ed in this
hospitable hall."

THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC.

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THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC.

The Royal College of Music has occupied so much of the time and labour
of the Prince of Wales, and promises to be an institution of so great
national importance, that it seems well to present in order the various
movements that led up to the foundation of the College, and to group
together the successive speeches of the Prince on this subject.

NATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOL FOR MUSIC.

_June 15th, 1875._

The need for extending musical education, and for improving musical
taste in England, has long been felt. That there is no lack of musical
genius or skill in our country is sufficiently attested by the great
array of eminent composers and distinguished performers, whether in
vocal or instrumental music, both in former and in recent times. Nor has
the love of the art, and delight in its exercise, ever been wanting.
There was a time when what we now call "old English" rounds and catches,
glees and madrigals, and all kinds of choral compositions, were popular,
in the widest sense of the word. The love of orchestral harmony has also
been great in England, where Handel found his home, and the best field
for his wonderful powers. In those days Ireland was truly one with
England, in appreciation of high classical music. It was in Dublin that
the _Messiah_ was first heard, and best appreciated. Even in the
depressed period of music, in the early decades of this century, there
were always competitions of well-trained choirs and bands, which showed
the love and practice of musical art to be still widely diffused and
ardently cultivated.

Notwithstanding all this, it had come to be necessary to take some
measures for advancing musical art throughout the country, where great
towns and busy centres of industry had multiplied, without the
civilising influence of music being to a corresponding degree diffused.
No one felt this more strongly than the Prince Consort, but the
opportunity of carrying out his ideas did not arise in his lifetime. The
Royal Academy of Music, founded in 1822, and incorporated in 1830, did
good service in its limited way, for training its pupils and awarding a
few scholarships; but some institution was needed, with larger
expansiveness, and capable of diffusing the love and the practice of
music more widely among the people.

It was in furtherance of this national purpose that the Princ