Shown below is a programme from the MBF Royal Concert attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on Tuesday 24th November 1970. The annual Royal Concerts were established by the Musicians' Benevolent Fund (now called Help Musicians) and began in 1951. Until 1964 they were held in the Royal Festival Hall at which point The Royal Albert Hall was used alternately. In 1982 the Barbican was added to a achieve a 3 year rotation. The last of these Royal Concerts was in 2008. In addition to the MBF the charitable funds of the Musicians' Union and the Incorporated Society of Musicians benefitted from the proceeds of these concerts.

 

In 1970, The Queen Mother was already an Honorary Freeman of the Musicians' Company (having accepted that honour in 1966), the Prince of Wales would go on to accept the Honorary Freedom in 2003.

 

During this 1970 concert, two fanfares were played to begin the first and second halves, they were composed respectively by Sir Arthur Bliss (Master of the Queen's Musick) and Malcolm Arnold - both Liverymen of the Musicians' Company. The National Anthem was arranged by Benjamin Britten - an Honorary Freeman of the Company.

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