Society for the Promotion of New Music

The Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM) was a British membership and advocacy organization devoted to expanding opportunities for contemporary composers. Founded in London in January 1943 as the Committee for the Promotion of New Music by the émigré composer Francis Chagrin, it emerged during the Second World War as a practical response to the limited performance and broadcasting opportunities available to composers whose work had not yet entered the established repertory. The organization sought to identify promising music, arrange performances, support composers' professional development, and encourage broadcasters, publishers, performers, and other institutions to take new work seriously. Chagrin was the organization's principal organizer and driving force. Its founding circle included composers Mátyás Seiber and Roy Douglas, while Ralph Vaughan Williams agreed to serve as president on the condition that the organization avoid stylistic cliques and welcome strong work from every musical school. Arthur Bliss became vice-president, and Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett were among the committee members. This breadth of leadership helped position SPNM as an open platform rather than an association tied to one compositional faction. The organization’s early work included the preparation of recommended lists of compositions. These lists helped direct attention toward works that might otherwise have been overlooked and contributed to increased BBC broadcasting. SPNM also helped generate recording opportunities, including releases on Decca’s 78-rpm format during the 1940s. Its initial activities benefited from wartime public support through the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, together with private donations from figures including Vaughan Williams and Bliss. Over time, the organization developed a broader role as an intermediary for composers dealing with performance, publishing, broadcasting, and performing-rights issues. A formal transition from the original committee structure took place in the early 1950s. A draft amended constitution had been prepared by October 1951, and the Society for the Promotion of New Music held its inaugural meeting under that name on 27 May 1952. It continued to promote concerts and the circulation of new scores, with a particular emphasis on composers who lacked established institutional or commercial support. During its first half-century, approximately 9,000 scores were submitted and around 850 composers were represented in SPNM concerts, illustrating the scale of its role as a discovery and presentation platform. SPNM also created commemorative and developmental awards. After Chagrin’s death in 1972, the Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers was established in his memory in 1973. From 1993, the organization awarded the annual Francis Chagrin Award and the Butterworth Prize for Composition, extending its support beyond individual performances into structured recognition of emerging talent. The society marked its thirtieth anniversary with a concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on 5 February 1973. A new work commissioned from Chagrin for the occasion was not completed because of his illness; instead, his Lamento appassionato for string orchestra was performed. SPNM ceased to exist as an independent organization on 1 October 2008, when it merged with the British Music Information Centre, the Contemporary Music Network, and the Sonic Arts Network. The merger created Sound and Music, a new UK organization intended to coordinate and strengthen support for contemporary music. Although SPNM is therefore no longer active as a standalone entity, its historical contribution lies in the sustained promotion of new British music, its support for composers outside the established canon, and the performance, broadcasting, and professional pathways it helped create.

The Society for the Promotion of New Music began in London in January 1943 as the Committee for the Promotion of New Music. Its creation reflected the need for a dedicated institution that could help composers obtain performances and exposure during a period when concert programming and broadcasting were dominated by established repertory. The organization was founded by the émigré composer Francis Chagrin, who remained its principal organizer and advocate. Mátyás Seiber and Roy Douglas were also associated with its founding, while a number of prominent British composers gave it public authority and practical support. Ralph Vaughan Williams agreed to become president provided that the committee did not become attached to a particular clique, school, or compositional style. Arthur Bliss served as vice-president, and Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett were members of the committee. This leadership structure gave SPNM an intentionally broad remit: it was to assess and promote worthwhile new work regardless of stylistic allegiance. Early funding came from the wartime Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts, as well as private donations from Vaughan Williams, Bliss, and others. One of SPNM’s important early mechanisms was the preparation of recommended lists of works. These lists gave performers, broadcasters, and other gatekeepers a way to identify compositions by less-established composers. They helped increase BBC broadcasts and contributed to recording opportunities, including Decca releases on 78-rpm discs during the 1940s. The society also became a point of contact for composers dealing with publishers, performance rights, and the practical difficulties of getting new scores heard. Chagrin’s organizational work was particularly significant in turning the society from a simple concert initiative into a continuing professional support network. The organization formalized its institutional identity in the early 1950s. A revised constitution was drafted by October 1951, and the Society for the Promotion of New Music held its inaugural meeting on 27 May 1952. Under the SPNM name, it continued to organize and support performances, encourage broadcasting, circulate information about new scores, and provide opportunities for composers outside the established musical mainstream. Its record of activity illustrates a substantial discovery function: over its first fifty years, roughly 9,000 scores were submitted and approximately 850 composers were represented in its concerts. Chagrin died on 10 November 1972. For the society’s thirtieth-anniversary concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 5 February 1973, he had been commissioned to write a new piece, but illness prevented him from completing it. His Lamento appassionato for string orchestra was performed instead. In the same year, the Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers was created in his memory. The fund continued the founder’s emphasis on helping composers at an early stage of their careers. From 1993, SPNM also awarded the Francis Chagrin Award and the Butterworth Prize for Composition, giving formal recognition and assistance to new compositional work. SPNM’s final institutional transition took place on 1 October 2008. It merged with the British Music Information Centre, the Contemporary Music Network, and the Sonic Arts Network, producing Sound and Music as a consolidated UK organization for contemporary music. The merger ended SPNM as a separate entity but carried forward its broad mission of supporting composers, disseminating information, and widening access to contemporary musical practice.

• 2008

  Merged into Sound and Music

  [1]Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org

  SPNM combined with three other contemporary-music networks to form Sound and Music on 1 October 2008.

• 1993

  Annual composition awards introduced

  [1]Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org

  SPNM began awarding the annual Francis Chagrin Award and the Butterworth Prize for Composition.

• 1973

  Thirtieth-anniversary concert and Chagrin fund

  [1]Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org

  SPNM marked its thirtieth anniversary at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and established the Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers after Chagrin’s death.

• 1952

  Society formally established under its later name

  [1]Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Following constitutional preparation in 1951, the Society for the Promotion of New Music held its inaugural meeting on 27 May 1952.

• 1943

  Committee for the Promotion of New Music founded

  [1]Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Francis Chagrin founded the organization in London to promote the creation and performance of new music, especially by young and unestablished composers.

An independent, inclusive British platform for discovering, presenting, and advancing new music, with particular attention to young and unestablished composers.

• Live music programming · 1943

  SPNM concerts

  Concerts presenting contemporary compositions and providing performance opportunities for composers who were young, new, or not yet established in the mainstream concert system. Across its first fifty years, the society’s concerts represented approximately 850 composers.

• Music curation and discovery · 1943

  Recommended works lists

  Curated lists of new compositions intended to guide performers, broadcasters, and other music institutions toward worthwhile works. The lists helped increase exposure for new composers, including through BBC broadcasts and recordings.

• Composition award · 1993

  Francis Chagrin Award

  An annual award introduced by SPNM from 1993 and named after the organization’s founder. It formed part of the society’s later emphasis on formal recognition and support for emerging composers.

• Composition prize · 1993

  Butterworth Prize for Composition

  An annual composition prize awarded by SPNM from 1993 alongside the Francis Chagrin Award. It recognized new compositional work within the society’s wider program of support for contemporary music.

• Composer development fund · 1973

  Francis Chagrin Fund for Young Composers

  A fund established in 1973 in memory of Francis Chagrin. It continued his commitment to helping composers at early stages of their careers and was associated with SPNM’s developmental mission.

• 2008

  Consolidation into Sound and MusicM&A

  Background

  SPNM operated within a wider UK network of organizations supporting contemporary music, including the British Music Information Centre, Contemporary Music Network, and Sonic Arts Network.

  Action taken

  On 1 October 2008, the four organizations merged to create Sound and Music.

  Aftermath

  SPNM ceased operating as an independent organization, while its wider mission was incorporated into the new contemporary-music body.

  Source

• 2008

  Society for the Promotion of New Music merges into Sound and Music[1]Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  SPNM merged with the British Music Information Centre, the Contemporary Music Network, and the Sonic Arts Network to establish Sound and Music, ending its existence as a standalone organization.

1. 1Society for the Promotion of New Musicen.wikipedia.org