Master of the Queen's Music
Master of the Queen's Music or Master of the King's Music (spelling until the beginning of the 20th century Master of the King's Musick ) is a courtly office or honorary title of the British monarchy , which roughly corresponds to that of the Poet Laureate . The first Master of the King's Music was Nicholas Lanier in 1626 , and Judith Weir has been a woman Master of the Queen's Music for the first time since 2014 .
Development history
The tradition of music bands ("music") with secular tasks at the English court goes back a long way. Edward IV had 13 musicians, while Henry VIII's chapel in 1526 comprised 15 trumpets , three lutes , three rebecs , three tambourines , a harp , two viols , nine baroque trombones , a cockle and four drums . The official post of Master of the King's Music (k) was established during the reign of Charles I in 1626 and was given to Nicholas Lanier. The Master of Music was responsible for the musical accompaniment of meals and other courtly events. During the reign of James II , the Master of Music was also given the task of composing odes for royal birthdays and New Year celebrations . The obligation to compose odes was not retained for long, however, and the task of the Masters of Music concentrated primarily on royal weddings, christenings and similar occasions.
The importance of the courtly orchestra declined later, at the time of Edward VII it no longer played its own concerts and only took on occasional duties at court. With the disappearance of his own court musicians under George V , the role of Master of Music changed into an honorary title without any strict obligation to compose compositions, which, however, were still composed on special occasions, such as Edward Elgar's The Nursery Suite for the princesses Elisabeth and Margaret in 1931 , or in 1953 for the coronation of Elizabeth II a Coronation March by Arnold Bax and a Processional for the Coronation by his successor Arthur Bliss . For the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, Malcolm Williamson created a Mass of Christ the King . The next title holder, Peter Maxwell Davies , also set a text by the Poet Laureate for the Queen's 80th birthday in 2006 and wrote a Christmas Carol for her in 2013 .
With the appointment of Peter Maxwell Davies as Master of the Queen's Music in 2004, the title, which had previously been awarded for life, was limited to a period of ten years. In 2014, the composer Judith Weir became the first woman to receive this title.
Chronological order of the Masters of Music
- Nicholas Lanier , 1626-1666
- Louis Grabu , 1666-1674
- Nicholas Staggins , 1674-1700
- John Eccles , 1700-1735
- Maurice Greene , 1735-1755
- William Boyce , 1757-1772
- John Stanley , 1772-1786
- William Parsons , 1786-1817
- William Shield , 1817-1829
- Christian Kramer , 1829-1834
- Franz Cramer , 1834-1848
- George Frederick Anderson , 1848-1870
- William George Cusins , 1870-1893
- Walter Parratt , 1893-1924
- Edward Elgar , 1924-1934
- Walford Davies , 1934-1941
- Arnold Bax , 1942-1953
- Arthur Bliss , 1953-1975
- Malcolm Williamson , 1975-2003
- Peter Maxwell Davies , 2004-2014
- Judith Weir , since 2014