Archive item of the month: January 2024
The results are in
Thank you to everyone who supplied thoughts, ideas and information on last month’s archive item (above).
Many helpful responses have been received, some noting the collars of the shirts, that the room might be a pre-electric recording studio, and a few names to faces.
Conductor and occasion:
Given Stanford’s age here, thought to be in his mid to late 60s, the photograph might have been taken at the Gramophone Company studios at Hayes when Stanford and the ‘Symphony Orchestra’ (possibly mostly LSO players) recorded his Suite of Ancient Dances for the HMV label (2-0718) on 5 November 1916; or it could have been taken in 1923 when Stanford recorded the Songs of the Fleet for Columbia, again with the LSO. This appears to link to some of the names suggested below.
Instrumentalists:
The horn player on the right without hair is thought to be Thomas Richard Busby (1862-1933), one of the principal horns in the LSO and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Another suggestion has suggested that it might be Hale George Hambleton (1876-1925).
The horn player on the left is London-born William Yates (ca 1872-1939?) who had been a pupil of the principal horn of the LSO Adolf Borsdorf at the Royal College of Music. At the time this photograph was taken horn players used the (old) three piston valve narrow bore French horn pitched in F. Yates was employed as an LSO ‘extra’ freelance 2nd or 4th horn, concentrating on the lower register. During World War 1 he played 2nd horn in the hugely successful West End production of Frederick Norton’s Chu Chin Chow, at His Majesty’s Theatre in London from 3 August 1916, for a record breaking five years. Yates apparently also played the violin and tuba.
It has been suggested that the flute player on the left could be Daniel S. Wood (d.1927), who was principal flute of the LSO. He played a Guards’ Model flute, which is consistent with the type of instrument that the pictured player is holding.
With thanks to Jeremy Dibble, Nigel Simeone, the Stanford Society, Robert Bigio, Hale Hambleton, Tony Catterick, John Humphries, Patrick Garvey, and others. I suspect we will hear and read more about this particular image in due course.