The founding of the famous Saturday concert series at Crystal Palace belongs to a previous era, when (in 1855) the conductor August Manns transformed band performances into path-breaking orchestral concerts.

It was a highly unusual venture. The original Crystal Palace had been designed for the 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, and rebuilt at the top of a park in Sydenham, a South London suburb. Balancing the demands of entertainment and education, the Palace offered a broad range of music catering to every taste. Manns boldly pitched the Saturday concerts at the top end of the artistic spectrum, with challenging programmes that featured novelties from the continent as well as music by British composers.

In truth the building was far from ideal as a concert venue. While massive choral concerts (including Handel Festivals) took place in one of the transepts, with obvious acoustic challenges, a curious glass box had to be specially designed for orchestral concerts.

And it was an awkward and expensive train journey from central London, some seven miles away. Nevertheless the quality of the music-making and the attraction of new music drew enthusiastic crowds. Elgar recalled setting off from Worcester at seven in the morning, a journey of over five hours,

arriving in time for the last three quarters of an hour of the rehearsal; if fortune smiled, this piece of rehearsal included the work desired to be heard; but fortune rarely smiled and more often than not the principal item was over. Lunch, – Concert at three

and a rush to get home by 10.30, ‘another treasure added to a life’s experience’. He himself conducted his King Olaf in 1897, one of many large choral pieces given at the Palace.

For several decades this was the only concert orchestra of any permanence in London, playing several times during the week and presenting over 20 concerts on Saturday afternoons across a long  winter season.

But the allure began to lose its shine in the 1890s, especially when in 1897 the Queen’s Hall Orchestra launched direct competition in central London. The authorities responded by shortening the concert season, but the regular series under Manns’s baton ceased in 1901. Later seasons saw more mixed programming, including some orchestral concerts, yet Crystal Palace was no longer a must for London concert-goers.

The glass building itself burnt down in 1936: the immense size can still be experienced from the foundations extant in the park.

For programmes of the concerts 1893–1914, download the Calendar of London Concerts 1893–1914, press the Search Series tab at the bottom of the page, and select Crystal Palace Saturday Concerts.

Further reading

Michael Musgrave, The Musical Life of the Crystal Palace (Cambridge, 1995)