Hamilton Harty: Musical Polymath(Music in Britain, 1600-2000)

An in-depth study of the life of Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941), pianist, composer and conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in his day. Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1941) is best known as the conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, who arguably made Manchester the most important focus for music in Britain in his day. This book chronicles and analyses Harty's illustrious career, from his establishment as London's premiere accompanist in 1901 to his years as a conductor between 1910 and 1933, first with the LSO and then with the Hallé, to his American tours of the 1930s. Tragically, Harty died from cancer in 1941 at the age of only 61. This book also looks at Harty's life as a composer of orchestral and chamber works and songs, notably before the First World War. Although Harty's music cleaved strongly to a late nineteenth-century musical language, he was profoundly influenced during his days in Ulster and Dublin by the Irish literary revival. A great exponent of Mozart and especially Berlioz, Harty was also a keen exponent of British music and an active supporter of American composers such as Gershwin. Harty's role in the exposition of standard and new repertoire and his relationship with contemporary composers and performers are also examined, against the perspective of other important major British conductors such as Sir Thomas Beecham, Malcolm Sargent and Sir Henry Wood. Additionally, the book analyses the debates Harty provoked on the subjects of women orchestral players, jazz, modernism, and the music of Berlioz. JEREMY DIBBLE is Professor of Music at Durham University and author of John Stainer: A Life in Music(The Boydell Press, 2007) and monographs on C. Hubert H. Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford and Michele Esposito.

Table of Contents:
Preface Hillsborough, Belfast and Dublin - A Musical Apprenticeship - 1879-1901 London (1) 1901-1909: A Pre-eminent 'Collaborator' and Aspiring Composer London (2) 1909-1914: Composer and Conductor The War Years and After - 1914-1920 The Hallé Years - 1920-1927 Apogee: From Hallé to the LSO - 1927-33 America and Australia: An Unforeseen Romance - 1933-1936 The Last Years: The Children of Lir - A Creative Codicil - 1933-41 Bibliography Appendix One: List of Works Appendix Two: List of Recordings

About the Author :
JEREMY DIBBLE is an Emeritus Professor of Music at Durham University where he taught for 30 years. He is the author of C. Hubert H. Parry: His Life and Music (1998), Charles Villers Stanford: Man and Musician (original edition, 2002), Michele Esposito (2010). With the Boydell Press, Dibble has published John Stainer: A Life in Music (2007), Hamilton Harty: Musical Polymath (2013), British Musical Criticism and Intellectual Thought, 1850-1950 (2018) (with Julian Horton) and The Music of Frederick Delius (2021).

Review :
Sheds a good deal of light on the life, varied career, and works of an important but neglected figure. Dibble's writing is clear, and he brings a great deal of knowledge and passion to bear on his subject. His treatment of the multifaceted Harty has something to offer those interested in the history of recording, of British orchestras, of 20th century British composers, and, of course, in Harty himself. For experienced scholars, it is a fascinating refresher. . . . Dibble's writing . . . whet[s] the appetite for further discovery. A biography that makes the reader want to discover more is surely a successful one. Including an excellent bibliography, discography, and index, this is a major study of Harty. Summing Up: Recommended. This is a valuable work of scholarship, meticulously researched from a wide range of sources, and an engaging read. This landmark biography reveals there is a great deal more to him. . . . Engaging and fluent style . . . fascinating. I hope this book will stimulate both performances and recordings . . . Dibble provides an indispensable primer for all future research. . . . An essential volume for anyone interested in the history of British music. This impressive biographical study of Hamilton Harty and his achievement is a timely re-discovery of one of the most important and charismatic figures in British music. [T]he first major biography of this composer/conductor to be published. . . . [I]ndispensable reading for anyone who is interested in his compositions, the influence that Harty had on orchestral playing and administration. . . . Dibble presents strong and coherent arguments to assure Harty his place in the Valhalla of British conductors such as Thomas Beecham, Henry Wood and Malcolm Sargent. [Jeremy Dibble's Hamilton Harty reveals] great detail and in a manner that always maintains the reader's interest, making it imperative to turn the page to find out what happens next. The sheer number of primary sources that he has uncovered and explored is impressive . . . considerable achievement . . . recommending it wholeheartedly . . . beautifully produced book and amply illustrated with photographs and music examples. Here, at last, is a full appreciation of [this] remarkable musician. Most engaging. . . . Deeply moving. [Five Stars]