Page 95 - 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. 95
in the shadow of parry, stanford and mackenzie ...
George Butterworth (1885–1916),15 who had studied with Parry at the Royal
College and with Vaughan Williams and the folksong collector Cecil Sharp
at the University of Cambridge. Denis Browne (1888–1915) who died at Gal-
lipoli, also studied at Cambridge. The Scottish born Cecil Coles (1888–1918)
who died on the Somme, shot while recovering casualties, studied at the
University of Edinburgh and later was taught and mentored by Gustav
Holst. The composer Ivor Gurney (1890–1937), a student of Stanford and
others including Vaughan Williams and John Ireland, suffered severe men-
tal illness, possibly even before World War I, but almost certainly exacer-
bated by a gas attack in 1917 and by the condition known as ‘shell shock’. In
addition, Parry died on 7 October 1918, just before the war ended, as a result
of the infamous Spanish influenza pandemic. In an obituary, Robin H. Leg-
ge deplored the fact that Parry’s administrative duties detracted seriously
from his composing, concluding with the statement: “Parry, in spite of all
that he achieved, died a Might-Have-Been!”16
Despite all this, in 1918 London’s Royal Academy of Music was near-
ly 100 years old and now functioning well, while the younger Royal College
of Music was equally firmly established. In that year, the two institutions
reached a high point: their status was assured with the important posts
filled by the best known musicians. With the models of Parry, even though
he had died in 1918, and Mackenzie, who retired in 1924, as well as that of
the senior professor at the College, the composer Charles Villiers Stanford,
and the well-established but less well known Frederick Corder at the Acade-
my, composition teaching thrived at both conservatories. The work of Stan-
ford from 1918 was now fundamental to the development of the teaching of
musical composition in the United Kingdom.17 It is no exaggeration to say
that Stanford, Parry and Mackenzie were in large measure responsible for
a revival in music from the British Isles. The rehabilitation of English mu-
sic, the “English Musical Renaissance” as it has sometimes been called, had
15 Michael Barlow, Whom the Gods Love (London: Toccata Press, 1997) gives a clear
presentation of the excellent qualities of the very small number of Butterworth’s sur-
viving compositions.
16 Robin H. Legge, The Musical Times 59, no. 909 (1 November 1918): 489–91.
17 This is not to ignore the presence of the more recently established conservatories in
London, The Guildhall School of Music (1880) and Trinity College of Music (1870s).
In the earlier years they both operated on a part-time basis or solely for external exa-
minations, and only later on the basis of full-time attended tuition. While musical
composition was offered, there were very few professional composers to emerge from
these institutions for many years.
93
George Butterworth (1885–1916),15 who had studied with Parry at the Royal
College and with Vaughan Williams and the folksong collector Cecil Sharp
at the University of Cambridge. Denis Browne (1888–1915) who died at Gal-
lipoli, also studied at Cambridge. The Scottish born Cecil Coles (1888–1918)
who died on the Somme, shot while recovering casualties, studied at the
University of Edinburgh and later was taught and mentored by Gustav
Holst. The composer Ivor Gurney (1890–1937), a student of Stanford and
others including Vaughan Williams and John Ireland, suffered severe men-
tal illness, possibly even before World War I, but almost certainly exacer-
bated by a gas attack in 1917 and by the condition known as ‘shell shock’. In
addition, Parry died on 7 October 1918, just before the war ended, as a result
of the infamous Spanish influenza pandemic. In an obituary, Robin H. Leg-
ge deplored the fact that Parry’s administrative duties detracted seriously
from his composing, concluding with the statement: “Parry, in spite of all
that he achieved, died a Might-Have-Been!”16
Despite all this, in 1918 London’s Royal Academy of Music was near-
ly 100 years old and now functioning well, while the younger Royal College
of Music was equally firmly established. In that year, the two institutions
reached a high point: their status was assured with the important posts
filled by the best known musicians. With the models of Parry, even though
he had died in 1918, and Mackenzie, who retired in 1924, as well as that of
the senior professor at the College, the composer Charles Villiers Stanford,
and the well-established but less well known Frederick Corder at the Acade-
my, composition teaching thrived at both conservatories. The work of Stan-
ford from 1918 was now fundamental to the development of the teaching of
musical composition in the United Kingdom.17 It is no exaggeration to say
that Stanford, Parry and Mackenzie were in large measure responsible for
a revival in music from the British Isles. The rehabilitation of English mu-
sic, the “English Musical Renaissance” as it has sometimes been called, had
15 Michael Barlow, Whom the Gods Love (London: Toccata Press, 1997) gives a clear
presentation of the excellent qualities of the very small number of Butterworth’s sur-
viving compositions.
16 Robin H. Legge, The Musical Times 59, no. 909 (1 November 1918): 489–91.
17 This is not to ignore the presence of the more recently established conservatories in
London, The Guildhall School of Music (1880) and Trinity College of Music (1870s).
In the earlier years they both operated on a part-time basis or solely for external exa-
minations, and only later on the basis of full-time attended tuition. While musical
composition was offered, there were very few professional composers to emerge from
these institutions for many years.
93
