ABSTRACT
The Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra had gained its name and permanency when, in 1896, the Bournemouth Corporation took over an orchestra that had been formed by Dan Godfrey. The first programme over the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) given by Alfredo Campoli and his Salon Orchestra was typical of those to follow, not least in featuring a guest artist, in this case the soprano Alice Lilley. The name of Alfredo was so well-known over the air that one might have imagined that he was a member of the BBC itself. Light music over the BBC, in fact, took up more broadcast hours than any other kind of programme. When Alfredo made his debut at Wigmore Hall in 1923 the BBC had only been on air for six months. His Salon Orchestra was featured in a film series 'Famous Light Orchestras', while he himself also took part in two commercial films.
