Janus: Records of the Cambridge University Madrigal Society

University contains:
<-- See earlier
SOC.XVI	Records of the Cambridge University Musical Club
SOC.XVII	Records of the Cambridge University Detective Fiction Society
SOC.XVIII	Records of the Cambridge University Athletic Club
SOC.XX	Records relating to the Cambridge University Musical Comedy Club productions
SOC.XXI	Records of the Cambridge University Mountaineering Club
SOC.XXII	Records of the Cambridge University Madrigal Society
SOC.XXIII.1	Lists of Cambridge University Hockey Club teams for Varsity matches, 1890-1987 and results, 1890-1990; with a brief Club history
SOC.XXIV	Records of the Cambridge University Real Tennis Club
SOC.XXIX	Records of the Del Squared V Club
SOC.XXV	Records of the Cambridge University Mummers
SOC.XXVI.1	Papers relating to campaigning for the introduction of lead-free petrol
See later -->

Records of the Cambridge University Madrigal Society

Title	Records of the Cambridge University Madrigal Society
Reference	GBR/0265/SOC.XXII
Creator	Cambridge University Madrigal Society
Covering Dates	1924–1970
Extent and Medium	0.5 metre; paper and photograph
Repository	Cambridge University Archives

Content and context

The society was founded in 1920 as the Cambridge University Opera Society by Bernhard (Boris) Ord (1897-1961), then an undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, and a small band of amateurs anxious to preserve the enthusiasm caused by the first performance at Cambridge in that year of Purcell's 'Fairy Queen'. It sang both operas and madrigals for its own amusement and changed its name to the Cambridge University Madrigal Society in 1924. Its first public performance, with Ord by then a Fellow of King's College as its conductor, was of Byrd's 'Great Service' in Little St Mary's church in 1924. From 1928, it sang annually in May Week on the river Cam. It gave concerts in Paris, Leiden, Berlin, Hamburg and London and made recordings. In 1958, when Boris Ord became too ill to conduct, he chose Raymond Leppard (b.1927, Trinity College, MA 1955) as his successor. On the departure from Cambridge of Leppard in 1968, the society was dissolved. The society should not be confused with the Cambridge University Opera Society established in 1966 and formerly known as the Cambridge University Opera Group, whose records 1972-95 are catalogued as UA SOC.XI.

The largest component of the archive is the collection of programmes for society concerts.

The records were transferred as a gift to the University Archives from the Rowe Music Library, King's College, on 18 December 2000 and 27 September 2001 by Dr Rosalind Moad, King's College archivist.

Access and Use

Please cite as Cambridge University Archives, Records of the Cambridge University Madrigal Society, SOC.XXII

Further information

The papers of Boris Ord are in the Rowe Music Library, King's College, Cambridge.

This online catalogue for Janus was completed in August 2004 and emended in November 2007.

Index Terms

Clubs

Musical Performances

Vocal Music

Cambridge University Madrigal Society

Ord, Bernhard (1897-1961) conductor, called Boris

University/SOC.XXII contains:

SOC.XXII.1

Minutes of society meetings, with several related letters.
1 volume; paper.

1946–1968

SOC.XXII.2

Members list. The contents are annotated as being incomplete.
1 volume; paper.

1939–1958

SOC.XXII.3

Account book for the capital (also known as the 'investment'), working (also known as the 'bank') and cash accounts.
1 volume; paper.

1932–1969

SOC.XXII.4

Programmes of concerts given by the society.
153 items divided between 3 envelopes; paper.

1924–1967

SOC.XXII.5

Voices register.
1 volume; paper.

1933–1967

SOC.XXII.6

Prize certificates for performances in competitions at the Cambridgeshire Festival of Music.
4 items; paper.

1930–1932

SOC.XXII.7

Photographs of society, conductor and audience at 'Singing on the river' concerts during May Week. The singer, conductor and a proportion of the audience, sat in punts on the Cam under King's Bridge, 1928-59, or, from 1960, at Trinity College Backs. Other spectators sat on the river bank.
Creator: John Fletcher, Atherton Hall, Lancashire; Cambridge News, Cambridge.
12 photographic prints; photograph.

1938–1963

SOC.XXII.8

Photograph of society members on arrival at Gare St Lazare, Paris, en route for a concert at L'Abbaye de Royaumont, near Chantilly.
Creator: Photoreportage Trampus, Paris.
1 photographic print; photograph.

June 1939

SOC.XXII.9

Photograph portrait of Boris Ord.
Creator: Ramsey and Muspratt, Post Office Terrace, Cambridge.
1 photographic print; photograph.

1958

SOC.XXII.10

Incomplete list of concerts given by the society, 1924-67.
Creator: Mitchell, Ena, Honorary Secretary.
5 sheets; paper.

1970

SOC.XXII.11

Notes on the history of the society and its performances, 1920-55.
Creator: Ord, Boris, Founder and Conductor; Darke, Hubert, Secretary.
9 sheets; paper.

1958