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{{short description|Post in the British monarchy}}
{{use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
'''Master of the King's Music''' (or '''Master of the Queen's Music''', or earlier '''Master of the King's Musick''') is a post in the [[Royal Household of the United Kingdom]]. The holder of the post originally served the [[Kingdom of England|monarch of England]], directing the court orchestra and composing or commissioning music as required.
The post is broadly comparable to that of [[Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom| ==The King's Musick==
In the 14th century professional music-making in England was theoretically regulated by the Crown. Musicians known as the "[[King's Minstrels]]" or the "King's Musick" wore the royal livery and exercised some control of other musicians, although the musicologist Leonard Duck describes that control as "nominal".<ref name=duck>Duck, Leonard. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/934669 "Masters of the Sovereign's Music"], ''The Musical Times'', June 1953, pp. 255–258 {{subscription required}}</ref>
[[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] appointed a Royal Commission to regulate unlicensed minstrelsy and in 1469 [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] granted the royal minstrels a [[Guild]] charter. According to the charter, "no Minstrel of our Kingdom ... shall henceforth in any way practise or publicly exercise the art or occupation within our Kingdom aforesaid, unless he belong to the said Brotherhood or Guild". This led to legal difficulties between the royal minstrels and the City Company under the patronage of the [[City of London]], chartered by [[James I of England|James I]] in 1604 to perform in the City and three miles outside it.<ref name=w186>{{harvnb|Wilson|1994|p=186}}</ref> The King's Minstrels requested and received a charter from [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] in 1635 to "have the survey, scrutinie, correction and government of all and singular the musicians within the kingdome of England".<ref name=duck/>
==First Masters of the King's Musick==
[[File:Anton van Dyck - Nicolas Lanier - Google Art Project.jpg|thumbnail|The first appointed Master of the King's Musick, [[Nicholas Lanier]]]]
The first appointed Master of the King's Musick was the only one seriously to attempt to rule all the musicians in the kingdom as a guild. This was [[Nicholas Lanier]],<ref name=w186/> appointed by Charles I in 1626 as Master of the King's Musick (the spelling was changed to "Music" in the 20th century, during [[Edward Elgar|Sir Edward Elgar]]'s tenure).<ref name=royal>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/OfficialRoyalposts/MasterofTheQueensMusic.aspx "Master of The Queen's Music"], The British Monarchy, retrieved 26 May 2015</ref><ref name=cc>Cudworth, Charles. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/953115 "Masters of the Musick"], ''The Musical Times'', August 1966, pp. 676–677 {{subscription required}}</ref> At that time the holder of the post took charge of the monarch's private band, a responsibility which continued until the band was dissolved in 1901 by [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]].<ref name=duck/>
The position lapsed during the period of military rule following the [[English Civil War|Civil War]], but on the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 Lanier returned from exile to resume the revived post.<ref name=duck/> After Lanier's death in 1666, [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] appointed a French violinist, [[Louis Grabu]], to the post. Grabu was primarily concerned with organising the music for the court, and the Westminster musicians' guild fell into decline, coming to an end after 1697.<ref name=duck/> Neither Grabu nor his successor [[Nicholas Staggins]], who served from 1674 to 1700, was a talented composer; they turned to established composers such as [[Henry Purcell]] to supply music for important occasions.<ref name=cc/>
==18th century==
Staggins was succeeded by [[John Eccles (composer)|John Eccles]], who was appointed by [[William III of England|William III]] in June 1700. Eccles was the longest-serving Master, holding the post for 35 years; he is also the only one to have served under four monarchs (William III, [[Queen Anne of Great Britain|Anne]], [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] and [[George II of Great Britain|George II]]). He was already a well-known composer before his appointment, described by ''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'' as "undoubtedly the greatest of the Restoration theatre composers" after Purcell.<ref>Laurie, Margaret and Stoddard Lincoln. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/08509pg4 "Eccles]", Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{subscription required}}</ref> He nevertheless continued his predecessors' practice of commissioning works from other composers, including [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]], who supplied the [[Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne]] (1713).<ref name=cc/> Duck comments that Handel's eminence as a composer "evidently did not qualify him as a suitable candidate for the honour of Master of the King's Music – the Hanoverian kings clearly played safe by choosing musicians of unimpeachable native breeding".<ref name=duck/>
After Eccles's death in 1735, his post was filled by [[Maurice Greene (composer)|Maurice Greene]], who already held the posts of organist of [[St Paul's Cathedral]] and organist and composer of the [[Chapel Royal]].<ref>Johnstone H. Diack. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/11707 "Greene, Maurice"], Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{subscription required}}</ref> He held the post for twenty years, but his health was never robust, and he frequently called upon his former pupil [[William Boyce (composer)|William Boyce]] to compose music for the birthday and New Year odes written by the [[Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom|Poet Laureate]] in honour of the king.<ref name=cc/> After Greene died in December 1755, Boyce succeeded him as Master of the King's Musick, and later in the Chapel Royal appointment. It was probably in the latter capacity rather than the former that Boyce provided what ''Grove'' calls "an imposing and deeply felt orchestral anthem" for the funeral of George II on 11 November 1760, "a splendid setting of 'The King shall rejoice"' for the wedding of [[King George III]] and [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Princess Charlotte]] on 8 September 1761, and eight anthems for the [[Coronation of George III and Charlotte|coronation of the king]] later in the same month.<ref>Bartlett Ian and Robert J. Bruce. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40029 "Boyce, William"], Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{subscription required}}</ref>
Boyce died in 1779, and was succeeded as Master by another former pupil of Greene, [[John Stanley (composer)|John Stanley]], who held the post until he died in 1786. He composed fifteen birthday and New Year odes, but none of them have survived.<ref name=cc/> The last Master appointed in the 18th century was [[William Parsons (composer and musician)|Sir William Parsons]]. He was viewed by his contemporaries as an affable man but a musician of limited ability, although his court music cannot be assessed, having mostly been lost.<ref name=parsons>Middleton, L. M. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21480 "Parsons, Sir William (1745/6–1817)"], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{ODNBsub}}</ref> He is believed to be the first professional musician to have been knighted in Britain, although it was said that the honour was more for "the score of his merits than because of the merits of his scores".{{sfn|Brown|Stratton|1897|p=312}}
==19th century==
[[File:William Shield .png|thumb|left|upright|[[William Shield]], Master, 1817–29]]
Parsons held the post of Master until 1817, when he was succeeded by [[William Shield]], best known as a theatre composer: he composed or arranged music for at least thirty-six operas and seven pantomimes and ballets.<ref>Legge, R. H. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/25401 "Shield, William (bap. 1748/9, d. 1829)"], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{ODNBsub}}</ref> Shield's tenure is most notable for the abandonment of the traditional provision of court odes. By custom, the Poet Laureate of the day wrote the words for the odes, a task that the then holder, [[Robert Southey]], found uncongenial. After the death of George III in 1820 the odes were discontinued. The post of Master of the King's Musick continued because George IV maintained the traditional small orchestra, which Shield's successor, [[Christian Kramer]], directed. That remained the chief function of the Master through the tenures of [[Franz Cramer]] (Master 1834–48), [[George Frederick Anderson]] (Master 1848–70), and [[William Cusins|Sir William Cusins]] (Master 1870–93). The last of these produced a few works for royal occasions, including a jubilee cantata, "Grant the Queen a Long Life" (1887).<ref>Edwards, F. G, rev [[John Warrack]]. [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/6971 "Cusins, Sir William George (1833–1893)"], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{ODNBsub}}</ref>
The last Master appointed in the 19th century was [[Walter Parratt|Sir Walter Parratt]], organist of [[St George's Chapel, Windsor]]. His tenure lasted thirty-one years from 1893, under the reigns of three monarchs – [[Queen Victoria]], Edward VII and [[George V of the United Kingdom|George V]]. In Duck's view, Parratt's role was chiefly that of musical adviser to the Crown. Among his actions in that capacity were inviting Elgar to set [[A. C. Benson]]'s verses as a [[Coronation Ode]] for Edward VII in 1901, and
==20th century==
[[File:Edward Elgar 1917.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Edward Elgar|Sir Edward Elgar]], Master, 1924–34]]
After Parratt's death in 1924, there was a body of opinion that the position of Master was an anachronism, with neither a royal band to direct nor regular royal odes to compose.<ref name=times/> Elgar, who was well regarded by the royal family, pressed the case for retaining the post. According to the music writer [[Nicholas Kenyon]], he also "lobbied shamelessly" for his own candidacy for it.{{sfn|Kenyon|2008|p=18}} Other names, including that of [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] had been suggested, but George V and his advisers took the view that "if the post is to go to the most eminent musician it would hardly be possible to go beyond Elgar."{{sfn|Moore|1990|p=384}} Elgar's appointment was announced in May 1924; ''[[The Times]]'' commented, "it is entirely fitting that in the changed condition of the office he should be made Master of the King's Musick and the Musician Laureate of the British people."<ref name=times>"Master of the King's Musick", ''The Times'', 5 May 1924, p. 16</ref> Elgar was not required to write any official music in his new capacity, but in 1931, he dedicated his ''[[Nursery Suite]]'' to the [[Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Duchess of York]] and her two daughters.{{sfn|Kennedy|1989a|p=3}} He used his influence as Master to track down the original instruments of [[Edward VII]]'s band, to ensure the royal music library was well ordered, and to secure recognition for other musicians, including a knighthood for [[Granville Bantock]] and the [[Companion of Honour]] for [[Frederick Delius|Delius]].<ref name=k19>{{harvnb|Kenyon|2008|p=19}}</ref> As musical aide to the king he gave advice about such topics as the foundation of a national opera company, the correct version of the national anthem to be broadcast by the BBC, and the musical events at which members of the royal family should be present.<ref name=k19/>
Elgar died in 1934. He was succeeded by [[Walford Davies|Sir Walford Davies]], organist of St George's Chapel, Windsor, who had been rumoured to be in the running for the post in 1924.<ref>"Sir Walford Davies", ''The Times'', 10 April 1924, p. 17</ref> In a 1966 retrospective of the various Masters, Charles Cudworth wrote that Davies was "a fine musician, a good composer, and was even better-known as one of the world's first great broadcasters, so the appointment was
popular."<ref name=cc/> When Davies died in 1941, [[Arnold Bax|Sir Arnold Bax]] replaced him, to the surprise of many in the musical world, given his strong affinities with [[Ireland]], and no record of writing occasional music.<ref name=duck/> Bax did write a few pieces for royal occasions, including a march for the [[coronation of Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Richards |first=Jeffrey |date=2001 |title=Imperialism and Music: Britain, 1876-1953 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-YJUbPSBT94C&pg=PA119 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=0-7190-6143-1 |page=119}}</ref>
Bax died in 1953; many expected his successor to be [[William Walton|Sir William Walton]], but to Walton's own relief the post went to [[Arthur Bliss|Sir Arthur Bliss]].{{sfn|Kennedy|1989b|p=170}} In ''The Times'', the critic Frank Howes commented, "The duties of a Master of the Queen's Music are what he chooses to make of them, but they include the composition of ceremonial and occasional music".<ref name=times56>Howes, Frank, "Sir Arthur Bliss – A modern romantic",'' The Times'', 27 April 1956, p. 3</ref> Bliss, who composed quickly and with facility, was able to discharge the calls on him as Master, providing music as required for state occasions, from the birth of a child to the Queen, and the funeral of [[Winston Churchill]], to the investiture of the [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]].<ref>Cole, Hugo and Andrew Burn. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/03281 "Bliss, Sir Arthur."] ''Grove Music Online'', Oxford Music Online, retrieved 27 May 2011 {{subscription required}}; Arnold-Forster, Mark. "Birthday Song", ''[[The Observer]]'', 21 February 1960, p. 1; and Tracey, Edmund. "March of Homage set the stately tone", ''The Observer'', 31 January 1965, p. 4</ref>
When Bliss died in 1975, Walton and others lobbied for the appointment of [[Malcolm Arnold]].<ref name=k264>{{harvnb|Kennedy|1989b|p=264}}</ref> There was some surprise that Bliss's actual successor was the Australian composer [[Malcolm Williamson]]; Walton attributed the appointment to the need for "cementing the cracks in the Commonwealth".<ref name=k264/> Williamson held the post from 1975 until his death in 2003, composing works including ''Lament in Memory of [[Lord Mountbatten of Burma]]'' (1980), ''Ode for Queen Elizabeth'' (1980), and ''Songs for a Royal Baby'' (1985).<ref>Conway, Paul. [http://www.musicweb-international.com/Williamson/ "Malcolm Williamson"], MusicWeb, retrieved 27 May 2015</ref>
==21st century==
[[File:Peter Maxwell Davies.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Sir Peter Maxwell Davies]]
[[Peter Maxwell Davies|Sir Peter Maxwell Davies]] was appointed to the Mastership in 2004 in succession to Williamson. For the first time the appointment was for a fixed, ten-year, term rather than for life, with the aim of making the post more attractive to composers.<ref name=royal/> Maxwell Davies' work as Master included a Christmas carol for the Queen which was recorded by the Chapels Royal, and a work to accompany a poem by the Poet Laureate, [[Andrew Motion]], to mark the Queen's eightieth birthday in 2006.<ref name=royal/> He played a key role in the creation of [[the Queen's Medal for Music]].<ref name=royal/>
After the end of Maxwell Davies'
<blockquote> Weir would concentrate on supporting and speaking up for her composer colleagues, challenging the function that contemporary music fulfils in society, and embarking on a nationwide exploration of the state of music education in order to create pieces that will be useful for schoolchildren and amateur musicians. </blockquote>
However, Weir has composed several works for state events, including ''The True Light'' for the [[First World War centenary]] in 2018, ''By Wisdom'' for the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Platinum Jubilee]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/09/15/queen-music-royal-composer-weir/ |title=Queen had 'immensely detailed knowledge' of music, says royal composer |last=Brodeur |first=Michael Andor |date=15 September 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref> and ''[[Like as the hart (Weir)|Like as the hart]]'' for the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|Queen's state funeral]].<ref>{{cite news
|url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/19/a-ringing-coda-the-music-at-the-queens-funeral-was-both-solemn-and-sublime |last= Ashley |first= Tim |title = A ringing coda: the music at the Queen's funeral was both solemn and sublime |newspaper= [[The Guardian]] |date= 19 September 2022 |access-date= 19 September 2022}}</ref>
In 2024, [[Errollyn Wallen]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] was the first appointment to the office by King Charles III.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Errollyn Wallen appointed first Master of the King’s Music of new reign |url=https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/errollyn-wallen-master-of-the-kings-music/ |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=Classic FM |language=en}}</ref>
==Office holders==
{| class="wikitable"
Line 57 ⟶ 77:
!Monarch's<br>title
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1625
| *
| rowspan="2
| [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]
| rowspan="8" | King/Queen of <br>[[List of English monarchs|England]]
|-
| 1660
| 1666
| rowspan="3" | [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] (d. 1685)
|-
|
| 1666
|
|
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press 2004, retrieved 27 May 2015 {{ODNBsub}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3
| 1674
||
| rowspan="3
|-
| 1685
|
| [[James II of England|James II]] (Glorious Revolution 1688)
|-
| 1688
| 1700
| rowspan="2" |[[William III of England|William III]] and [[Mary II of England|Mary II]] (joint monarchs; Mary d. 1694; William d. 1702)
|-
| rowspan="5
| 1700
|
| rowspan="5
|-
| 1702
|
| rowspan="2" | [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]] (d. 1714)
|-
| –
|
| rowspan="8" | King/Queen of <br>[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] <br>(from 1707)
|-
| 1714
|
| [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] (d. 1727)
|-
| 1727
| 1735
| rowspan="3" | [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] (d. 1760)
|-
|
| 1735
| 1755
|
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1755
|
| rowspan="2
|-
| 1760
| 1779
| rowspan="5" | [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]] (d. 1820)
|-
|
| 1779
| 1786
|
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1786
|
| rowspan="2
|-
| –
| 1817
| rowspan="12" | King/Queen of the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom of <br> Great Britain and Ireland]] <br>(from 1801)
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1817
|
| rowspan="2
|-
| 1820
| 1829
| rowspan="2" | [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]] (d. 1830)
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1829
|
| rowspan="2
|-
| 1830
| 1834
| rowspan="2" | [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] (d. 1837)
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1834
|
| rowspan="2
|-
| 1837
| 1848
| rowspan="4" | [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]] (d. 1901)
|-
|
| 1848
|
|
|-
|
| 1870
| 1893
|
|-
| rowspan="4
| 1893
|
| rowspan="4
|-
| 1901
|
| [[Edward VII]] (d. 1910)
|-
| 1910
|
| rowspan="4" | [[George V]] (d. 1936)
|-
| –
| 1924
| rowspan="
|-
|
| 1924
| 1934
|
|-
| rowspan="3
| 1934
|
| rowspan="3
|-
|
|
| [[Edward VIII]] <br>(abd. Dec 1936)
|-
|
| 1941
| rowspan="2" | [[George VI]] (d. 1952)
|-
| rowspan="2
| 1942
|
| rowspan="2
|-
| 1952
| 1953
| rowspan="5" | [[Elizabeth II]] (d. 2022)
|-
|
| 1953
| 1975
|
|-
|
| 1975
| 2003
|
|-
|
| 2004
| 2016
|
|-
|
|
|
|
|-
| 2022
|
| rowspan="2" | [[Charles III]]
|-
|[[Errollyn Wallen]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
|2024
|
|The first appointment to the office by King Charles III.<ref name=":0" />
|}
==See also==
* ''[[Kapellmeister]]''
== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
* {{cite book | last1= Brown | first1= James Duff|author-link=James Duff Brown|first2=Stephen S.|last2=Stratton|year= 1897| title= British Musical Biography | location= London | publisher= Reeves | oclc= 220666894}}
* {{cite book | last= Kennedy | first= Michael|author-link=Michael Kennedy (music critic)| year=1989a| title= Notes to Elgar's ''The Nursery Suite and other short pieces'' | location= London | publisher= EMI | oclc= 36262885}}
* {{cite book | last= Kennedy | first= Michael | year= 1989b | title= Portrait of Walton | location= Oxford | publisher= Oxford University Press | isbn= 978-0-19-816705-1 | url-access= registration | url= https://archive.org/details/portraitofwalton00kenn }}
* {{cite book | last= Kenyon | first= Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Kenyon| title= Elgar: An Anniversary Portrait| year= 2008| location= London | publisher= Continuum | isbn= 978-1-84706-533-9}}
* {{cite book | last= Moore | first= Jerrold Northrop|author-link=Jerrold Northrop Moore| year=1984 | title= Edward Elgar: a Creative Life | location=Oxford and New York | publisher= Oxford University Press | isbn= 978-0-19-315447-6}}
* {{cite book | last= Moore | first= Jerrold Northrop | year=1990 | title= Edward Elgar: Letters of a Lifetime| location=Oxford and New York | publisher= Oxford University Press | isbn=978-0-19-315472-8}}
* {{cite book | last= Wilson | first= Michael Ian | year= 1994| title= Nicholas Lanier: Master of the King's Musick | location= Aldershot, UK | publisher= Scolar Press | isbn= 978-0-85967-999-2}}
{{British Monarchy Household}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Master of the Queen's Music}}
[[Category:Positions within the British Royal Household]]
[[Category:Masters of the King's Music]]
[[Category:Masters of the Queen's Music| ]]
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