Page 104 - 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. 104
konservator iji: profesionalizacija in specializacija glasbenega dela
the piano and Gary [Elgar] Howarth the trumpet - and I had quite
a row with our professor, Humphrey Procter-Gregg. I was not study
ing composition with him any more - I had been kicked out of his
composition class - and I had a postcard from him saying (and I
still have this): ‘What is this I hear about a piece by you being per-
formed in the Arthur Worthington Hall? I’ve not been asked for
permission!’ And so I probably almost destroyed my chances ever of
having a degree from Manchester University - I went storming into
his office saying: ‘You’re not my composition teacher, this is nothing
to do with you, and we’re going to play it.’ And I remember Procter-
Gregg announcing to the University choir: There’s a concert tomor-
row night at the Arthur Worthington Hall, but it’s a very poor pros-
pect for your degree if you’re seen attending it.’43
The limitations of Procter-Gregg’s view of music was spelled out clear-
ly by Maxwell Davies:
He [Procter-Gregg] used to say: ‘Don’t take any notice of music
written before 1550, it’s dangerous.’ And when it came to my de-
gree Procter-Gregg did his damnedest to stop it, but fortunately
there was an external examiner there, Dr Andrews from Oxford,
who insisted that I got an Honours degree. God, that man [Procter-
Gregg] loathed me! I don’t blame him - I hated everything he stood
for.44
Maxwell Davies later informally attached himself to the College com-
position class of the composer Richard Hall (1903–1982), which included
his colleagues Harrison Birtwistle (b1934) and Alexander Goehr (b1932).
This made one of the most astonishing groupings of teacher and students in
higher education in music in the United Kingdom. These three composition
students, together with the pianist John Ogdon (1937–1989) and trumpeter
Elgar Howarth (b1935)45, formed a performing group for advanced contem-
porary music. Their influence was to change the whole outlook of British
music for decades, by challenging the then accepted norms in the conser
vatories. It took many years for the Royal College of Music and the Royal
43 Nicholas Jones, “Peter Maxwell Davies in the 1950s: a conversation with the compo-
ser,” Tempo 64, no. 254 (October 2010): 12.
44 Ibid., 13.
45 Howarth later became an excellent conductor of contemporary music, often but not
exclusively that of his contemporaries Harrison Birtwistle and Peter Maxwell Davi-
es.
102
the piano and Gary [Elgar] Howarth the trumpet - and I had quite
a row with our professor, Humphrey Procter-Gregg. I was not study
ing composition with him any more - I had been kicked out of his
composition class - and I had a postcard from him saying (and I
still have this): ‘What is this I hear about a piece by you being per-
formed in the Arthur Worthington Hall? I’ve not been asked for
permission!’ And so I probably almost destroyed my chances ever of
having a degree from Manchester University - I went storming into
his office saying: ‘You’re not my composition teacher, this is nothing
to do with you, and we’re going to play it.’ And I remember Procter-
Gregg announcing to the University choir: There’s a concert tomor-
row night at the Arthur Worthington Hall, but it’s a very poor pros-
pect for your degree if you’re seen attending it.’43
The limitations of Procter-Gregg’s view of music was spelled out clear-
ly by Maxwell Davies:
He [Procter-Gregg] used to say: ‘Don’t take any notice of music
written before 1550, it’s dangerous.’ And when it came to my de-
gree Procter-Gregg did his damnedest to stop it, but fortunately
there was an external examiner there, Dr Andrews from Oxford,
who insisted that I got an Honours degree. God, that man [Procter-
Gregg] loathed me! I don’t blame him - I hated everything he stood
for.44
Maxwell Davies later informally attached himself to the College com-
position class of the composer Richard Hall (1903–1982), which included
his colleagues Harrison Birtwistle (b1934) and Alexander Goehr (b1932).
This made one of the most astonishing groupings of teacher and students in
higher education in music in the United Kingdom. These three composition
students, together with the pianist John Ogdon (1937–1989) and trumpeter
Elgar Howarth (b1935)45, formed a performing group for advanced contem-
porary music. Their influence was to change the whole outlook of British
music for decades, by challenging the then accepted norms in the conser
vatories. It took many years for the Royal College of Music and the Royal
43 Nicholas Jones, “Peter Maxwell Davies in the 1950s: a conversation with the compo-
ser,” Tempo 64, no. 254 (October 2010): 12.
44 Ibid., 13.
45 Howarth later became an excellent conductor of contemporary music, often but not
exclusively that of his contemporaries Harrison Birtwistle and Peter Maxwell Davi-
es.
102
