Sevenpence Each 7 - HE Priorities of Patronage, the new Arts
Council report, is chiefly concerned with the way the money—what there is of it—is distri- buted to the arts in Britain. But one of its minor recommendations—centralised action to co- ordinate the various sources of benefaction—has been given fresh relevance by the increasing part which industry seems to be taking. Competition to support music has begun to be fashionable, particularly among breweries. This week Guin- ness's announce that they are paying for a London Philharmonic concert in November which will include the premiere of a new sym- phony by P. Racine Fricker. Watney's have riposted by promoting the first London perform- ance of Frank Martin's Nativity. A few weeks ago Martini's put on an adventurous modern concert, and Schweppes are paying for the new cover designs on the LPO's programmes.
On the question of public subsidy, the report is platitudinous; but this is what it should be. The truths it states, in cold figures and hard cash, have been stated before and must be stated again and again until they penetrate the dull consciousness of public authority. The report sets them out clearly and accurately (though it is alarming to find Stravinsky spelt in successive paragraphs with a v and with a w and Cimarosa's Maestro di Cappella attributed to Donizetti. The design on the cover is the leitmotiv of the report—the figure id.' repeated in suit- ably haphazard jumble. Sevenpence a head is all the British nation can bring itself to fork out publicly for the arts--the equivalent of four miles of the M I motorway. It compares miser- ably with small countries such as Denmark. Holland and Switzerland.
Within these meagre limits the Arts Council
And there will he another of these for every year's service.' has to tread delicately, and it is (Weil a for favouritism. The means test which it to orchestral grants has undoubtedly been to the Halle, which in 1959-60 got C5.0 than the Liverpool because its mom greater—an assessment which took no of the sweat involved in achieving this and the ludicrous number of concerts- 250 in the year--which the orchestra was to undertake. The report is also strange cent about the successes of Theatre Woi But general charges of unjust distributi convincingly met and the notion that Lot disproportionately subsidised at the expo the rest of the country exploded once and The State is probably giving as much be expected at the moment (though a liar grant to Sadler's Wells which allows thi pany to plan more than twelve months a an urgent necessity). Where the Counci give a strong lead is in stimulating mu subsidy. 'The biggest scope for further ac ment [in public patronage) seems to lie w local authorities'—in other words the ( should get out into darkest Britain and ( and proselytise among philistine town c( Only about £250,000 a year out of the to million allowed by the 1948 Local Gave Act is actually being spent on music and Where Hornchurch, with a populati 122,600, supports its repertory theatre wit'' £61,500 a year, other cities five times as only scrape together £250 for theirs. Lia gives its orchestra about £24,000 a ye; throws in free use of the Philharmonic Manchester gives the Halle £6,000 and some of it back in rent for the Free Trad ticorac near') force° kshaP.
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