Gardiner Professor of Music, Glasgow
Encyclopedia
The Gardiner Professor Of Music at the University of Glasgow
was founded in 1928 and endowed by the gift of William Guthrie Gardiner
and Sir Frederick Crombie Gardiner, shipowners in Glasgow. The Chair was previously a joint appointment with the directorship of the Scottish National Academy of Music (now the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
), although this practice ceased on the retirement of Sir Ernest Bullock
in 1952. The current professor is John Butt
.
William Whittaker was the first man appointed to the Chair, in 1930. Whittaker had originally intended studying science but switched to music, and taught at Armstrong College of Durham University
before his appointment to the Chair. Whittaker expanded the teaching of music in the University such that full degrees became awardable. During this time he was also Principal of the Scottish National Academy of Music
. He retired in 1941 and died in 1944. His successor, Sir Ernest Bullock
, was also from Durham. He was a composer of church music, and had been organist at Westminster Abbey
, where he was musical director of the coronation of George VI
. He was appointed to the Chair in 1941, and received a knighthood in 1951 in recognition of his services to music in Scotland. He resigned in 1952 to become Director of the Royal College of Music
.
One Glasgow professor left to the Royal College of Music, but one was soon sent back in the form of Robin Orr
, Professor of Theory and Composition at the College, appointed to the Chair in 1956. He was from Brechin
, Angus
, although was in fact adopted and originally of Swiss nationality. He was a noted composer, writing three operas and three symphonies alongside other works. He had previously been organist of St John's College, Cambridge
, and it was to Cambridge that he returned in 1964 as the Professor of Music
. He was Chair of Scottish Opera
from 1962 to 1976 and Director of Welsh National Opera
from 1971 to 1983, and was awarded a CBE
in 1972.
In 1966, Frederick Rimmer was appointed to the Chair. Rimmer had previously lectured in music at Homerton College, Cambridge
, before moving to Glasgow as Cramb Lecturer in Music in 1951. In 1954 he was appointed University Organist, and in 1956 became Senior Lecturer in Music, before his appointment to the Chair in 1966. Between 1968 and 1980, Rimmer was Director of Scottish Opera
. He retired in 1980, at which time he received a CBE
. He was succeeded the same year by Hugh Macdonald
, a lecturer in music at St John's College, Oxford
, and noted scholar of Hector Berlioz
. He resigned in 1987 on his appointment as Avis Blewett Professor of Music at Washington University in St. Louis
. In 1990, Graham Hair, Head of Composition at Sydney Conservatorium of Music
, was appointed to the Chair. Hair is primarily a composer for women's voices, and following his retirement in 2001 remains Emeritus Professor and Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Music Technology.
In 2001, John Butt
, a noted Bach
scholar, was appointed to the Chair. Butt had previously lectured at the Universities of Aberdeen
, Cambridge
and California, Berkley
. He has published extensively on the subject of Bach, and is also a successful conductor, his 2006 recording of Handel
's Messiah
with the Dunedin Consort winning the ClassicFM/Gramophone award in the Baroque Vocal Category in 2007 and the MIDEM award for Baroque Music in 2008. In March 2010, he was awarded the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Prize.
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
was founded in 1928 and endowed by the gift of William Guthrie Gardiner
William Guthrie Gardiner
William Guthrie Gardiner was a wealthy shipowner who was a generous benfactor to the University of Glasgow, endowing a number of chairs.-Biography:He was born in Stirling in 1848 or 1849 and married Agnes in 1889...
and Sir Frederick Crombie Gardiner, shipowners in Glasgow. The Chair was previously a joint appointment with the directorship of the Scottish National Academy of Music (now the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
), although this practice ceased on the retirement of Sir Ernest Bullock
Ernest Bullock
Sir Ernest Bullock was an English organist, composer, and educator.-Education:...
in 1952. The current professor is John Butt
John A Butt
John A Butt is an orchestral and choral conductor, organist, harpsichordist and scholar who has held the Gardiner Chair of Music at the University of Glasgow since 2001, and has led the Dunedin Consort, a professional vocal ensemble centered in Edinburgh, since 2003.-Biography:John Butt was born...
.
History
The Chair of Music was established in 1928 with funds provided by brothers William and Sir Frederick Gardiner, Glasgow shiping merchants. The brothers endowed a number of other appointments at the University, including Chairs in Physiological Chemistry (now Biochemistry), Bacteriology (now Immunology) and Organic Chemistry (now Chemistry), and the Gardiner Institute of Medicine.William Whittaker was the first man appointed to the Chair, in 1930. Whittaker had originally intended studying science but switched to music, and taught at Armstrong College of Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
before his appointment to the Chair. Whittaker expanded the teaching of music in the University such that full degrees became awardable. During this time he was also Principal of the Scottish National Academy of Music
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
. He retired in 1941 and died in 1944. His successor, Sir Ernest Bullock
Ernest Bullock
Sir Ernest Bullock was an English organist, composer, and educator.-Education:...
, was also from Durham. He was a composer of church music, and had been organist at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, where he was musical director of the coronation of George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
. He was appointed to the Chair in 1941, and received a knighthood in 1951 in recognition of his services to music in Scotland. He resigned in 1952 to become Director of the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
.
One Glasgow professor left to the Royal College of Music, but one was soon sent back in the form of Robin Orr
Robin Orr
Robert Kelmsley Orr CBE was a Scottish composer.Born in Brechin, he studied at the Royal College of Music in London and at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Following studies with Alfredo Casella and Nadia Boulanger he returned to Cambridge in 1938 as Organist of St John's College. During his war...
, Professor of Theory and Composition at the College, appointed to the Chair in 1956. He was from Brechin
Brechin
Brechin is a former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Traditionally Brechin is often described as a city because of its cathedral and its status as the seat of a pre-Reformation Roman Catholic diocese , but that status has not been officially recognised in the modern era...
, Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
, although was in fact adopted and originally of Swiss nationality. He was a noted composer, writing three operas and three symphonies alongside other works. He had previously been organist of St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, and it was to Cambridge that he returned in 1964 as the Professor of Music
Professor of Music, Cambridge University
The Professorship of Music was founded in 1684, one of the oldest professorships at the University of Cambridge.- List of Professors of Music :* 1684 Nicholas Staggins* 1705 Thomas Tudway* 1730 Maurice Greene* 1755 John Randall* 1799 Charles Hague...
. He was Chair of Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
from 1962 to 1976 and Director of Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
from 1971 to 1983, and was awarded a CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1972.
In 1966, Frederick Rimmer was appointed to the Chair. Rimmer had previously lectured in music at Homerton College, Cambridge
Homerton College, Cambridge
Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.With around 1,200 students, Homerton has more students than any other Cambridge college, although less than half of these live in the college. The college has a long and complex history dating back to the...
, before moving to Glasgow as Cramb Lecturer in Music in 1951. In 1954 he was appointed University Organist, and in 1956 became Senior Lecturer in Music, before his appointment to the Chair in 1966. Between 1968 and 1980, Rimmer was Director of Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera
Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies funded by the Scottish Government...
. He retired in 1980, at which time he received a CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. He was succeeded the same year by Hugh Macdonald
Hugh Macdonald
Hugh Macdonald is an English musicologist chiefly known for his work within the music of the 19th century, especially in France. He has been general editor of the Hector Berlioz: New Edition of the Complete Works since its inception in 1967 and has been particularly active in the revival of...
, a lecturer in music at St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
, and noted scholar of Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
. He resigned in 1987 on his appointment as Avis Blewett Professor of Music at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. In 1990, Graham Hair, Head of Composition at Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
, was appointed to the Chair. Hair is primarily a composer for women's voices, and following his retirement in 2001 remains Emeritus Professor and Honorary Research Fellow in the Centre for Music Technology.
In 2001, John Butt
John A Butt
John A Butt is an orchestral and choral conductor, organist, harpsichordist and scholar who has held the Gardiner Chair of Music at the University of Glasgow since 2001, and has led the Dunedin Consort, a professional vocal ensemble centered in Edinburgh, since 2003.-Biography:John Butt was born...
, a noted Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
scholar, was appointed to the Chair. Butt had previously lectured at the Universities of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and California, Berkley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. He has published extensively on the subject of Bach, and is also a successful conductor, his 2006 recording of Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
with the Dunedin Consort winning the ClassicFM/Gramophone award in the Baroque Vocal Category in 2007 and the MIDEM award for Baroque Music in 2008. In March 2010, he was awarded the Royal Academy of Music/Kohn Foundation Bach Prize.
Gardiner Professors of Music
- 1930-1941: William Whittaker
- 1941-1952: Sir Ernest BullockErnest BullockSir Ernest Bullock was an English organist, composer, and educator.-Education:...
- 1956-1964: Robin OrrRobin OrrRobert Kelmsley Orr CBE was a Scottish composer.Born in Brechin, he studied at the Royal College of Music in London and at Pembroke College, Cambridge. Following studies with Alfredo Casella and Nadia Boulanger he returned to Cambridge in 1938 as Organist of St John's College. During his war...
- 1966-1980: Frederick Rimmer
- 1980-1987: Hugh MacdonaldHugh MacdonaldHugh Macdonald is an English musicologist chiefly known for his work within the music of the 19th century, especially in France. He has been general editor of the Hector Berlioz: New Edition of the Complete Works since its inception in 1967 and has been particularly active in the revival of...
- 1990-2001: Graham Hair
- 2001-present: John ButtJohn A ButtJohn A Butt is an orchestral and choral conductor, organist, harpsichordist and scholar who has held the Gardiner Chair of Music at the University of Glasgow since 2001, and has led the Dunedin Consort, a professional vocal ensemble centered in Edinburgh, since 2003.-Biography:John Butt was born...