Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Worshipful Company of Musicians
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Musicians were employed in the City from 1334, with charitable ordinances from 1350, but the first charter to City minstrels was in 1469 (applying to the whole of England, except the City of Chester, and open to women as well as men). The charter was renewed in 1604, giving the Company protection against foreign and itinerant minstrels, and again in 1950. The text of the 1469 charter is given in Rymer's 'Foedera', available in the Printed Books Section of Guildhall Library, and an 18th century copy of the 1604 charter is contained in Guildhall Library Ms 3101.
The Company now provides a number of grants to students of the major music colleges in London, and membership includes a number of well known professional musicians.