We have kept awy from the above subjects as they are all a vast different area and Popular music is enough to keep us busy. Here are a few items that have come to our noitice in out researching.

The Portsmouth Papers There are two books in the Portsmouth Papers series that are worth looking at;- No 4, The Organs and Organists of the Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury at Portsmouth, by Philip Barrett, 1968 & 1975. No 69, Music in Portsmouth 1789 - 1842, Frank Warren & Irwen Cockman 1998.

A few productions of the Messiah by local organisations 1946 February 10th The Portsmouth Choral and Orchestral Society perform Handel's Messiah at the Central Hall Fratton. 1946 December 18th Portsmouth Glee Club present Handel's Messiah at the Central Hall Fratton. 1947 April 4th At the Coliseum, The Portsmouth Choral Union present "Messiah" with full chorus and orchestra. 1948 March 26th The Portsmouth Choral Union perform the Messiah at Portsmouth Northern Grammar School. 1948 October 23rd Saturday, The Portsmouth Choral and Orchestral Society perform Handel's 'Messiah' at the Central Hall Fratton Road. 1948 December 15th The Portsmouth Glee Club perform the Messiah at the Central Hall Fratton Road. 1949 December 10th Saturday, The Portsmouth Glee Club present Handel's 'Messiah'. 1950 April 7th The Portsmouth Choral Union perform Handel's Messiah at the Northern Grammar School. Mr. H Fox of 81 Wykeham Road North End is singing in the Messiah for the 50th time since he joined in 1900. 1951 March 22nd The Portsmouth Choral Union perform Handel's Messiah, their 57th annual performance, at the Portsmouth Northern Grammar School. 1952 March 29th Saturday, The Portsmouth Choral Union give their 58th annual performance of Handel's Messiah at the Northern Grammar School Hall. 1952 April 11th Good Friday. Portsmouth Glee Club perform Handel's Messiah at London Road Baptist Church. Soloists include Reg and Dorothy Wassell. 1953 April 3rd Portsmouth Choral Union perform Handel's 'Messiah' at the Northern Grammar School hall. 1953 April 3rd The Portsmouth Glee Club perform Handel's 'Messiah' at the London Road Baptist Church Portsmouth. 1954 February 3rd The Portsmouth Philharmonic Society present Handel's Messiah at the Wesley Central Hall. 1954 April 11th The Portsmouth Choral Union perform Handel's Messiah at the Kings Theatre. 1954 April 16th Good Friday The Portsmouth Glee Club perform Handel's Messiah at the London Road Baptist Church. Among the singers was Reginald Wassell, and organist was Stanley Matthews. 1955 March 26th Saturday, Drayton Methodist Choral Society perform Handel's Messiah at Copnor Methodist Church, with Stanley Matthews organist and Reginald Wassell baritone. 1955 April 8th The Portsmouth Choral Union present Handel's Messiah at the Wesley Central Hall, Fratton Road. 1956 March 30th The Portsmouth Choral Union present Handel's Messiah at the Wesley Central Hall. 1956 March 30th The Portsmouth Glee Club present Handel's Messiah at London Road Baptist Church, with soloists including Reginal Wassell, and organist Stanley Matthews. 1957 April 13th The Portsmouth Choral Union, conducted by Bertram Bradshaw, perform Handel's Messiah at the Wesley Central Hall. 1958 March 22nd The Portsmouth Choral Union, with orchestra leader Ernest Barr and conductor Bertram Bradshaw, one of the soloists is Reginald Wassell, perform Handel's Messiah, it's 64th year of this work, at the Wesley Central Hall, Fratton Road. 1959 June 13th Saturday, The Portsmouth Choral Union perform, Handel's "Messiah" at the Guildhall. Handel's Messiah and Portsmouth 1789-1812 1 October - 1 March Portsmouth Guildhall 28th November 2016 A wonderful exhibition of Handel's Messiah and the cultural life in Portsmouth is on display at the Portsmouth Guildhall. This exhibition presents archival research by Dr George Burrows of the University of Portsmouth that has revealed that Handel's Messiah was instrumental in the cultural life of Portsmouth over the turn of the nineteenth century. Maps and documents from the archives document performances of Messiah in Portsmouth in the context of the expansion of the city and of the grand musical festivals that commemorated Handel and his musical philanthropy. A word book from an 1812 performance of Messiah in Portsmouth that featured the great singer, Angelica Catalani, was annotated by a member of the audience and this allows for a recreation of a distinctive Portsmouth version of Messiah, which will be staged on Saturday 18 March 2017. The exhibition frames that performance with documents and images. Portsmouth University The University of Portsmouth Big Band The University of Portsmouth Concert Band The University of Portsmouth Choir The University of Portsmouth Orchestra The Dramatic and Musical Society (DMS) The Dramatic and Musical Society at the University of Portsmouth is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year

1897 Portsmouth And Southsea Amateur Operatic Dramatic Society perform The Pirates Of Penzance