Page 183 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2023. Glasbena društva v dolgem 19. stoletju: med ljubiteljsko in profesionalno kulturo ▪︎ Music societies in the long 19th century: Between amateur and professional culture. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 6
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the philharmonic society of london and its nineteenth-century contribution ...
Symphony. This symphony of Burghersh was described thus: “First perfor
mance in England; presented to this Society,”17 being identified by Nicho-
las Temperley as the Symphony No. 1 in G.18 It follows the only other early
English symphony performed at the early Philharmonic concerts, William
Crotch’s Symphony in F major in 1814.19
At the same time Lord Burghersh was planning moves to found the
Royal Academy of Music. One of his associates, T. F. Walmisley, submit-
ted a plan that attempted to incorporate the Philharmonic Society with-
in its operations,20 but in the end, it was Burghersh’s scheme for an inde-
pendent Academy that was adopted by the amateur organising committee.
In 1822 Burghersh appointed Crotch as principal, but ensured that he was
in control of the Academy himself when it was founded and opened for stu-
dents in early 1823. To add to the difficulties he was resident in Florence at
the start of the Academy’s life and in 1841 was appointed ambassador to
the court of Prussia in Berlin. In 1830 under the new Royal Charter Lord
Burghersh was appointed chairman of what was now the Royal Academy
of Music, a position he held for the rest of his life. In the years from 1832
until 1859 when Cipriani Potter was the principal of the Royal Academy, it
seems that Burghersh was constantly interfering with its work and, judg-
ing by the lack of performances of his music, that he was also out of favour
with the Philharmonic. Potter had a foot in both camps, as both regular
conductor and occasional soloist in piano concertos, he was a major influ-
ence in the programmes of the Philharmonic, in addition to being the prin-
cipal and the leading professor at the Academy. He felt the need to steer the
public and his students away from the Italian music that Burghersh was al-
most exclusively advocating. It was a clear case of an amateur trying to di-
rect the professionals. At the same time, however, Lord Burghersh’s con-
siderable abilities at fundraising were to ensure that the Academy would
survive financially. He made repeated attempts, mostly successful, to influ-
17 Foster, History [1912], 32.
18 Nicholas Temperley, “Burghersh, Lord,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians, vol. 4, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillian, 2001), 617. In 1834 Lord
Burghersh requested the return of the score and parts from the Philharmonic Soci-
ety, because there had been no repeat performances, a possible indication of some
difficulties between the Society and Lord Burghersh, and of the quality of the work.
Piano reductions of four of his symphonies published in Berlin can be found in the
British Library.
19 Foster, History [1912], 16.
20 See: William Wahab Cazalet, The History of the Royal Academy of Music (London:
Bosworth and Rudall, Rose & Carte, 1854), 8–12.
181
Symphony. This symphony of Burghersh was described thus: “First perfor
mance in England; presented to this Society,”17 being identified by Nicho-
las Temperley as the Symphony No. 1 in G.18 It follows the only other early
English symphony performed at the early Philharmonic concerts, William
Crotch’s Symphony in F major in 1814.19
At the same time Lord Burghersh was planning moves to found the
Royal Academy of Music. One of his associates, T. F. Walmisley, submit-
ted a plan that attempted to incorporate the Philharmonic Society with-
in its operations,20 but in the end, it was Burghersh’s scheme for an inde-
pendent Academy that was adopted by the amateur organising committee.
In 1822 Burghersh appointed Crotch as principal, but ensured that he was
in control of the Academy himself when it was founded and opened for stu-
dents in early 1823. To add to the difficulties he was resident in Florence at
the start of the Academy’s life and in 1841 was appointed ambassador to
the court of Prussia in Berlin. In 1830 under the new Royal Charter Lord
Burghersh was appointed chairman of what was now the Royal Academy
of Music, a position he held for the rest of his life. In the years from 1832
until 1859 when Cipriani Potter was the principal of the Royal Academy, it
seems that Burghersh was constantly interfering with its work and, judg-
ing by the lack of performances of his music, that he was also out of favour
with the Philharmonic. Potter had a foot in both camps, as both regular
conductor and occasional soloist in piano concertos, he was a major influ-
ence in the programmes of the Philharmonic, in addition to being the prin-
cipal and the leading professor at the Academy. He felt the need to steer the
public and his students away from the Italian music that Burghersh was al-
most exclusively advocating. It was a clear case of an amateur trying to di-
rect the professionals. At the same time, however, Lord Burghersh’s con-
siderable abilities at fundraising were to ensure that the Academy would
survive financially. He made repeated attempts, mostly successful, to influ-
17 Foster, History [1912], 32.
18 Nicholas Temperley, “Burghersh, Lord,” in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and
Musicians, vol. 4, ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillian, 2001), 617. In 1834 Lord
Burghersh requested the return of the score and parts from the Philharmonic Soci-
ety, because there had been no repeat performances, a possible indication of some
difficulties between the Society and Lord Burghersh, and of the quality of the work.
Piano reductions of four of his symphonies published in Berlin can be found in the
British Library.
19 Foster, History [1912], 16.
20 See: William Wahab Cazalet, The History of the Royal Academy of Music (London:
Bosworth and Rudall, Rose & Carte, 1854), 8–12.
181
