Academic Unit Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (1894 - 1974)

From
3 December 1894
To
1974
Summary

'On 3 December 1894 Statute No. XXVIII came into force' establishing 'The University Conservatorium of Music' (Gilmour 2000, p. 21; University of Melbourne Calendar 1896).

On 18 February 1895, G. W. L. Marshall-Hall's Conservatorium was officially opened by the Vice-Chancellor Sir John Madden.

The Melbourne University (Amendment) Act 1974, repealed and discontinued the use of the name "University Conservatorium of Music" and provided a statue that practical instruction of music will undertaken under the authority of the Faculty of Music.

Details

Music was included in the five disciplines originally scheduled for the University in 1853, and Australia's first music degree was awarded in 1879 by the University of Melbourne. A Faculty of Music was not created until a Chair was established from a £20,000 gift from Francis Ormond. In 1891 George Marshall-Hall was appointed and the first students enrolled.

In 1894 Marshall-Hall wished to establish a conservatorium to teach the practical aspects of music, the University Council decided that this was required to be self-funding, and Marshall-Hall rented property in his name.

In 1900 Marshall-Hall's position was not renewed, but as lessees of the Conservatorium he retained control. The second Chair in Music, decided to establish a new Conservatorium in the University's name.

'...the University Conservatorium, which up until 1974 had been maintained as a separate entity incorporated with the University, disappeared: henceforth as all its activities were incorporated within the ambit of the Faculty of Music.' (Tregear 1997, p.125)

The Melbourne Conservatorium of Music has also been referred to as The University Conservatorium of Music (Tregear 1997, p. 31) and The Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne University (Gilmour 2000, p. 5).

Sources used to compile this entry: Gilmour, Katherine Rose, 'An historical perspective of the development of the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music', MA Ed thesis, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 2000; University of Melbourne Calendar 1896, The University of Melbourne, 1896, http://hdl.handle.net/11343/23385; Tregear, Peter John, The Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne: an historical essay to mark its centenary 1895-1995, Centre for Studies in Australian Music, Parkville, 1997; https://digitised-collections.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/23422/109362_UMC197513_Part%201%20Introduction%20to%20the%20Statutes%20and%20Regulations.pdf?sequence=14andisAllowed=y.

Related Academic Units

Published Resources

Books

  • Tregear, Peter John, The Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne: an historical essay to mark its centenary 1895-1995, Centre for Studies in Australian Music, Parkville, 1997. Details

Theses

  • Gilmour, Katherine Rose, 'An historical perspective of the development of the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music', MA Ed thesis, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 2000. Details

Online Resources

Created: 27 August 2018, Last modified: 11 December 2018