There Is A Huge Strength Of Classical Music In Britain

There is a huge strength of classical music in Britain, and the city of London has more world-famous symphony orchestras than any other city across the globe. The Barbican Centre, the Southbank Centre and Royal Albert Hall feature a non-stop, year-round bursting schedule of classical concerts, which attract thousands of visitors. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Royal Opera House Orchestra, crack "period", chamber and contemporary orchestras compete with The Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra for acclaim from audiences and music reviews.
Outside of the capital, there is still a great strength of classical music, and orchestras and music societies have been established in the likes of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool for as long as in London. The depth and internationalism of musical life reflects the development of the British classical tradition as European, but with specific slants of its own. Top Russian musicians are attracted to play in London venues every year, and it has become the world's leading showcase for international performance.
After outstanding early English church composers such as Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, developed the use of massed choral voices to stirring effect, the vocal tradition has arguably become British classical music's glory. Tudor monarchs Henry VIII and Elizabeth I took a lively interest in musical entertainment, although the vocal tradition was boosted in 1710 when the German composer Handel moved to live in London. A boom in opera, choral and instrumental music for the next 35 years was generated by Handel's move and there was an explosion of classical music organisations and concert halls in the Victorian era. Because of this, a wealth of top European composers such as Mozart, Chopin and Mahler visited the capital.
The excitement of Beethoven's music and its enormous technical demands, prompted the setting up of the Philharmonic Society in 1813, followed by the Royal Academy of Music in 1822. A number of major cities across the UK including Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh established major orchestras. The best of world chamber music was shown off in the Wigmore Hall, then the Bechstein Hall, which was built in 1899 just off London's Oxford Street. Other key concert halls were built in London for large-scale symphonic performance like the Royal Albert Hall and Queen's Hall.
Amid a rapid increase in conservatoires and orchestras, the Proms were launched by Sir Henry Wood in 1895. Edward Elgar was the first internationally renowned British composer and headed the boom period, which produced a host of English late-Victorian and Edwardian composers. In the 20th century, a new "English" classical style of a more pastoral type arose, with Vaughan Williams, Delius and Grainger the leading lights, while Noel Coward and Ivor Novello led the world in sophisticated light-classical musical composition.
Classical music was taken to the masses when the BBC made the decision to take over the Proms in 1931 and the organisation went on to found its own broadcasting orchestra and classical radio station (now Radio 3). There was at least widespread access to great classical music, live and recorded given to the general public.