The role of the first five Elder professors in the development of music in the Elder Conservatorium, 1885-1985

Abstract

The first five Elder Professors of the Elder Conservatorium fulfilled the dual roles of academic Professor and Director and administrator from 1898 to 1976. A historical biographical method is used to facilitate comparison, each chapter dealing with the nature of the several professors' contributions both to music and to the wider public life of Adelaide. Brief mention is made of British and German groups of musicians who were already active in the colony prior to the establishment of Reimann's Adelaide College of Music, along with a short history of the Conservatorium movement in Europe, the influence of the British and German styles of music teaching and the question raised as to whether the merger of the two styles produced a distinctive style of Australian music studies. Conclusions are drawn as to the relative success of each of the Elder professors, and comparisons made with the Ormond Chair of Music in the University of Melbourne.