Royal Manchester College of Music
The former college building on Ducie Grove, Manchester
TypePublic, Conservatoire
Active1893–1972
FounderSir Charles Hallé
PrincipalSir Charles Hallé
Address
Ducie Grove, Manchester
,
Manchester
,
England

53°27′48″N 2°13′53″W / 53.463206°N 2.231284°W / 53.463206; -2.231284
CampusUrban

The Royal Manchester College of Music (RMCM) was a tertiary level conservatoire in Manchester, north-west England. It was founded in 1893 by the German-born conductor Sir Charles Hallé in 1893.

In 1972, the Royal Manchester College of Music amalgamated with the Northern School of Music to form the Royal Northern College of Music.

History

Founder Sir Charles Hallé (c.1860)

The Royal Manchester College of Music was founded in 1893 by Sir Charles Hallé who assumed the role as Principal. For a long period of time Hallé had argued for Manchester's need for a conservatoire to properly train the local talent.[1]

The RMCM opened in 1893 in a former club building on the corner of Ducie Grove and Ducie Street,[2] near Oxford Road. The building was adapted for use as a college by the architects Salomons and Steinthal, and contained a 400-seat concert hall lined with walnut wood panelling, classrooms, a library and offices. According to the Manchester Guardian, instead of a formal opening ceremony, donors were invited to a conversazione with Sir Charles Hallé and other musicians on Saturday October 7, 1893.[3] Students were admitted in October 1893.[4][5]

In 1888 German violinist Willy Hess became leader of The Hallé Orchestra, a role he held until 1895. From its opening in 1893 he was also the principal professor of violin at the Royal Manchester College of Music.[6]

In 1954 the Principal of the RMCM, Frederic Cox, started to explore the issue of amalgamation with the Northern School of Music. This took until 1972 when the amalgamation resulted in the founding of the Royal Northern College of Music.[4][5]

Principals

Notable teachers

Notable alumni

Main category: Alumni of the Royal Manchester College of Music

References

  1. ^ Thomason, Geoffrey. “Hallé’s other project – the RMCM”. Manchester Memoirs, being the memoirs and proceedings of the Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society: Vol.149 (2010-2011), pp.104-123.
  2. ^ At a later date the name of Ducie Street was changed to Devas Street. Another Ducie Street now runs further east of this site through Ancoats. Ducie Grove no longer exists and the site is now a car park.
  3. ^ "Royal Manchester College of Music Ducie Street Chorlton on Medlock - Building | Architects of Greater Manchester". manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.((cite web)): CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) RNCM A brief history of the Royal Northern College of Music Archive
  5. ^ a b Kennedy, Michael (1971) The History of the Royal Manchester College of Music (Manchester University Press)
  6. ^ Manchester Faces and Places. Manchester: JG Hammond & Co Ltd. February 1895. pp. 76–77.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Manchester Faces and Places (Vol XVI No 2 ed.). Manchester: Geo. Woodhead and Co Ltd. February 1905. pp. 42–53.
  8. ^ ""…we are utterly odd."[1] A collaborative life in both music and politics". www.conservatoiredeparis.fr. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Michael (11 June 1971). The History of the Royal Manchester College of Music, 1893–1972. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719004353. Retrieved 15 March 2016.

Other sources

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