omitted which may be calculated to bring the proposal to found a
Royal College of Music under the favourable notice of Her
Majesty's subjects in the Colonies.
"'It appears to me that the communication which I request you in
the accompanying letter to be good enough to transmit for the
information of the Governments of the various Colonies might
advantageously be supplemented by a somewhat more general
distribution within these Colonies of the proceedings which have
taken place here in connection with the movement.
"'The objects of such distribution would be to awaken public
interest among all classes of Her Majesty's subjects more
thoroughly than even proposals on the part of any of the
Colonial Governments to extend their practical aid are
calculated to do.
"'I have therefore directed further copies of these proceedings
to be transmitted to you, and would again request that you will
be good enough to forward these further copies, for distribution
among such religious or educational institutions, Municipal or
other Public Bodies, or private persons in the various Colonies,
as may be thought most likely to help the project.
"'I trust that the efforts now being made here may meet with
general support on the part of the Clergy of all denominations
in the Colonies, and that they, as well as the Heads of Colleges
and Municipal Bodies, may interest themselves in their several
localities to make known the advantages offered by the
establishment of the Royal College of Music, and especially that
all these advantages (including free instruction) will be open
as unreservedly to Her Majesty's Colonial subjects as to those
residing in the United Kingdom.
"'Her Majesty's Colonial subjects have indeed already shown that
the possession of musical talent exists among them in as great a
degree as in any other nation, for they may claim with pride
that they have produced one of the most accomplished vocalists
of the present age.
"'I have in past years had occasion in many ways--especially
through the medium of the various International Exhibitions over
which I have presided--to notice the manifold benefits which
have resulted from the combined action of the Colonies and the
Mother Country in the development of commerce and the
advancement of industrial and other material interests, and I
cannot but think that the friendly rivalry of all portions of
the Empire will not now be wanting in the effort to cultivate a
refined and elevating pursuit which in all ages and among all
nations has exercised so important an influence on national
character, and done so much to strengthen the common love of
country.
"'I have the more confidence in making this appeal, from the
readiness and public spirit which the Colonies have always
evinced to promote every object tending to strengthen the ties
that now so happily unite us.
"'Your Lordship will, I am sure, be glad to learn that I have
had the advantage of communicating with a number of gentlemen
resident in several of the Colonies, who are temporarily in
England, as well as with former Colonists permanently residing
here, and they have kindly undertaken by their individual
exertions to further the present more extended movement, which I
trust will also meet with your Lordship's encouragement and
approval.
"'I have the honour, &c.,
"'ALBERT EDWARD, P.'
"I have no doubt but that the different Colonial Governments
will exercise a judicious discretion in the use of these papers,
and that we may rely on their hearty co-operation and support in
applying them to the best advantage.
"If there are any gentlemen present who may think themselves
warranted by their connections with the Colonies in aiding to
insure a friendly reception of my communication there, it will
be a source of gratification both to me and my colleagues to
view such efforts, so entirely in unison with our own, and to
welcome them as fellow-workers in the same cause.
"I have thus endeavoured to place before you the object we have
in view, and the means by which we hope to accomplish it, and I
trust you will find both worthy of your support.
"I do not, therefore, presume to indicate the precise course
which it might be expedient to adopt in any of the Colonies,
believing that this had better be left to the practical sagacity
and zeal of our friends there, who must be considered to have
the best knowledge of what plans are most calculated to insure
local success. I have, however, thought that a brief reference
to some of the steps which are contributing to our success here,
as well as an enumeration, in a comprehensive form, of some of
the advantages which the College offers to Colonists, might be
attended with advantage, and, at all events, serve as a
groundwork for their operations.
"I have, accordingly, directed a memorandum in that sense to be
prepared, which will be forwarded, with the other papers, to the
proper quarter.
"In conclusion, I cannot but again express my cordial thanks to
the many gentlemen connected with the Colonies who have favoured
me with their attendance to-day, and repeat the expression of my
hope, not unmixed with a large measure of confidence, that your
encouragement and help may not be with-held from an undertaking
which may, I trust, in the fulness of time prove to be one more
of the many fibres in the silken cord that binds the Mother
Country to her Colonial offspring.
"I would finally say that we shall be most happy to receive any
practical suggestion from our Colonial friends either here or
resident in the Colonies."
Lord Kimberley said that, as Colonial Minister, he would give every
assistance in his power, by forwarding papers and information. Private
individuals in the Colonies might be willing to found scholarships, and
have the nomination of students; but any response on the part of the
Colonial Governments must be from their free and spontaneous action.
The Prince of Wales said, at the opening of his speech, that he deemed
this work as "one of national importance." It is because of the high
"imperial" tone and spirit of the address, a spirit which it is pleasant
to witness in all the Prince's public actions, that there is especial
interest attached to this meeting at Marlborough House in 1882.
INAUGURATION OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC.
_May 7th, 1883._
The ceremony of inaugurating the Royal College of Music took place on
the 7th of May, 1883, in the presence of a small but select company. The
building, hitherto used by the National Training School of Music, has
rooms amply sufficient for teaching purposes, but not large enough for a
large assembly. By permission of Her Majesty's Commissioners for the
Exhibition of 1851, the use of rooms in the Albert Hall for choral and
instrumental practice was granted to the College.
The Prince, accompanied by the Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess
of Edinburgh, and the Princess Christian, was received by the Trustees,
the Duke of Westminster, Lord Charles Bruce, Sir Richard Wallace, M.P.,
Sir John Rose, Sir George Grove, and the honorary secretary, Mr. Charles
Morley. Among the company were many distinguished persons and eminent
musicians. The Archbishop of Canterbury offered the following special
prayer: "O God, who art the only author of order and beauty, Bless, we
beseech Thee, this College to the perfecting of science and skill in Thy
pure gift of Music; and grant that the good intent of its Founders may
be so answered in the diligence and virtue of its students, that both
the restful delight of man, and the glory of the Divine worship may be
enhanced ever more and more; through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen."
The collect, "Prevent us, O Lord," and the Lord's Prayer, closed the
religious service. Sir George Grove, Director, then said: "It is now
almost exactly fourteen months since your Royal Highness held the
remarkable meeting which assembled at St. James's Palace on the 28th of
February, 1882, and in which your proposition of the Royal College of
Music was launched on the country. It may well be called
remarkable--first, because of the place in which it was held; secondly,
because of the lucid and exhaustive statement which your Royal Highness
vouchsafed to address to it; thirdly, because for the first time in
English history music was taken out of the domain of personal and
professional questions to which it is too often relegated, and placed
upon that national basis which its social and civilising powers entitle
it to demand. Your Royal Highness's hearers embraced many of the most
distinguished English musicians of the day, but these were not the main
constituents of the meeting. The bulk of your audience consisted of the
representatives of the counties, cities, and towns of England, the lords
lieutenant, mayors, and town clerks of the United Kingdom, while
surrounding your Royal Highness on the platform were His Royal Highness
the Duke of Edinburgh, the leader of the Government, the leader of the
Opposition, the head of the Established Church, an eminent Scotch peer,
and the Lord Mayor of London. A meeting so truly national in its aspect
gave, if I may use a not inappropriate figure, the key-note of the
movement.
"The hope so long entertained by your Royal Highness, and your advisers,
that the chief existing musical institution of the country would join
your movement, was unfortunately dissipated. But the absence of the
Royal Academy of Music from your Royal Highness's project was
counterbalanced by the active adherence of the towns and cities of the
country which through their municipal officers, with hardly an
exception, rallied as if by instinct round a movement so boldly
conceived and so happily inaugurated. The key-note thus struck at St.
James's Palace resounded through the country, and met with a ready and
harmonious response. Meetings were speedily organised by the lords
lieutenant and mayors in the provinces. In the short period of fourteen
months forty-four meetings have been held--from Exeter, Plymouth, and
Hastings, in the South, to Newcastle-on-Tyne in the North; from Swansea
and Shrewsbury, on the one hand, to Lincoln and Norwich on the other;
while the great manufacturing and commercial centres of Nottingham,
Leicester, Leeds, Bradford, Liverpool, and Blackburn, have all testified
their interest in your Royal Highness's new institution. In the City of
London several meetings were held at the Mansion House, and a remarkable
gathering of provincial mayors, under the sympathetic presidency of Sir.
J. Whittaker Ellis, the then Lord Mayor, gave your Royal Highness an
opportunity of again enforcing your views upon your audience. By these
meetings, and by the personal exertions of your Royal Highness and your
illustrious brothers, a sum of money, amounting to over £110,000, has
been raised, of which nearly £5000 was due to the gracious action of Her
Royal Highness the Princess of Wales."
Sir George Grove announced "the foundation already of many scholarships
for tuition, fifteen of which include maintenance. Four of the
scholarships were founded by private liberality, and two by Australian
benefactors." He then announced "the names of the professors selected by
the Prince of Wales for the teaching of the College, who were such as to
give assurance as in the quality and range of the instruction. The piano
is in the hands of Mr. Pauer, Madame Arabella Goddard, Mr. Franklin
Taylor, and Mr. John Francis Barnett. To forward our interests, Madame
Lind-Goldschmidt has emerged from her retirement, and singing will be
taught by her, Mr. Deacon, and Signor Visetti. The violin is in the
charge of Mr. Henry Holmes and Mr. Gompertz; the organ of Mr. Walter
Parratt. Counterpoint and composition are taught by Dr. Bridge, Mr.
Villiers Stanford, and Dr. Hubert Parry; while among the professors of
other instruments are the honoured names of Harper, Lazarus, Thomas, and
other ornaments of the English school. Declamation will be specially
cared for, and for this the names of Mrs. Kendal and Mrs. Arthur
Stirling are sufficient guarantee.
"The competition," continued Sir George Grove, "which has taken place
throughout the country for the fifty scholarships is in itself an ample
proof, if proof were needed, of the justness of your Royal Highness's
idea. Following the method adopted in launching the institution, your
Royal Highness appealed to the mayors, corporations, and Local Boards
throughout the country, and in the Metropolitan districts to the
Vestries, to make known the fact of the competition, and to organise the
preliminary examinations, selecting the examiners from the must eminent
local musicians. The result was as successful as might have been
anticipated. The municipal buildings were put at the disposal of the
College, and the best musicians were prompt to give their services as
honorary local examiners to a task which in many cases involved great
labour and severe sacrifice. Throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland
1588 candidates sent in their names as competitors. Of these 480 were
sent up to the final examination, which was conducted personally in this
building by the various professors in sections; and, lastly, before the
entire Board of Professors and myself as Director. The result was the
unanimous election of seventeen scholars for the pianoforte, thirteen
for singing, eight for the violin, six for composition, two for the
violoncello, one for the organ, one for the clarionet, one for the
flute, and one for the harp. In addition to the fifty scholars,
forty-two persons have entered their names as paying students in the
College. Time will not allow me more than an allusion to various acts of
private generosity by which the College has benefited. Prominent among
them is the gift of the library of the late Sacred Harmonic Society,
through Sir Philip Cunliffe Owen, and various other gifts of pianos,
furniture, &c., by Sir Charles Freake, Messrs. Broadwood, Messrs. Erard,
Messrs. Chappell, Messrs. Holland, Feetham, and others. The professors,
scholars, and students are awaiting your Royal Highness's notice at the
close of these proceedings, and I trust your Royal Highness will
believe that we are all alike animated by a sincere and enthusiastic
desire to carry out to the full those wise and gracious designs which
have brought us to this first step in our career. That your Royal
Highness may long live to preside over us and guide us in the right path
is, Sir, our humble and earnest hope and prayer."
The Prince of Wales, in reply, said:--
"I have heard your address with pleasure, and I feel great
gratification in opening to-day the Royal College of Music, in
the promotion of which I have taken so deep an interest. I avail
myself of this, the first public opportunity that has offered
itself, of expressing the deep personal gratification I feel at
the manner in which the country has replied to my appeal for aid
in establishing the College. There is no class of Her Majesty's
subjects capable of affording assistance to which I have
addressed myself in vain. The Corporation of London and the
London companies have led the way in giving pecuniary
assistance; and I owe a debt of gratitude to the Mayors
throughout the kingdom for the valuable aid they have afforded
by granting facilities for holding local examinations essential
to the proper selection of scholars. I thank these great bodies
for their services, and I trust that I may yet expect from them
further help in completing the task so auspiciously begun. I
thank the donors of scholarships for their liberality. I thank
the general public for the sums they have subscribed at a time
when agriculture has been depressed and the prospects of trade
have not been encouraging; and, above all, I thank the many kind
friends who have responded so cordially and liberally to my
appeal for assistance. I have noticed also with the greatest
pleasure the contributions for Colonial scholarships that have
been given by two eminent colonists, the one on behalf of the
colony of Victoria, and the other on behalf of the colony of
South Australia. The object I have in view is essentially
Imperial as well as national, and I trust that ere long there
will be no colony of any importance which is not represented by
a scholar at the Royal College.
"Much, indeed, has been done, but I am aware that much remains
to be done. I am conscious that I may be thought to have taken a
bold step in beginning so great an enterprise with only the
resources at present at my command. But I am unwilling that any
delay should take place in giving effect to the generous
intentions of those who have already contributed so liberally. I
am sanguine enough to think that the example set during the last
year by corporate bodies, representatives of the colonies,
private donors, and the general public will be followed in
ensuing years. Ours is an institution which admits of almost
indefinite extension, for, wherever a scholarship is founded, we
know now that we shall find a deserving candidate to hold it.
"Let me now pass to an account of what has been actually
accomplished. Fifty scholarships have been established, of which
thirty-five confer a free education in music, and fifteen
provide not only a free education, but also maintenance for the
scholars. Of these scholarships half are held by boys and half
by girls. I observe with pleasure that the various districts
from which the scholars are drawn indicate the widespread
distribution of a taste for music, and an adequate cultivation
of music throughout the United Kingdom. London, with its vast
population, sends only twelve out of the fifty. The remaining
thirty-eight come as follows:--twenty-eight from fourteen
different counties in England, two from Scotland, six from
Ireland, one from Wales, and one from Jersey. The occupations of
the scholars are as various as the places from which they come.
I find that a mill-girl, the daughter of a brickmaker, and the
son of a blacksmith take high places in singing, and the son of
a labourer in violin playing.
"The capacity of these candidates has been tested by an
examination of unusual severity. Each of these scholars who
returns to his native place furnished with the highest
instruction in music will form a centre from which good musical
education will spread around; while those who obtain musical
engagements elsewhere will stimulate and encourage by their
success the cultivation of music in the places whence they have
come. Surely, then, it is not too much to expect that many years
will not pass away before our College has so popularised music
as to place England on a par with those countries on the
Continent which have acquired the distinction of being called
musical people.
"I feel, then, that one great object of a College of Music has
been secured--namely, the discovery of latent musical ability
and the extension to those who, with great natural gifts, have
been blessed with little of this world's goods, of the
opportunity of obtaining instruction in music, to say the
least, not inferior to any which this kingdom can afford. That
these words are not the language of exaggeration will be
apparent to those who read the names of the eminent staff who
have placed their services at the disposal of the College. Side
by side with these scholars will be educated a group of paying
pupils, who think that music is an art which, if worth studying
at all, is worth studying well. They are, then, prepared to
enter on a systematic course of instruction, of less severity
and continuance than that of the scholars, but still far removed
from the musical dilettantism of those who, induced by fashion,
not by taste, to study music, make progress enough to torment
themselves and distract their friends.
"I lay great store by the meeting of the various classes of
society in pursuit of a common yet elevating study. Such a union
softens asperities, inspires kindly feeling between various
classes, and proves that all mankind are akin when engaged in an
art which gives the highest expression to some of the best and
purest feelings of the human heart.
"The observations I have hitherto made relate only to the Royal
College of Music in its character of a teaching body. It is not
proposed, however, that the functions of the College should be
restricted to teaching. The charter under which we are
incorporated provides that the council are to cause examinations
to be held of pupils of the College, and of other persons who
may present themselves for examination, and after examination to
confer on those who deserve such distinctions the degrees of
Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Music,
certificates of proficiency, and other rewards. I propose that
this power should be exercised by an independent board of
examiners chosen by the Royal College in conjunction with the
Universities, and after consultation with the great musical
authorities of the United Kingdom. I trust thus to secure an
examining body whose impartiality will be above suspicion and
capacity beyond all question. I hope thus, through the
instrumentality of the Royal College, to raise the standard of
music throughout the United Kingdom and to create a central
influence which may be beneficially exercised over all
music-teaching bodies who recognise the advantage of a common
system of examination.
"Beyond and above all this I trust, as I stated on a previous
occasion, that the College will become the recognised centre and
head of the musical world in this country. It has been a
reproach to England that, with her vast resources, her large
benevolence, her eagerness to instruct all classes of society in
other branches of knowledge, one thing has hitherto been
wanting--a national institution for music. Yet music is in the
best sense the most popular of all arts. If that government be
the best which provides for the happiness of the greatest
number, that art must be the best which at the least expense
pleases the greatest number. I trust that to-day we have removed
the reproach. England, by a national subscription, has acquired
an institution worthy to be called national, and with the
establishment of such an institution we may look forward with
confidence to the creation of a national school of music.
England has the composers already; all she wants is a general
centre, such as a Royal College of Music, to which they may
resort for mutual aid and common inspiration.
"Such are the aims, not mean nor ignoble aims, proposed for the
College which we open to-day. It remains for you, gentlemen of
the council, to be careful that the aims are fully realised. A
young institution requires fostering care and constant
supervision. You must not relax your efforts, no pains must be
spared to gain fresh support and obtain the establishment of new
scholarships. We want much; we are, I trust, entitled to ask for
much of the public. In addition to scholarships we want more
extended premises, a music-hall, lodgings for our scholars,
houses for masters, and all the appurtenances of a great
College. I am sure I may trust to the generosity of the public
to supply these wants; but you, gentlemen, must by your careful
supervision make our institution worthy of support, and no
efforts of mine shall be wanting to secure the objects we have
in view.