Editing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (section)

===Origins===
[[File:RPO-arms.jpg|thumb|Arms of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]]
In 1932, [[Sir Thomas Beecham]] had founded the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]] (LPO), which, with the backing of rich supporters, he ran until 1940, when finances dried up in wartime. Beecham left to conduct in Australia and then the US; the orchestra continued without him after reorganising itself as a self-governing body. On Beecham's return to England in September 1944 the LPO welcomed him back and, in October, they gave a concert together that drew superlatives from the critics.<ref>[[William Glock|Glock, William]], "Music", ''[[The Observer]]'' 8 October 1944, p. 2; and "Sir T. Beecham's Return", ''The Times'', 9 October 1944, p. 8</ref> Over the next months, Beecham and the orchestra gave further concerts with considerable success, but the LPO players, now their own employers, declined to give him the unfettered control he had exercised in the 1930s. If he were to become chief conductor again, it would be as a paid employee of the orchestra.<ref>Reid (1961), p. 230</ref> Beecham responded, "I emphatically refuse to be wagged by any orchestra ... I am going to found one more great orchestra to round off my career."<ref name=reid231>Reid (1961), p. 231</ref> In 1945 he conducted the first concert of [[Walter Legge]]'s new [[Philharmonia Orchestra]], but was not disposed to accept a salaried position from Legge, his former assistant, any more than from his former players in the LPO.<ref name=reid231/>{{#tag:ref|Of the 75 players who constituted the LPO in 1944 only 18 had been in the LPO that Beecham left in 1940.<ref>Lucas, p. 306</ref>|group= n}} His new orchestra to rival the Philharmonia would, he told Legge, be launched in "the most auspicious circumstances and ''éclat''".<ref>Osborne, p. 248</ref>

In 1946, Beecham reached an agreement with the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]]: his orchestra would replace the LPO at all the Society's concerts.<ref name=reid231/> He thus gained the right to name the new ensemble the "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", an arrangement approved by [[George VI of the United Kingdom|George VI]].<ref>"Orchestra Refuse to Drop 'Royal' from Title, '' The Times'', 19 August 1964, p. 10</ref>{{#tag:ref|The Society had its own orchestra from its foundation in 1813 until 1932, when it agreed with Beecham that the new LPO would play at all its concerts.<ref>Three Orchestras", ''The Times'' 24 September 1932, p. 8; and "The Royal Philharmonic", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 21 August 1946, p. 3</ref> The new Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was granted the right to use the name when playing for the Society or at any other performance conducted by or under the artistic control of Beecham.<ref>[[George Baker (record singer)|Baker, George]]. "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra", ''The Times'', 4 July 1964, p. 9</ref>|group= n}} Beecham arranged with the [[Glyndebourne Festival]] that the RPO should be the resident orchestra at Glyndebourne seasons. He secured backing, including that of record companies in the US as well as Britain, with whom lucrative recording contracts were negotiated.<ref name=reid231/> The music critic Lyndon Jenkins writes:

{{blockquote|Naturally, it quickly became known that he was planning another orchestra, at which the cry "He'll never get the players!" went up just as it had done in 1932. Beecham was unmoved: "I always get the players," he retorted. "Among other considerations, they are so good they refuse to play under anybody but me".<ref>Jenkins (2005), p. 99</ref>|}}