Page 190 - 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
P. 190
glasbena društva v dolgem 19. stoletju: med ljubiteljsko in profesionalno kulturo
and others rather than their own music. Another difficulty was the demand
for leading musicians to take on heavy teaching commitments in the Roy-
al Academy of Music, as well as in a number of cases difficult administra-
tive roles in the Academy. Undoubtedly, for example, the talents of Cipri-
ani Potter were spread very thinly over a number of activities. Despite the
high quality of his music, he was more easily satisfied with performing the
solo piano part in concertos by Mozart and Beethoven and preparing per-
forming editions of Mozart’s piano music than facing the indifference en-
countered in promoting his own music. Nevertheless, his music was highly
regarded and was regularly performed by other musicians. William Stern-
dale Bennett had the best of both worlds, at first playing the solo part in his
own piano concertos and then conducting them with soloists who were un-
doubtedly keen to use them as a vehicle for their own reputations. His dif-
ficulty, as also in the case of Cipriani Potter was the demands of the Acade-
my, of which he was also principal. Potter managed to guide the institution
as principal successfully until his retirement and the death of Lord Burgh-
ersh, but Bennett was forced to abandon his conducting activities altogeth-
er to come to the rescue of the Academy in the nine years before his death.
The situation was changing, however, so when the conductors who could
really influence the situation appeared, notably Sullivan, Stanford, Cow-
en, Mackenzie and Henry Wood, the newcomers among the composers,
Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, were able to present their new
symphonies and other orchestral works with relative ease. The time was
now right for the crowning genius of the British music renaissance to ap-
pear, Edward Elgar, whose outstanding orchestral masterpieces, especially
the Enigma Variations and the two Symphonies,33 were able to make their
powerful effect. In recognition of the Society’s centenary and its achieve-
ment, in 1913 it was given the title Royal Philharmonic Society.
33 The sketches for a Third Symphony were elaborated in the 1990s by the composer
and Elgar specialist Anthony Payne (1936–2021) as a completed symphony, first per-
formed in London in 1997. See: Anthony Payne, Elgar’s Third Symphony: The Story
of the Reconstruction (London: Faber, 1998) and the published score: Edward Elgar,
Symphony No. 3: The Sketches for Symphony No. 3 elaborated by Anthony Payne, full
score (London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1998).
188
and others rather than their own music. Another difficulty was the demand
for leading musicians to take on heavy teaching commitments in the Roy-
al Academy of Music, as well as in a number of cases difficult administra-
tive roles in the Academy. Undoubtedly, for example, the talents of Cipri-
ani Potter were spread very thinly over a number of activities. Despite the
high quality of his music, he was more easily satisfied with performing the
solo piano part in concertos by Mozart and Beethoven and preparing per-
forming editions of Mozart’s piano music than facing the indifference en-
countered in promoting his own music. Nevertheless, his music was highly
regarded and was regularly performed by other musicians. William Stern-
dale Bennett had the best of both worlds, at first playing the solo part in his
own piano concertos and then conducting them with soloists who were un-
doubtedly keen to use them as a vehicle for their own reputations. His dif-
ficulty, as also in the case of Cipriani Potter was the demands of the Acade-
my, of which he was also principal. Potter managed to guide the institution
as principal successfully until his retirement and the death of Lord Burgh-
ersh, but Bennett was forced to abandon his conducting activities altogeth-
er to come to the rescue of the Academy in the nine years before his death.
The situation was changing, however, so when the conductors who could
really influence the situation appeared, notably Sullivan, Stanford, Cow-
en, Mackenzie and Henry Wood, the newcomers among the composers,
Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, were able to present their new
symphonies and other orchestral works with relative ease. The time was
now right for the crowning genius of the British music renaissance to ap-
pear, Edward Elgar, whose outstanding orchestral masterpieces, especially
the Enigma Variations and the two Symphonies,33 were able to make their
powerful effect. In recognition of the Society’s centenary and its achieve-
ment, in 1913 it was given the title Royal Philharmonic Society.
33 The sketches for a Third Symphony were elaborated in the 1990s by the composer
and Elgar specialist Anthony Payne (1936–2021) as a completed symphony, first per-
formed in London in 1997. See: Anthony Payne, Elgar’s Third Symphony: The Story
of the Reconstruction (London: Faber, 1998) and the published score: Edward Elgar,
Symphony No. 3: The Sketches for Symphony No. 3 elaborated by Anthony Payne, full
score (London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1998).
188
