ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the notion of a Midlands-based Orientalism, taking works by composers with Birmingham connections to examine the ways in which East was imagined and represented in this area. The main focus is on Sir Granville Ransome Bantock’s early music, in particular those works which have had little attention paid to them since their first performances. The composers of this orchestral school of thought did not repudiate choral tradition, but their liveliest interests were engaged by orchestra. In 1901 the Halford Concerts Society was established, with Bantock as one of its members, as well as local musicians Alfred Gaul and Rowland Winn. Bantock took over from Elgar as Peyton Professor in 1908, but before then made a far-reaching impact on another Birmingham seat of learning. In 1900 Bantock was appointed Principal of the School of Music attached to the Birmingham and Midland Institute, a place that developed a reputation for imaginative music-making.
