Its establishment was encouraged by Alsager's "Queen Square Select Society" and John Ella's Musical Union.
After Alsager's death in 1846 French cellist Scipion Rousselot directed the society.
The society were the first to present a performance of the complete cycle of the Beethoven string quartets, running from 21 April 1845 and 16 June 1845, with Camillo Sivori, Prosper Sainton, Henry Hill and Scipion Rousselot.
Other musicians, who played at the society's concerts, include Joseph Joachim, Henryk Wieniawski (both as violinist and violist), Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, Alfredo Piatti, Louis Ries, William Sterndale Bennett and Ludwig Straus.
[4] Hector Berlioz attended at least one of the society's concerts at the "New Beethoven Room" (at the building at 27 Queen Anne Street, where Berlioz lived) and this made enough of an impression to mention it in his book Evenings with the Orchestra.