In almost all cases, the departments most accented were piano-playing, violin-playing, solo and choral singing, harmony and the higher branches of composition. Only gradually was specific recognition given to the need for genuine musicianship and of a comprehensive knowledge of musical history, literature and criticism. It must be confessed that in its earlier stages the conservatory idea was more analogous to that of the trade-school than to that of institutions of general culture.
The lowest type of conservatory is the mere coöperative union of
several teachers, each with his own methods, purposes and clientage, who
seek to profit by the practical advantages of consolidated effort. In such
a school each teacher goes his own way and pupils are not required to
pursue a curriculum. The latter, however, gain from the mere fact of
association and from whatever recitals, lectures and the like can be
attended by many auditors at once. The ideal conservatory is one in
which under competent direction a balanced and progressive curriculum
is provided and thoughtfully adjusted to personal needs, so that after a
reasonable period the student comes forth not only equipped for his
specialty, but with some determinable amount of general musicianship.
The difficulty of approaching the ideal is threefold—the economic
question of funds or income, the lack of an encyclopædic grasp of musical
art as a whole by musicians, and the natural popular demand for little
more than a money-winning musical training.
Measured by an ideal standard, the story of European music-schools before 1865 or thereabouts is honorable, but seldom brilliant. The problem of funds was met in almost every instance by a governmental subvention, often on a liberal scale. The problem of curriculum was dependent upon the wisdom of directors, but competition tended to force constant advance. The problem of popular demand was steadily simplified by the rapid increase in the number of educated musicians and the remarkable development of general interest in music of the highest class.
Since about 1860 the increase in the number of conservatories
has been more than twice as rapid as before and there has been
a marked improvement in their pedagogical system. They
have in some cases begun to establish important affiliations with
institutions of general culture, such as universities.
The oldest conservatories are those of Naples (see sec. 91), which were
consolidated in 1808; those of Venice, which were not reconstructed on
modern lines until recently; and that of Palermo, which became a state institution
in 1863.
By 1830, besides that at Paris (see sec. 177), conservatories had been started in 1804 at Bologna, in 1807 at Milan, in 1811 at Prague, in 1813
