Any resources to find a listing of music teachers/professors in London c. 1818?

[lanarman]

Was wondering if there is such a list or directory for Professors/Teachers of Music in London c. 1818?

[mckha489]

I’d be very pleased to be proven wrong , but I think the answer is no.
However it is possible to compile a list of people calling themselves such from the newspapers.

[lanarman]

I tend to agree but as always, check the local newspaper! It would be a person named Bingley possibly offering music lessons in London (Westminster or Surrey, perhaps, to narrow it down) in 1817/1818. Family anecdote says that he was "Professor Bingley".

[stanmapstone]

Professor is an appointment as the principle lecturer or teacher in a field of learning  at a university or college."Professor" in this context has a different meaning. "Professor of Music",  or "Music Professor" as applied to ordinary music-instructors, means they profess to teach music. At that time it was more usual for people to call themselves "Professor" of Music etc. if they wanted to impress. You can see plenty advertising in the newspapers, and in Directories in the 19th Century. In the England 1881 Census there are 13 Doctors of Music, and 3,593 Professors of Music.

Stan

[Billyblue]

You could try asking the Trinity College of Music and/or the Royal College of Music and/or the Royal Academy of Music (google for details)

They may have lists or, at least, be able to tell you if there is such a list available anywhere

Dawn M

[Chris Doran]

I asked a musical friend who has such as listing, and she says: "My Grove Dictionary of Music (20 volumes) doesn't list any Bingley, just a couple of Bings and a Binge!"

So I conclude that he was using the term as applied to what we would now call a "home tutor" or "private teacher", as Stan describes. I think you'll have to trawl through the London section of The Historical Directories site. It's a bit tedious to use since they "improved" it a few years bask. Note that there are both central and suburban directories for London. The site has Surrey directories also. These are mainly the big fat Post Office directories which cover whole counties. There are also street directories for smaller districts which are more comprehensive and include more people, but aren't often on-line and you need to go the the relevant Local Studies Library/Archives to see them.

You'll find "professors" (equivalent to the French "professeur" = "teacher") of all sorts of things in directories right up to the middle of the 20th century. It was more a matter of terminology than a desire to impress, though no doubt it did that. Some entertainers were called "professor" also -- comedians Jimmy Edwards and Stanley Unwin come to mind -- not to forget Punch & Judy men who may still use the term for all I know.

[lanarman]

Thank you for the comments. The Historical Directories (website) do not show any Bingley "musicians" in London in the time frame I'm looking for. Having said that, I have to ask Chris Doran if his friend's list with a BINGE recorded- was it a William Binge and possibly a William Bing(l)e ?

[Novak20]

FYI, there is a Rev. William Bingley publishing various books from around that time (things like 'Biographical conversations on celebrated travellers') but no clear connection with music. He also goes by the titles MA, FLS -- which I *think* is fellow of the Linnean Society.

cheers,
Mike

[Chris Doran]

My friend says:

The Grove dictionary has Sir Rudolf Bing (b. 1902 in Vienna, later British citizen, helped to found the Edinburgh Festival, then went to the Metropolitan Opera in New York).

Stephen Bing was English, minor canon at St Paul's, but his dates are 1618-1681.

And Ronald Binge was born in Derby in 1910, played in cinema orchestras, and later became an arranger for Mantovani.

And then we go to Seth Bingham, who was an American organist, 1882-1972.

The entries before and after these are Binet, who was Swiss, and Bini who was Italian.  I wish I could find some helpful information for you!  Sorry.

So no help there. Have you found him in 1911, which may narrow down on the area (especially the Surrey possibility) enabling someone to look at a more local directory. I've never seen any explanation as to how people got into, or left out of, the later big fat county-wide directories (the early ones were compiled by postmen). There's never an application form at the back.

Chris