ABSTRACT
For most of the twentieth century, from 1906 until 1990, Britain's music profession had its equivalent of Marks and Spencer, Bradford and Bingley or Fortnum and Mason, namely the artists' management agency Ibbs and Tillett, or, as it was affectionately known to many musicians on its books in its last years, 'Fibbs & Toilet'. During the course of its 84-year existence it became the backbone of the music industry throughout the land; every week quartets of singers would be despatched to the myriad numbers of choral societies and music clubs the length and breadth of the country. On a Friday night or Saturday morning, Crewe station on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway became a meeting point where Isobel Baillie, Muriel Brunskill, Heddle Nash and Roy Henderson, on their way to Manchester for a Messiah, might meet up with Elsie Suddaby, Mary Jarred, Eric Greene and Keith Falkner on their way to Liverpool for the same work. Rachmaninov might be spotted at Paddington on his way to Cardiff as part of a UK recital tour, while Moiseiwitsch might be seen boarding the boat train at Victoria on his way to Europe for a concert tour. Casals and Piatigorsky could well have passed each other on trains between London and York, Szigeti and Milstein between London and Edinburgh. Such were the lists of artists whose British (and to some extent foreign) careers were in the hands of Ibbs and Tillett.
