author
Ernest Ford
1858–1919
Known for light opera, ballet music, and a sure hand on the conductor’s podium, this English musician moved easily between composing and theatrical leadership. He helped shape late Victorian and Edwardian musical theater while also writing on the history of English music.
1 Audiobook
A Short History of English Music
by Ernest Ford
About the author
Born in Warminster in 1858, Ernest Ford was an English composer and conductor who trained seriously from an early age. He sang as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was taught by Arthur Sullivan.
Ford became closely associated with London musical theater, especially through his work with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre. He served as assistant musical director there and later built a wider career as a conductor and composer, writing operas and ballet music as well as other stage works.
He also wrote about music, including A Short History of English Music, showing that he was interested not only in performance but in explaining the tradition behind it. He died in London in 1919, remembered as a versatile figure in British musical life.