=Early Musical Education=.—The training of students in music has been
the special care of the greatest men connected with the art, a subject
close to the heart of men of rank and of means, and the object of
Governmental and municipal subvention. In most of the countries and
many of the larger cities of Europe, Art is considered a legitimate
object for public aid and fostering, and music receives a fair share of
funds set aside for that purpose. In the period before the Christian
Era, musical education was carried on to prepare singers and players
either for the religious service, and in the hands of the priests,
or for entertainment and by slaves. Pope Sylvester founded a school
for singers, at Rome, in the 4th century, and the Church all through
its history has laid stress on means for training executants for its
musical services. Guido of Arezzo, credited with a number of reforms in
the teaching of vocal music, is said to have had a school for training
singers to read musical notation. Like him, many of his successors in
prominence were in charge of classes of pupils, yet this method by no
means accords with our ideas of systematic, logical education in music.
It was largely the personal power and eminence of the master that
attracted and retained pupils.
=Musical Education in Italy=.—The first examples of the founding of
schools of music or conservatories take us to Italy. The noted theorist
Tinctor or Tinctoris started a school at =Naples=, in 1496, but this
did not last very long. In the early part of the 16th century, several
institutions were founded by private contribution for the purpose of
affording homes and instruction to orphaned children. Ecclesiastical
music was at first the special object of these schools. The pupils
sang in choirs, various religious offices, processions, etc. There were
four of these institutions: _Santa Maria di Loreto_, founded in 1535,
which had on its roster such eminent musicians as Alessandro Scarlatti,
Durante, Porpora, Sacchini and Guglielmi; _San Onofrio_, founded in
1576, some famous pupils being Gizzi, Jommelli, Piccini and Paisiello;
_De Poveri di Gesù Cristo_, established in 1589, numbering among its
pupils, Greco, Vinci, and Pergolesi; _Della Pietà de’ Turchini_,
started in 1584, having among its pupils, Leo, Cafara, and Feo. In
1797, the first two named were united, the third was changed into a
seminary for priests in 1744, and in 1808, the last was closed, and
a school of music was established to take the place of the remaining
institutions. This school, which received the title _Reale Collegio di
Musica_, still exists.
=Venice= rivaled Naples in devotion to music, and early took measures
to give musical instruction to the wards of charitable institutions.
These schools were not named _Conservatorio_, as at Naples, but
_Ospedale_ (hospital), since they were a part of the foundation
for institutions to receive the poor and infirm, their work as
conservatories developing gradually. Such masters as Lotti, Galuppi,
Scarlatti, Cimarosa presided over the four schools best known. When the
Republic fell, these institutions collapsed in the financial crisis
that followed. The principal music school in Venice at the present time
is the _Liceo Benedetto Marcello_, which is subsidized by the city. An
Italian conservatory of ancient date is the one at =Palermo=, which was
established in 1615. At the present time it is a State institution.
The Academy of St. Cecilia, at =Rome=, dates its original foundation
to a society of musicians formed in 1566, a charter being granted by
Pope Gregory XIII, in 1584. The Academy possesses the largest and most
important musical library in Italy. =Milan= had a school of music as
early as 1483. The celebrated theoretician, Gafurio, was the first
great teacher. It was not permanent, however, and though there were
schools for singers there from time to time, it was not until 1807 that
the municipality established a regular school of music. The first
school of music at =Bologna= was established in 1482, but it did not
become permanent. In later years, musical affairs were in the hands of
academies for the promotion of arts and sciences. In 1864, a school was
opened on modern lines. =Genoa= has a school which was founded in 1829;
it is subsidized by the city. The school at =Florence= was opened in
1862, and is richly endowed. A school was heavily endowed by Rossini
and located at =Pesaro=, his birthplace.
=The Paris Conservatoire=.—To France belongs the honor of following
closely in the footsteps of the Italian authorities. In 1784, a
Royal School of Singing was opened in =Paris=, under the direction
of Gossec, the composer; in 1793 it was enlarged in scope and was
called the National Institute of Music; in 1795 the name was changed
to the _Conservatoire de Musique_, which it still bears. In 1800
the organization was further modified by Bonaparte. The institution
receives an annual subvention from the Government. This school is
justly considered as one of the greatest in existence and has been the
centre of musical training for practically all the prominent French
musicians. A great incentive is the celebrated _Prix de Rome_ (Roman
Prize), which enables the winner to spend three years in study in Italy
and Germany. The library is one of the most important in France, and
dates from the foundation of the school. The Museum, which has one of
the finest collections in Europe, was established in 1864. Affiliated
schools have been established in the principal French cities, such as:
=Marseilles=, =Toulouse=, =Nantes=, =Dijon=, =Lyons= and =Rouen=.
=Musical Education in Germany=.—Among the German conservatories, that
at =Prague= is the oldest. It was founded in 1811. Besides music, the
course of study provides for instruction in general branches. The
violin department of this school is one of its strongest features.
The conservatory at =Vienna= was opened in 1817, under the direction
of Salieri, as a vocal school; other branches were added and by 1821
the foundation was that of a true conservatory. The course of study
is comprehensive and the school has graduated a number of eminent
musicians. It is under the patronage of the Society of the Friends of
Music. Probably the German conservatory best known to American readers
is that founded at =Leipzig=, in 1843, by Mendelssohn, and of which he
was the first director. The fund used in starting the school was one of
20,000 thalers bequeathed by a Government official “for the purposes of
art and science.” Such masters as Schumann, Moscheles, Ferdinand David,
Plaidy, Richter and Reinecke were members of the faculty at different
periods in the history of the school. This conservatory has had a
larger number of American pupils than any other German institution.
The oldest conservatory in =Berlin= was a private institution. The
most important school is the Royal High School for Music, which is a
branch of the Royal Academy of Arts, and is under the patronage of
the Prussian Government. This school has three sections, the one for
church music was opened in 1822, for musical composition in 1833, that
for executive art in 1869. The violin school, under the direction of
Joseph Joachim, attracts pupils from all parts of the world. =Cologne=
has a conservatory which is aided financially by the municipality.
This school was established in 1850, Ferdinand Hiller being the first
director. The Royal Conservatory at =Dresden= was organized in 1856,
and has paid considerable attention to its department for opera.
=Munich= has a school which receives State aid. It was founded in 1867.
Rheinberger, who was teacher of composition here, drew a number of
Americans to the school. Other schools receiving State or municipal
subventions are those at =Wuerzburg=, =Weimar=, =Frankfort= and
=Wiesbaden=.
=Other European Music Schools=.—The other European countries have also
promoted the organization of schools for teaching music. The strongest
schools in Switzerland are those at =Zurich=, =Geneva=, =Basle= and
=Berne=. In Belgium are several fine schools: at =Brussels=, founded
in 1813, which is now a Government institution, at =Liége= (1827),
at =Ghent= (1833), and at =Antwerp=, the latter founded in 1867,
by the noted Belgian composer, Peter Benoit. These four schools
receive State aid. Holland has three conservatories in her three
large cities, =Amsterdam=, =Rotterdam= and =The Hague=. Scandinavian
musical education is cared for by the conservatories at =Copenhagen=,
=Christiania= and =Stockholm=, the last being under Government
patronage. Spain has conservatories at =Madrid=, =Saragossa= and
=Valencia=, and Portugal, one at =Lisbon=. Greece sustains a school at
=Athens=.
=St. Petersburg Conservatory=.—A conservatory of great importance is
that founded at =St. Petersburg= through the exertions of the famous
composer, Anton Rubinstein. In 1859, he organized the Russian Musical
Society, the first object of which was to give amateurs an opportunity
to practice orchestral playing. Changes in the policy of the Society
were gradually introduced, branches were founded in several other
cities, among them Moscow, and serious efforts were inaugurated to
organize a music school in the Capital. The first instruction was
given gratuitously, money was raised in private circles and a floor
was rented in a private house in 1862 for the use of the school. The
Emperor Alexander II gave to the school an annuity of 5000 rubles and
a building which was the property of the Crown. In 1866 the name was
officially designated as Conservatory, and from that time on several
members of the Royal family became patrons of the school, socially as
well as financially. Rubinstein was the first director. The building
at present occupied by the school was formerly the Grand Theatre and
is very completely furnished for the purposes of the Conservatory,
having two concert halls, museums, library, class rooms, chapel, etc.
Among the graduates of the institution are Tchaikovsky, Glazounoff,
Balakireff, Arensky, Liadow, Gabrilowitsch, Sapellnikoff and Felix
Blumenfeld.
=Musical Education in England= is well cared for, principally by
the strong schools in London, of which there are four that call
for particular notice. =The Royal Academy of Music= is the oldest;
it was founded in 1822. This institution has had royal patronage
from the beginning. The British public has generously replied with
subscriptions to appeals made for funds at different periods in the
history of the school, the Government grant being revoked on several
occasions. At the present time the revenues are a Government grant,
subscriptions, donations, and students’ fees. Such eminent musicians
as Dr. Crotch, Sterndale Bennett and Sir George Macfarren have filled
the position of principal of the school. Sir A. C. Mackensie is the
present head. A strong rival to the Royal Academy is the =Royal College
of Music=, which is the outgrowth of the National Training School for
Music, founded by the Society of Arts in 1876, Sir Arthur Sullivan,
first principal. It was in 1883 that the institution passed into the
hands of the newly-organized Royal College of Music. The funds of the
college come from fees, subscriptions and endowments. Sir George Grove
was director for a number of years and was succeeded by Sir C. H.
Hubert Parry, the eminent composer and theorist. =Trinity College= is
the outgrowth of the activity of a musical society formed to promote
church music and singing. In 1881 it was incorporated under the name
it now bears and the scope of its instruction extended. The =Guildhall
School of Music= is under the patronage of the authorities of the City
of London. This institution was founded in 1880, and has a very large
attendance. The present director is Mr. W. H. Cummings. The leading
English universities, Cambridge, Oxford, London, Durham, and that at
Edinburgh and Dublin have courses in the theory of music, leading to
degrees.
=Musical Education in the United States: Boston=.—The United States
has no schools of music under Governmental or municipal direction, and
none which receive subventions, and but one, established in 1905, in
New York City, which is endowed. The spread of musical education has
been due to the energies and in many cases the sacrifices of musicians
and music lovers in the larger cities. In Lesson LVII reference was
made to societies in the three large American cities, Boston, New York
and Philadelphia, to further musical education. The oldest true music
school in the United States is the =New England Conservatory of Music=,
in Boston, founded by Dr. Tourjée, in 1867. A notable feature was
the dormitory for female students. Eminent instructors were engaged,
both foreigners and Americans, and the school quickly established
a reputation as the leading institution for musical education. Dr.
Tourjée was succeeded in the directorship by Mr. Carl Faelten, who
resigned after several years of service and was followed in the office
by Mr. George W. Chadwick, the present director, in 1897. In 1902 a
new building was erected largely through the benefactions of several
public-spirited citizens of Boston. Among the teachers who exerted a
strong influence on American pupils may be mentioned Stephen A. Emery,
A. D. Turner, Lyman W. Wheeler, Carlyle Petersilea, Otto Bendix and
George E. Whiting. A school in Boston, with special strength in the
violin department, was the Boston Conservatory, founded by Julius
Eichberg.
=The West=.—In 1878, several music-loving citizens of Cincinnati
established the =Cincinnati College of Music=, with Theodore Thomas
as the first director. After him came various members of the faculty,
and in 1897, Mr. Frank Van der Stucken accepted the post of dean of
the faculty. In connection with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and
the Festival Association, the College of Music has been a powerful
factor in the musical life of the city. As an educational force it
has done much for music in the West and the Southwest, and its pupils
have carried into all sections of the tributary States sound musical
precepts. =Chicago= has, at the present day, several schools, organized
and conducted by private enterprise, which are doing splendid work
and have made the city the musical centre of the West. Musicians of
the highest rank have been brought to the United States by several of
these conservatories, to the benefit of musical art in Chicago and the
Western States.
=Oberlin Conservatory of Music=, a department of Oberlin College,
may be taken as a type of the American idea of musical work in an
institution of learning. The school has a strong faculty and a large
number of pupils, whose work receives credit for graduation in the
college courses; the students in music have all the privileges of those
entered in the regular colleges. Oberlin has been a great factor for
musical progress in the Middle West.
=The East=.—New York City has two schools that deserve mention: the
=National Conservatory of Music=, founded by Mrs. Jeannette Thurber,
a school which has offered as teachers to the American pupils such
musicians as Rafael Joseffy and Antonin Dvořák; the =Institute of
Musical Art=, opened in 1905, with Frank Damrosch as director, with
a faculty of high repute, both Europeans and Americans. This school
started with an endowment of $500,000 given by Mr. James Loeb, a New
York banker. A school of music managed on conservative lines has
existed for a number of years in =Baltimore=, in connection with the
Peabody Institute, which was endowed by the banker, George Peabody. At
the present time nearly every city of importance in the United States
contains one or more conservatories, managed on a strictly business
basis, and furnishing to the people of their communities thorough
instruction at reasonable cost.
=In the Colleges=.—The important American institutions for higher
education, both for men and for women, have recognized the claim of
music to a place in the curriculum, and have provision for instructions
in the theory, history and esthetics of music, many also having
facilities for instructions in the practical side of music. =Harvard=,
=Yale=, =Columbia=, =Pennsylvania=, =Michigan=, =California= and
=Northwestern= Universities have established professorships of music,
and have called eminent musicians to the posts. The work done in
hundreds of schools of less reputation is a great factor in spreading
musical culture throughout the country.