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.
This book is a critical edition of the autobiography and selected musical criticism of Herbert Thompson (1856–1945) who was chief music critic at The Yorkshire Post from 1886 until 1936, and Yorkshire correspondent for the Musical Times.
