Gardiner Professor of Music
The Gardiner Chair of Music at the University of Glasgow was founded in 1928 and endowed by the gift of William Guthrie Gardiner and Sir Frederick Crombie Gardiner, shipowners in Glasgow. The chair was previously a joint appointment with the directorship of the Scottish National Academy of Music (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), although this practice ceased on the retirement of Sir Ernest Bullock in 1952. The current professor is John Butt. History The Chair of Music was established in 1928 with funds provided by brothers William and Sir Frederick Gardiner, Glasgow shipping merchants. The brothers endowed a number of other appointments at the university, including chairs in physiological chemistry (now biochemistry), bacteriology (now immunology) and organic chemistry (now chemistry), and the Gardiner Institute of Medicine. William Whittaker was the first man appointed to the chair, in 1930. Whittaker had originally intended studying science but switched to music, and taught at Armstrong College of Durham University before his appointment to the chair. Whittaker expanded the teaching of music in the university such that full degrees became awardable. During this time he was also principal of the Scottish National Academy of Music. He retired in 1941 and died in 1944.