Page 89 - 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. 89
oi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7055-86-3.87-104
In the Shadow of Parry, Stanford
and Mackenzie: Musical Composition studies
in the principal London Conservatories
from 1918 to 1945
Niall O’Loughlin
Univerza v Loughboroughu
Loughborough University
In the early 20th century, the main British music institutions, which at-
tracted the attention of prospective composers, were the Royal Academy
of Music and the Royal College of Music, both located in London. What is
particularly notable is that the early principals of the Royal Academy were
almost always prominent composers and the directors of the Royal College
were very often composers, too. The history of the founding and the back-
ground of these two conservatories gives some understanding of their po-
sition and standing by the end of World War I.
In the early 1820s patriotic amateurs promoted ideas for the founda-
tion of a Royal Academy of Music, but this was initially opposed by the mu-
sic profession, which felt that there were too many musicians anyway. The
professionals then tried unsuccessfully to associate the proposed academy
with the long-standing Philharmonic Society, which later commissioned
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony during the same period. In the end the am-
ateurs, principally John Fane, eleventh Earl of Westmorland (also known
as Lord Berghersh) with assistance of royalty, notably King George IV, suc-
ceeded in establishing the Academy of Music in 1822 in London, the first of
the British conservatories, receiving its royal charter in 1830 to become the
Royal Academy of Music.
To create a strong credibility for the institution the founders needed
to appoint a distinguished principal, although the choice was perhaps not
that difficult. A well-known musical prodigy, William Crotch (1775–1847),
87
In the Shadow of Parry, Stanford
and Mackenzie: Musical Composition studies
in the principal London Conservatories
from 1918 to 1945
Niall O’Loughlin
Univerza v Loughboroughu
Loughborough University
In the early 20th century, the main British music institutions, which at-
tracted the attention of prospective composers, were the Royal Academy
of Music and the Royal College of Music, both located in London. What is
particularly notable is that the early principals of the Royal Academy were
almost always prominent composers and the directors of the Royal College
were very often composers, too. The history of the founding and the back-
ground of these two conservatories gives some understanding of their po-
sition and standing by the end of World War I.
In the early 1820s patriotic amateurs promoted ideas for the founda-
tion of a Royal Academy of Music, but this was initially opposed by the mu-
sic profession, which felt that there were too many musicians anyway. The
professionals then tried unsuccessfully to associate the proposed academy
with the long-standing Philharmonic Society, which later commissioned
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony during the same period. In the end the am-
ateurs, principally John Fane, eleventh Earl of Westmorland (also known
as Lord Berghersh) with assistance of royalty, notably King George IV, suc-
ceeded in establishing the Academy of Music in 1822 in London, the first of
the British conservatories, receiving its royal charter in 1830 to become the
Royal Academy of Music.
To create a strong credibility for the institution the founders needed
to appoint a distinguished principal, although the choice was perhaps not
that difficult. A well-known musical prodigy, William Crotch (1775–1847),
87
