Worshipful Company of Musicians - History

History

The guild is believed to have been in existence at least as early as 1350, but the earliest official charter known was granted by King Edward IV to his minstrels in 1469. In 1500, the Fellowship of Minstrels was granted incorporation as the Musicians' Company by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, and the Company was given the right to regulate all musicians within the City. In earlier centuries, minstrels had held an honourable position in mediaeval society, but by the 15th century they were less highly regarded, and the protection of a guild was much needed. The guild received a Royal Charter in 1604, transforming it into the Worshipful Company of Musicians, with the influence and prestige of other City livery companies. It was granted control over all music-making in and within three miles of London, except for Westminster and Southwark. Nevertheless, the musicians employed by the court and powerful aristocratic families resisted the new Company's authority, and in 1632 Charles I revoked the 1604 charter. In 1637 the Westminster Musicians Guild attempted to assert control of the City's musicians, and the Company fought hard to retain its privileges, operating without a charter from 1632 to 1950.

By the middle of the 18th century most public music-making had moved from the City to the newly-built West End of London, and the Worshipful Company had become an anachronism. To maintain its membership and existence, the Company began admitting non-musicians, principally leading City businessmen, and, like many of the Livery Companies, it lost its original specialist identity. In 1870, with the election of the music publisher William Chappell, the Company began to revive its interest in music. A modest number of musicians were admitted to membership, and the non-musicians in the Company agreed to an increasing emphasis on musical philanthropy as its primary activity.

Despite the lack of an official charter since 1632, the Company held tercentenary celebrations at the beginning of the twentieth century, under the direction of Colonel Thomas Bradney Shaw-Hellier commandant of the Royal Military School of Music. Masters of the Company who have been composers or otherwise connected with music include: Frederick Bridge, 1892; Herbert Sullivan, 1926; Hugh Allen, 1937; Herbert Howells, 1959; Jack Westrup, 1971; and Lennox Berkeley, 1976.

In 1949 the Company successfully petitioned the City authorities for permission to apply to King George VI for a new charter of incorporation. The new charter was granted in 1950.