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Last week, I reviewed Queen Charlotte, the Bridgerton spin-off, enjoying both the historical and ahistorical aspects. Based on a True Story blog is participating in the A-to-Z Challenge with and alphabet of authors. For ‘C’, we learned about the historical romances of K.J. Charles. Tina read two D.S. Cormac Reilly books set in Galway, Ireland.

Monday, April 15, will be the 100th anniversary of the birth of Neville Marriner, the renowned co-founder and conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

I’m going to start my observance by figuring out the answers to some long-time questions I’ve had:

1. Why is an orchestra given the name of Academy?
2. What is the relationship between the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and the church on Trafalgar Square called St. Martin-in-the-Fields?
3. Why does the church name have hyphens when the orchestra name does not?
4. Why is the church called St. Martin-in-the-Fields when the closest thing resembling a field is St. James’s Park, several blocks away, and even that area would be described more accurately as lawns than fields?

The original chamber orchestra was small and conductorless, thus ‘academy’ in this sense from Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

3 : a society of learned persons organized to advance art, science, or literature

The other co-founder of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (ASMF) was John Churchill who at that time, 1958, was the Master of Music at the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The first concert of ASMF was in that church. They continue to perform in that church as well as in other spaces.

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields originally did have the hyphens, but dropped them at some point, presumably because it looks cleaner on album covers.

The current church building is from 1726, according to the website, but there has been a church on this site since the 12th century — established in the fields between London and Westminster. Now, there are streets and buildings between London and Westminster.

I was in my late teens or early 20s when I became aware of Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, due to my mother’s purchase of a record. Both his name and the name of the organization appealed to me in their sheer Britishness and romance. I fortunately had come to a more accurate understanding of St. Martin-in-the-Fields before I visited London in 2014, or I would have sorely disappointed in the lack of wildflowers.

Naturally, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is going all out to celebrate the 100th birthday of Neville Marriner. Their Marriner 100 page lists all the events. If I were in London in the coming month, I would visit the Marriner 100 Exhibition to see album covers and memorabilia. Of course, the birthday concert by ASMF in St. Martin-in-the-Fields is sold out, but there are other concerts and events to consider.

Were Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields part of your exposure to classical music?