The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-29
IN THE CRADLE OF SONG
Facts Concerning Engiand's Royal
Academy of Music.
PLEASURES or STUDENT LIFE
Miss kaiser Entertainiusly Describes the
Busy bat Wcll.Naricd Routine OF
Her Life in tho Greatest OF
English ConscrvatoricS.
Special Correspondence of The Tribune.

London, Jan. 2u.-Ihe winter holidays
are now two or three weeks past, and
London again sWarmS with thousands
of music students. back from their va
cation, and as fresh ana lit once more
Tor their work as any young Hercules
for the twelve laburS OF course there
are hundreds Of students who are pIi
vate pupils Of their masters. and whose
holidays are not prescribed by any
school Of learning at all. but the great
army Of the music students of London
are for the most part the children of
one of the three great musical inStitu-
ttons of London, viz: the Royal Acad-
envy of Music. the Guild d-hall School of
Music, ar the Royal College Of Music,
and these. as | said before. are all here
again, overtlowing with life and hope
and spirits. ready for the fray, as fresh
as daisies. and going AT their various
| studies with nothing short of frenzy of
| energy Always turning ZIP al the best
/ concerts and principal theaters, mostly
in the shilling ga!lery-thc students
/ Paradise-they form Il large and most
/ dlscrin!ina ting portion of the audi
cnces at all places in London where
( there Is anything worth hearing or see
/ ing.
I have often thought of describing
/ the life of tais The happicst and most
/ delightful set of people on earth, an
/ aristUcrGcy all by themselves, but |
: fllNt sunni NOW l.'NtI SbIt 'i'i'Nl IL
Perhaps | feared it. for it may he quite
/ beyond/me, You know. sun am go
/ ing to have Il try at it. and for the next
few weeks you may expect me 10 talk
shop
The Royal Academy.
| | will begin first by trying To tell you
! a bit about the oldest, most respected
| and best known of these institutions
/ tn" Royal Academy of Music. This
/ Royal and National Institution, found
/ ed in the wear iS.2. through Me pa
| triutiSm and rXertiOns of His Grace,
| JDhn Fame. Duke of Westmoreland was
/ opened to students during the next
| year, by His Majesty KinG George the
/ Fourth, whose interest in its welfar"
was manifested by an annual dona-
/ tion OF one hundred guineaS, ana one
/ of The last of the official acts of this
monarch was the signing of III" chart
a. granted 10 the school. SO you See,
1 the last of the much abused Georges
aid something worth while, anyway,
4 St2tewoGlS e. the contrary notwith-
standing. His successor King William
~, was also a patron of the Academy,
and in 1884 by his royal command, the
proceeds Of the Handel Festival held
In Westminster Abbey. at which the
students of the Academy tuuk part In
the Performance of Israel in Egypt" -"
were divided equally among some
other societies and the Royal Academy,
the Academy bruriittihg thereby - the
,NIcut of about ST. ,U0o Her Majesty,
the present Queen, has also continued
the patronage shown by her preGrCe5-
sprs, aud has hGrurrd with her pres
cnce few Of the concerts. Among
those at present on the list of patrons
are: TIL" Queen, the Prince and
Princess of Waies, Duke and Duchess
of TeCk, besides =, veral more OF the
Royal Family. our president being the
Duke uf SaXe-tOhurg ana Gutha. and
ON The list of virr- presidents and di-
/ T"ctorS appear such names as the Earl
/ uf kiimurey. L.. F.. Kt. Hon. Lord Her
Schcl, Earl de Grey. g. Hubert Parry
and 81 on for several names. famous
in the realms of music, literature and
society.
From the first the performances given
by the school have been attended by
. every favoring cirCum -nnCe, the stu
/ dents. as early as lS2S, giving II splendid
! concert. $50 the achivrS say. I wasn't
/ here then, but there is no doubt about
| it, before King George the Fourth i'm
! st. James's palace. and the next year,
! II series of Italian operas in Kings the
! alter, the voCalists, us we'll as the entire
/ orchestra, being composed of Royal
/ Academy Music students. The third
/ and fourth performances in England of
ReethOven'S ninth symphony We're Civ
/ "n by our school in 1885 and '36 as well
/ as the first performance ia England of
/ iiaydn's Seasons" As the school de
. VelOpcd these performances were con-
/ tinurd, first in Hanover square rooms,
/ later in st. James's hall. Thus for
/ many years the students have been con
/ Stantly b"fur" the public.
+ The Acndcmy's Commonplace Home.
But to get ON As II building the Royal
/ Academy of Music is in no way remark
/ able. eXc"nt, perhaps, for the IondOn
/ fled dingineSS of its exterior, and the
queelness and crazincss of some Of the
more remote interior. The Academy
started Oui in what must have been at
I the time of its establishment. II very
grand home in Hanover square. within
stones throw OF the famous st.
Georges church of Hanover square
where all the swell London weddings
in Thac'ieray's novels took place. and
( where many of the great. the rich and
the smart people of London still go to
plight their truths.
/ AS / was saying. its home ut first
I must have been very fine, but like the
| little green peach in the tale of woe. it
grew and ii grew until the directors
/ pushed fur want Of room, bought first
/ the building on one side of them then
that on the other, then later again. tn"
/ one back of their establishment. Into
these they constr uctvd pasSa geWays
ana built dOOrWayS and StairCaSeS
! most of th"s" being remarkable more
/ for their convenience of communication
/ than for their architectural merit or
! beauty, and remarkable most of all for
/ their oddity. In the original building
| things are quite comfUrtabl" and hand
/ some, bur in the remuter parts, where
/ these incomprehenshle connecting
| links as it were, occur. there are the
/ funniest. craZiest little bridges" wind
/ ing StaircaScS, sometimes of stone worn
7 INTO rutS by the feet of generations of
/ students, and running. with many
turns and crooks. from the top of the
/ place down to what seemed tD me ut
first To- be the very bowels of the earth
lmpruvised windows ana draughty
passageways abound and you can wan
/ der through them uphill and down
/ dale. through dark and light, and
! lose thysef in the impenetrable wood"
/ as Bryant says. The new student is al
ways Il very confused person till lie
/ learns these little London streets in
miniature and ! remember when first |
/ tried to penetrate to some far-Uff teach
/ er. without the help of our charming
| lady superintendent who is so kind in
| showing the new girls around. / be-
| thought me of TheSeus in the labyrinth
| hunting for the minataur and | wished
] had the little golden thread just then
In the Concert Hail.
The concert hall is a very fine one,
and, so far AS acoustics is concerned
perfect 1t Is here that the students
fortnightly concerts take place, as well
as the orchestral rehearSalS and lee
lures. TO all of which. of course. the
students have free admittance. while
the musical library. rich i'm orchestral