William Gillies Whittaker (1876-1944) was born in Newcastle
upon Tyne. In 1892 he enrolled as a science student at Armstrong
College in that city but some two years later transferred to a
music course, and after completing his studies became a member of
the teaching staff there. In 1929 he came to Glasgow to hold the
joint posts of Principal of the Scottish National Academy of
Music and Gardiner Professor of Music at the University of
Glasgow. In 1963 Professor Whittaker's daughter and son-in-law,
Mary and Edward Pollitzer, presented his working library to the
University Library.
Printed Materials
The collection comprises several thousand items which include
a large number of standard scores, but the collection is
particularly strong in early 20th-century English music. There
are also several volumes of 18th-century music, as well as a copy
of virtually every song and choral work which appeared under the
Oxford University Press imprint during the period of
Whittaker’s general editorship.
Manuscript Materials
In addition to the scores and sheet music which belonged to
Whittaker, the Library holds a number of the manuscripts of his
original and edited or arranged music. There are over 80 original
compositions in a variety of forms - songs, part-songs, choral
works, piano, instrumental and chamber music - and about 100
arrangements, consisting mainly of songs and choral and
instrumental music. Also held are other manuscripts from Whittaker's personal
library, including over 200 letters from Gustav Holst.
Finding aids and descriptions
- Records for manuscript items may be searched via the
online manuscripts
catalogue. Scores of works by Whittaker and his transcriptions of
works by other composers are shelved at MS Whittaker (go to
collection record and click on 'list collection content' to browse
though an entire listing of these); manuscripts from the personal library of
Whittaker are shelved at MS Gen 1350-1352 (go to
collection record and click on 'list collection content' to browse
though an entire listing of these items - including Holst letters). There are also items of relevance to Whittaker in the Farmer
collection, so undertaking a name search of 'Whittaker' is also recommended.
- Most of the printed material has been catalogued. Records appear in the
main Library catalogue,
and, except for the early imprints, are shelved in
a sequence within the Music section on Level 4 under the heading
'Whittaker Music'. Items in Special Collections have the call number
Sp Coll
Whittaker.
- Printed material not yet listed on the online catalogue
may be accessed via the microfilm 'sheaf' catalogue (Catalogue 2: fiche
catalogues are available on every floor of the library, usually near the
Merlin workstations)Catalogue 2
- Sheila Craik and David Weston, Tunic, tinsel, toga: an
exhibition to mark the centenary of Henry George Farmer,
1882-1965 (Glasgow, 1982).
- The letters from Holst to Whittaker have been published in Letters to
W.G. Whittaker, edited by Michael Short (Glasgow: University of Glasgow
Press, 1974) Level 4
Main Library Music HH760 HOL4 and Sp Coll Reference. For those
interested in Holst, the website of the
Holst Birthplace Museum is also
worth visiting; there is also a
Holst Archive held by the Britten-Pears Library (primarily, the personal
papers and music manuscripts of Imogen Holst, Gustav's daughter).
- Whittaker's correspondence as Principal of the Scottish National Academy
of Music is held by Glasgow
University Archive Services (DC 227/2/1/1-107) who
also hold the records of the University's Music Department (GUA MUS).
See also the following 'book of the month' article that featured
manuscripts of letters between Whittaker and Holst:
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