The Professor of Music at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596 / 7, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors.
The Professor of Music is always appointed by the City of London Corporation.
(Years given as, say, 1596 / 7 refer to Old Style and New Style dates.)
| 1 | John Bull | March 1596 / 7 |
| 2 | Thomas Clayton | 20 December 1607 |
| 3 | John Taverner | 17 November 1610 |
| 4 | Richard Knight | 28 August 1638 |
| 5 | William Petty | 7 February 1650 / 1 |
| 6 | Thomas Baynes | 8 March 1660 / 1 |
| 7 | William Perry | 9 August 1681 |
| 8 | John Newey | 9 October 1696 |
| 9 | Robert Shippen | 4 December 1705 |
| 10 | Edward Shippen | 7 October 1710 |
| 11 | John Gordon | 16 January 1723 / 4 |
| 12 | Thomas Brome | 12 March 1739 / 40 |
| 13 | Charles Gardner | 6 December 1745 |
| 14 | Thomas Griffin | 11 January 1763 |
| 15 | Theodore Aylward Sr. | 5 June 1771 |
| 16 | R. J. S. Stevens | 17 March 1801 |
| 17 | Edward Taylor | 24 October 1837 |
| 18 | Henry Wylde | 10 July 1863 |
| 19 | Frederick Bridge | 30 April 1890 |
| 20 | Henry Walford Davies | 11 July 1924 |
| 1939–45 Lectures in abeyance | ||
| 21 | Peter Latham | 29 May 1946 |
| 22 | Anthony Hopkins (sp?) | 1963 |
| 23 | Brian Trowell | 1971 |
| 24 | Iannis Xenakis | 1975 |
| 25 | – vacant – | 1978-79 |
| 26 | A Percival | 1980 |
| 27 | – vacant – | 1983 |
| 28 | John Dankworth | 1984 |
| 29 | Peter Renshaw | 1986 |
| 30 | David Owen Norris | 1 September 1993 |
| 31 | Stephen Pratt / Joanna MacGregor | 1 September 1997 |
| 32 | Piers Hellawell | 1 September 2000 |
| 33 | Adrian Thomas | 1 September 2003 |
| 34 | Roger Parker | 1 September 2007 |
| 35 | Christopher Hogwood CBE | 1 September 2010 |
Famous quotes containing the words professor and/or music:
“You’ll admit there’s always the possibility of some employee becoming disgruntled over some fancied injustice. Dissatisfaction always leads to temptation. There’s always purchasers for valuable secrets.”
—Joseph O’Donnell. Clifford Sanforth. Donald Jordan, Murder by Television, trying to bribe Perry into revealing Professor Houghland’s secret (1935)
“But listen, up the road, something gulps, the church spire
Opens its eight bells out, skulls’ mouths which will not tire
To tell how there is no music or movement which secures
Escape from the weekday time. Which deadens and endures.”
—Louis MacNeice (1907–1963)