The Reminiscences and Selected Criticism of Herbert Thompson (Clemson University Press w/ LUP)

By: Michael Allis and Paul Watt

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Synopsis: Herbert Thompson (1856-1945) was chief music critic at The Yorkshire Post from 1886 until 1936, as well as being the Yorkshire correspondent for the Musical Times. This volume includes a critical edition of his Reminiscences, and a substantial selection of his published music criticism. Thompson offers a fascinating commentary on the nature of music criticism and the value of programme notes, along with his views on a plethora of composers (including J. S. Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, Stanford, Sullivan, and Wagner), performers (such as Leonard Borwick, Joachim, Clara Schumann, and Sivori, plus a range of operatic and concert vocalists), and conductors (Buths, Costa, Nikisch, Richter, von Bülow, amongst others). In addition to charting his concert-going in London (with reference to institutions such as the Philharmonic Society, the Bach Choir and the Crystal Palace concerts) and documenting a range of performance timings, Thompson also discusses programming at provincial festivals (including Bridlington, Gloucester and Hovingham, but especially Leeds) and the variety of music-making in Yorkshire. Not only does Thompson highlight the rich detail of British musical life, but his description of his musical tour of Europe in 1889 represents a significant contribution to nineteenth-century travel writing and the nature of music-making abroad.