ABSTRACT
In the mid-1960s alone, Elisabeth Lutyens, David Bedford and Thea Musgrave all penned ‘Pierrot’ ensembles. But, with their dedication to a blend of concert music and music theatre, no group did more than the Pierrot Players (1967–70), originally the brainchild of Harrison Birtwistle and the clarinettist Alan Hacker, and their later incarnation, The trajectory is significant enough for our understanding of Pierrot’s performance and criticism, but, after the realization that the work need not stand alone in concert, composers and concert programmers responded. Several of the personnel involved with these ensembles travelled widely for its promotion. The trend of touring Pierrot reached Britain on 19 November 1923 as the Federation of Music Clubs hosted its British premiere in Kensington Town Hall, the start of a brief, localized run of concerts across three London districts.
