Rudolph Tang writes:

>I am currently doing some data work, one of which features the English
>conductors who are titled Sir or any lordship that are granted by HM the
>Queen/King.  I get totally confused when dealing with names like such:
>Honrary Knight the Most Exerllency OM....  Thus I'd like to ask for kind
>help.  Would any of you make a relatively complete list of the English
>conductors such as Sir Solti, Sir Collin Davis, Sir Beechame and Lord
>Menuhin etc.  with the exact date of when they were granted a certain
>lordship and what exactly the cartain lorship is to be called.

I shall step forward into this one.  I shall just deal with the
Knighthoods.  The "lesser" awards (MBE, OBE, CBE,) are harder to keep
track of.  I cannot give you dates when awards were given.  You would need
to consult "Who's Who" for that as some of them will go back many years.
One final thing.  As to titles, the only one that really matters is the
Knighthood and that means they carry "Sir" before their name.  Only two
musicians have, to my knowlege, been given Life Peerages - made Lords
until they die.  I deal with them first.

Yehudi Menhuin was given a Knighthood in the 1970s and so became Sir
Yehudi, but in the 1980s was *also* given a Life Peerage and so became
Lord Menuhin of ......  (whichever town he chose.)

Benjamin Britten must have turned down a Knighthood at some point so was
never "Sir".  However, in 1975 he was given, and accepted, a Life Peerage
so was Lord Britten of Aldeburgh.

The rest of the Knighthoods:

Sir John Barbirolli
Sir Adrian Boult
Sir Malcolm Sargent
Sir Henry Wood
Sir Charles Groves
Sir Colin Davis
Sir Andrew Davis
Sir Neville Marriner
Sir Roger Norrington
Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Sir Alexander Gibson
Sir Simon Rattle
Sir Clifford Curzon
Sir Georg Solti (he had become a British citizen and so was allowed to
carry the title.  See below regarding foriegn recipients.)
Sir William Walton
Sir Michael Tippett

There is an interesting exception with Sir Thomas Beecham.  He was "Sir"
twice over.  His father, the drug company millionaire, had been made a
"Baronet" This meant he could call himself "Sir" and also pass that title
to his son.  So, the conductor Thomas Beecham became "Sir" Thomas when his
father died.  Later on he was also made a Knight in his own right.

Remember that when Knighthoods are awarded by the Queen to non-British
citizens they cannot use the title "Sir".  So Andre Previn and Bernard
Haitink carry just the letters KBE after their name.

You mentioned OM.  That is the Order of Merit and is the highest honour
that the Queen can bestow.  There are only ever 50 of them alive at one
time so it is not awarded very often.  Benjamin Britten held it and so did
Vaughan Williams.  Vaughan Williams never held a Knighthood, by the way, as
he turned one down, probably on two occasions.  You don't have to accept
any award given though they don't usually ask twice.

Tony Duggan, England.
Mahler recordings survey:
http://www.musicweb.uk.net/Mahler/index.html