
Mr Earl explained how typically British the picture is: “It’s one of many unusual and eccentric images on Our Warwickshire that show how a certain quirky Britishness was, and still is, alive in the area. Of course, it also shows the need to grab attention and therefore encourage people to come and watch, and contribute to the fund to restore St Nicholas Church! “The choral ballet is based on a Grimm fairy tale so captures that otherworldly atmosphere (as the picture shows!), but is strangely familiar, bringing to mind maybe forms more well-known nowadays such as pantomime.”
And amazingly, it caught the attention of Gustav Holst himself, who travelled to Warwick to see the dress rehearsal.
It’s not often you get to perform to the composer himself, and he certainly left a lasting impression, as Mr Earl explained.
“[Holst] also autographed a number of programmes, which were set to be auctioned to help raise money for the restoration of St Nicholas Church, the point of this performance. Holst is a big deal in British classical music, his presence gives authority to a local production. It shows how seemingly local concerns can have more impact than you’d think.”
Established in 1993, Warwickshire County Records Office that operates with the aim of collecting, preserving and making available records relating to the county of Warwickshire
You can follow Warwickshire County Records Office on Facebook: @Warwickshirecountyrecordoffice
Or you can visit their website: heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/county-record-office