History
In 1882 a call was made by the newly established Royal College of Music to philanthropists around the world for a once-off donation of £3,000 to sponsor, perpetually, an eligible young musician to three years of tuition at the school. Mr (later Sir) W. J. Clarke of Melbourne was an early responder, [1] creating the Clarke Scholarship, which he stipulated would be restricted to residents of the Colony of Victoria.
The editor of the South Australian Register greeted this donation in an article about the college, urging wealthy men of South Australia to follow suit, pointedly mentioning great musicians of the past whose wealthy patrons were remembered honorably as a result — Prince Esterhazy and Haydn, and Prince Lichnowski and Mozart and Beethoven were instanced. [2]
In 1883 Sir Thomas Elder inaugurated the Elder Overseas Scholarship to the college, awarded through competition. [3] [4] The advertisement for the first competition read, in part:
- ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC, LONDON.
- President: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales
- Director: George Grove, Esq., DCL.
- THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN SCHOLARSHIP, Tenable for three years, Including Free Musical Education. Board and Residence at the College, founded by Sir Thomas Elder.
- Open for competition to Natives of South Australia, according to certain regulations and conditions to be obtained on application.
- 1. Pianists — Male and Female, age not to exceed 18
- 2. Vocalists — Male, age 19 to 24 ; Female, 16 to 21
- 3. Violinists — Male and Female, age not to exceed 15
- 4. Organists — Male and Female, age not to exceed 18
- Examiners Cecil J. Sharp, Hermann T. Schrader and Charles H. Compton
Minimum standards of competence set by the College, and on which the examinations were based, were highly prescriptive, and included test pieces. Of the five finalists, [lower-alpha 1] Otto Fischer was considered, though less schooled, to have the greatest natural talent, and was consequently awarded the scholarship. [5]
Costs
The scholarship did not include some necessary expenses, which should have been foreseen. Travel to England and return, and cab bus and train fares to performances, extra tuition (languages especially), and cost of a decent suit or gown (an essential for stage performances), all belied the promise of a great musical education for talented children of poorer families. In truth, as one cynic (or realist) wrote,
It is not merely the voice that carries a stager to the top of the tree. First comes money, much money; then brains enough to make most use of it; and lastly, as little conscience as possible . . . To all except a rare genius the only thing a young musician or vocalist can hope for in England is to gain as much as possible by study while money lasts; to educate oneself by listening to others, so long as there's money left; to battle hard for a few engagements, such as singing at soirees and small concerts; to earn a little money; to live as cheaply but genteelly as possible; to save money; and to go without meals, if necessary, to dress as well as money will permit, for the concert platform. [6] [lower-alpha 2]
There was however no mention in the Royal College's offer that "board and accommodation" was provided in term time only. In the holidays a British student could return home, but for Otto Fischer it was a significant added expense. Elder could have brought the lawyers in, but in this case, he simply stumped up the cash.
Another problem came to light when Koeppen Porter injured her hand and had to drop out. The college was still receiving interest on Elder's endowment, but providing no service, and profited thereby, and a local student may have taken her place. Sir W. J. Clarke, the businessman who funded a similar scholarship in Victoria, had stipulated that income from his endowment should only be used to benefit Victorian students, so was in a better position. [7]
Sir William Henry Bragg was an English physicist, chemist, mathematician, and active sportsman who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son Lawrence Bragg – the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics: "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays". The mineral Braggite is named after him and his son. He was knighted in 1920.
Adelaide High School is a coeducational state high school situated on the corner of West Terrace and Glover Avenue in the Adelaide Parklands. Following the Advanced School for Girls, it was the second government high school in South Australia and the first coeducational public high school in that state. It currently has an enrolment of approximately 1,500 students.
John Millard Dunn was an Australian church organist and choirmaster. He held these positions at St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide, for 44 years.
Ariel Shearer was an Australian composer and classical pianist.
Adelaide Women's Club was a social club for women which operated from 1922 to 1938 in Adelaide, South Australia.
Hermann Theodor Schrader was a South Australian pianist, violinist and cellist, who had a later academic career in Victoria.
Joshua Ives was the first Professor of Music at the University of Adelaide and founder of the Elder Conservatorium of Music.
Immanuel Gotthold Reimann RAM, CMB, generally known as I. G. Reimann or Gotthold Reimann, was a South Australian musician and teacher of music. He founded the Adelaide College of Music, which became the Elder Conservatorium.
August Moritz Hermann Heinicke, only ever known as Hermann or Herr Heinicke, was a German-born violinist and music teacher in South Australia. He founded Heinicke's Grand Orchestra and was the first conductor of the Adelaide Conservatorium orchestra.
The Port Adelaide News was a newspaper published in Port Adelaide, South Australia between 1876 and 1933 with various sub-titles, several breaks in publication and periods of bi-weekly publication.
Frederick Charles Bevan was a singer and songwriter in England remembered as a teacher of singing in South Australia.
Harold Eustace Wylde FRCO, ARCM, LRAM (1888–1975) was a South Australian organist.
Reginald Robert John Dempster was a church organist and choirmaster in South Australia.
Brenton James Langbein, AO was an Australian violinist, conductor, and composer.
Gladys Ruth Gibson was an Australian educator and member and leader of women's groups, including the National Council of Women of Australia (NCW).
Otto Fischer Sobell, born Otto Fischer was an Australian operatic singer, noted for Wagnerian roles.
Sir Thomas Elder's proposal for scholarships in music performance, tenable at the Conservatorium, was accepted by the Council of the University of Adelaide in 1897. There are five categories of performance for which Elder Scholarships may be awarded each year by the board of the Elder Conservatorium, which entitle the holder to three years' free tuition in their principal subjects and in such secondary subjects as the director of the Conservatorium may approve.
Gulielma "Guli" Hack ARCM was a South Australian pianist, singer and teacher at the Elder Conservatorium, Adelaide.
Clara Serena Kleinschmidt was an Australian operatic contralto singer, professionally known as Clara Serena. She had a successful career in London and in Europe, which was interrupted by the World War I, and resumed in 1923 with Roy Mellish, her accompanist and husband. They retired to South Australia in 1951.
Maude Mary Puddy was an Australian pianist and music educator.
This page is based on this
Wikipedia article Text is available under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.