Page 103 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2020. Konservatoriji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela ▪︎ The conservatories: professionalisation and specialisation of musical activity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 4
P. 103
in the shadow of parry, stanford and mackenzie ...
as well as Josef Rufer’s composing tutor. He also wrote the book The Mu-
sic of Liszt.40
The most bizarre case is that of Daphne Oram (1925–2003), who in 1942
turned down a traditional place which had been offered to her at the Roy-
al College of Music to study piano and composition, choosing instead to
study electronics and composition privately, working in the BBC sound de-
partment and eventually co-founding the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in
1958, the precursor to electronic music in the United Kingdom. 41 None of
the work that she did at the BBC would have been remotely possible at the
Royal College of Music, even if the equipment had been available, because
of the violently negative attitudes that were then the norm.
This steady but somewhat uncomfortable educational procession was
due to be shattered by a unique situation in the city of Manchester. In 1953
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016) had begun a joint course between the
Music Department of the University of Manchester (formed in 1936) and the
Royal Manchester College of Music (founded in 1893).42 His University tutor
was the head of the Music Department, the composer Humphrey Procter-
Gregg (1895–1980), who surprisingly believed that music should not pro-
gress beyond that of Frederick Delius. Procter-Gregg himself was only a mi-
nor composer, who had studied at the Royal College of Music with Stanford,
but seemed to hold the view that his views on music should be shared by all
his students. Davies made himself very unpopular with his tutor by advo-
cating the music of Stravinsky and Bartók so much so that he was removed
from Procter-Gregg’s class. He further antagonised his tutor by presenting a
concert in the University including some of his own music without seeking
the permission and approval of the head of department, as was required by
the institution. As Davies said in an interview with Nicholas Jones:
We did the Trumpet Sonata first at a concert in the Arthur Worth-
ington Hall at the University at Manchester - John Ogdon played
40 Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt, Arnold Schoenberg (London: John Calder, 1959); Jo-
sef Rufer, Composition with Twelve Notes related only to one another (London: Bar-
rie & Rockliff, 1959) and Humphrey Searle, The Music of Liszt (London: Williams &
Norgate, 1954).
41 Daphne Oram, An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics (London: Gal-
liard, 1972; [Wakefield:] Anomie, 2016) gives a detailed survey of her work, especial-
ly at the BBC, but glosses over the possibilities that may have been available at the
Royal College of Music.
42 The Royal Manchester College of Music, founded in 1893, merged with the smaller
Northern School of Music in 1973 to become the Royal Northern College of Music.
101
as well as Josef Rufer’s composing tutor. He also wrote the book The Mu-
sic of Liszt.40
The most bizarre case is that of Daphne Oram (1925–2003), who in 1942
turned down a traditional place which had been offered to her at the Roy-
al College of Music to study piano and composition, choosing instead to
study electronics and composition privately, working in the BBC sound de-
partment and eventually co-founding the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in
1958, the precursor to electronic music in the United Kingdom. 41 None of
the work that she did at the BBC would have been remotely possible at the
Royal College of Music, even if the equipment had been available, because
of the violently negative attitudes that were then the norm.
This steady but somewhat uncomfortable educational procession was
due to be shattered by a unique situation in the city of Manchester. In 1953
Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016) had begun a joint course between the
Music Department of the University of Manchester (formed in 1936) and the
Royal Manchester College of Music (founded in 1893).42 His University tutor
was the head of the Music Department, the composer Humphrey Procter-
Gregg (1895–1980), who surprisingly believed that music should not pro-
gress beyond that of Frederick Delius. Procter-Gregg himself was only a mi-
nor composer, who had studied at the Royal College of Music with Stanford,
but seemed to hold the view that his views on music should be shared by all
his students. Davies made himself very unpopular with his tutor by advo-
cating the music of Stravinsky and Bartók so much so that he was removed
from Procter-Gregg’s class. He further antagonised his tutor by presenting a
concert in the University including some of his own music without seeking
the permission and approval of the head of department, as was required by
the institution. As Davies said in an interview with Nicholas Jones:
We did the Trumpet Sonata first at a concert in the Arthur Worth-
ington Hall at the University at Manchester - John Ogdon played
40 Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt, Arnold Schoenberg (London: John Calder, 1959); Jo-
sef Rufer, Composition with Twelve Notes related only to one another (London: Bar-
rie & Rockliff, 1959) and Humphrey Searle, The Music of Liszt (London: Williams &
Norgate, 1954).
41 Daphne Oram, An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics (London: Gal-
liard, 1972; [Wakefield:] Anomie, 2016) gives a detailed survey of her work, especial-
ly at the BBC, but glosses over the possibilities that may have been available at the
Royal College of Music.
42 The Royal Manchester College of Music, founded in 1893, merged with the smaller
Northern School of Music in 1973 to become the Royal Northern College of Music.
101
