Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

172 ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY
Strathearn, K.6.), four Vice-Presidents (the
Earlof Ki]morey, LordStratheona, LordGlenesk,
and Lord Alverstone), about twenty Directors,
amongst whom are Earls De Grey and Shaftesbury,
Sir Benjamin Bakerand other distinguished
gentlemen, and a Committee of Management,
consisting partly of Professors of the Institution
and partly of well-known business men who are
so good as to place their powers at the service
of the Institution. It was the Principal's wish
that his office and that of Chairman of this
Committee should be separate functions, and
accordingly since 1890 this has been the case.
Mr. Thomas Threlfall was elected to the latter
post in 1890, and filled it with zeal and distinguished
success till his death in February 1907.
The Committee therefore consists, at the present
date, of Messrs. P. L. Agnew, Oscar Beringer,
E. E. Cooper (Treasurer), F. Corder (Curator),
a T. D. Crews, Sir Geo. Donaldson, H. C.
Gooch, Sir A. C. Mackenzie (Principal), A.
Randegger, C. Bube, John Thomas, F. P. Tosti,
Fred Walker, and Hans Wessely. The secretary
is Mr. F. "W. Renaut, and the Lady Superintendent
Miss Marion White. A staff of one
hundred and two Professors and about twenty
sub-professors (students) gives instruction in
every branch of music, besides which there are
classes for Languages, Diction, Elocution, Opera,
Dancing, Drama, Fencing, and Deportment.
Students cannot enter for less than a year, nor
for a single subject ; the normal course is three
years, and aU pupils receive an all-round musical
training. The library of the institution has
been noticed in vol. ii. pp. 705-6.
The list of scholarships and prizes open to
competition is too large for enumeration, being
fifty-nine of the former and thirty-three of the
latter (not all awarded annually) ;
but mention
should be made of the noble fouiidation, by the
late Mrs. Ada Lewis Hill, of the fifteen scholarships
bearing her name, five of which are awarded
each year and tenable for three years. Deserving
but indigent musical ability is also assisted by
the Students' Aid Fund, of which the interest
is appropriated, at the Committee's discretion,
towards the reduction of the fees of talented
pupils.]
Public performances have been given by the
pupils of the Royal Academy at various intervals
from the date of its foundation. Their locality
was sometimes in the Hanover Square Rooms
and sometimes at Tenterden Street. [The
present custom is to have Fortnightly Concerts
of chamber and organ music at the Academy,
and one chamber concert and one Orchestral
ditto at the Queen's Hall every term. Public
operatic and dramatic performances are also
given from time to time, these being sometimes
of works by the students themselves. At the
orchestral practices on Tuesday and Friday
afternoons the pupils have the opportunity of
hearing their own instrumental or vocal compositions,
and of performing concertos and songs
with orchestral accompaniments.
An account of the Royal Academy would be
incomplete without some reference to the part it
has taken in the holding of public examinations
—so prominent a factor in modem musical life.
For many years the Royal Academy of Music
held Local Examinations throughout the kingdom,
which were popular and lucrative. In
order, however, to raise the standard of these
examinations and assist the public towards the
elimination of defective instruction in music,
the Royal Academy of Music entered into
negotiations with the Royal College of Music
for combined actios in the matter. These
negotiations happily resulted in a union of the
forces of the two Institutions for the purposes
of Local Examinations in Music, and the formation,
in the year 1889, of the 'Associated
Board,' under the Presidency of H.R.H. the
Prince of Wales. The work of the ' Associated
Board ' of the two great Chartered Schools of
Music has already produced excellent results.
The scheme includes the Local Examination of
Schools, as well as Local Centre Examinations,
and has recently been extended to the Colonies.
The Academy continues its own separate Examination
in London (independent of Academy
Teaching) of music teachers and performers.
This is known as the Metropolitan Examination.
Successful candidates at '
this Examination,
'
which increases annually in popular estimation,
receive Diplomas certifying to their proficiency,
and are created by the Directors, Licentiates of
the Royal Academy of Music] w. B. s. ; with
additions by F. o.
SO-
ROYAL AMATEUR ORCHESTRAL
CIETY, THE, was established in 1872 by
H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh (late Duke
of Coburg), who was the first president, and
leader of the orchestra for many years. Mr.
J. R. Gow was honorary secretary, and Mr.
George Mount acted as conductor for the first
twenty-six years of the Society's existence, retiring
in 1897, when Mr. Ernest Ford, the
present conductor, was appointed. Sir Arthur
Sullivan conducted the first concert in 1873,
and took a lifelong interest in the institution,
which has done much to raise the standard of
amateur proficiency in London.
The subscription
is two guineas, and the present honorary
secretary is Hermann Sohmettau, Esq. M.
ROYAL CHORAL SOCIETY. On the
opening of the Albert Hall, Knightsbridge, in
1871, a choral society was formed by Charles
Gounod, and was amalgamated in 1872 with a
successful institution called Barnby's ' Choir,"
and conducted by that musician, the name
being from that time The ' Royal Albert Hall
Choral Society.' The change to the present
title was made in 1888, by command of Queen
Victoria. The conductor was Sir Joseph Barnby
until his death in 1896, when he was succeeded