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Newent Orchestral
Society
Celebrating 70 years of music making, 1940-2010
Music Heritage Project & Orchestra History
This project explores
Newent's musical heritage. Sponsored by the Newent Orchestra, it promotes such
diverse celebrities as record producer, Joe Meek, and composer, Rutland Boughton.

Newent Market House, Exhibition venue.

Valuable and historic records on view.
Newent's
Celebrities
Newent is a small
market town on the edge of the Three Choirs Festival Triangle. It is the birthplace
of Joe Meek and the final home of Rutland Boughton (died 50 years ago this year), both
major figures in their respective music genres, who suffered and sank when their eccentric
lifestyles alienated fans and the establishment, and their musical achievments were
eclipsed by personal torments.
Rutland Boughton
(1878-1960, photo copyright Rutland Boughton Music Trust) founded a colony of artists and
the first Glastonbury Festival, an English "Bayreuth", prior to the First World
War, supported by Sir Edward Elgar and Sir Granville Bantock. Boughton, in his time,
was as popular as his contemporary, Vaughan Williams, and holds the record for the longest
continuously running West End opera, "The Immortal Hour", based on an ancient
Celtic saga. However, his allegiance with the communist party, which extended to him
welcoming Paul Robeson to Newent, and his reputedly immoral lifestyle contributed to a
complete fall from grace and popularity.

Joe Meek
(1929-1967), recent subject of a major biopic with Kevin Spacey, Con O'Neill and Ralph
Little, was a pioneer of modern pop music and his protégés ranged from Chas of
"Chas and Dave", to Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Welsh
superstar, Tom Jones, to jazz innovator, Humphrey Littleton. His Telstar-type
production techniques were hugely innovative and successful but he descended into a morass
of madness and ended up blasting his landlady with a shotgun, then shooting himself, not
living to reap the benefits of his pioneering work.
History of the
Newent Orchestra
A fully documented
history of the orchestra compiled by George Taylor is now available. If you would
like a copy, please send your enquiry to the orchestra secretary.
The orchestra was
formed in 1940 by Clem Thurston, who ran a grocery business in Newent. He was
supported by others, including the Rev. C.J.K. Burnell and his family, who were virtually
a small orchestra in themselves. Viola player, Carline Crampton, joined the company
and became the Newent Orchestra's first conductor. The orchestra has been rehearsing
and presenting concerts since this time - a remarkable achievement for the product of such
a relatively small community.
Carline Crampton was
the orchestra's conductor for 48 years, handing the baton over to Adrian Courteny for a
period and then to the present conductor, George Taylor, in 1992.
The orchestra is
fortunate to own an extensive collection of music scores, many of these being old and of
historic interest. Exploring this musical treasure trove is always a pleasure at
rehearsals and the collection provides much of the music for creating original and
entertaining concert programmes.

The Newent Orchestra in 1986, photographed
in Oxenhall Church, with
legendary conductor, Carline Crampton.

Orchestra in 2004, St Mary's Church,
Newent, with conductor, George Taylor - two faces
(Elizabeth Desmond, violin, and Liz Wreford, flute) remain the same...
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