Music is increasingly recognised as an important part of our health and wellbeing. It has the power to transport us away from everyday stress and anxiety, and is used in innovative programmes designed to improve both mental and physical health. Although modern ‘music therapy’ can be traced to the 1940s, the connection between music, health and wellbeing dates back much further. In the 19th century, as public provision for mental health was put in place via large scale networks of psychiatric hospitals, music emerged as a key feature.
At the Crichton Royal Institution just outside Dumfries in 1841, concerts became the foremost entertainment for patients. The resident physician, William Browne, records that the Dumfries brass band performed several concerts during the winter to around 50 patients. In the summer, however, the band was able to walk around the building, reaching all the patients. The development of concerts – alongside theatre, literature and the visual arts – is one of the most remarkable features of the Crichton’s influential history.
The Crichton Royal Institution was founded in 1838 under the watchful eye of Elizabeth Crichton, the wealthy widow of the physician Dr James Crichton. Mrs Crichton was closely involved in the hospital’s
