Obituary: Arthur Davison

I SHOULD like to add a few words to Archie Newman's sympathetic obituary of Arthur Davison (25 August), to record Davison's great enthusiasm for the Royal Orchestral Society, or as I knew it in the 1970s, the Royal Amateur Orchestral Society, writes Sam Wiggs.

As recorded in Newman's piece, he was the society's director for 35 years. He rarely missed a Monday evening rehearsal, at which apart from the leader, his daughter Beverley, he was almost the only professional musician present.

If his commitments kept him away, his son Darrell would often take the baton. He drove us to concerts of monumental length, and it was not unusual to play a Brahms symphony three times in one day - twice in rehearsal and then at the performance, in a programme which would also include an overture, a concerto and perhaps a few lollipops. He brought great areas of the orchestral repertoire to several generations of amateur musicians.