author
Ernest Newman
1868–1959
A sharp, influential voice in British music criticism, he brought unusual rigor and independence to writing about composers and performance. He is especially remembered for major studies of Wagner and for helping shape serious musical debate in the first half of the 20th century.
2 Audiobooks
Wagner as Man & Artist
by Ernest Newman
Musical Studies
by Ernest Newman
About the author
Born William Roberts in Liverpool on November 30, 1868, Ernest Newman became one of Britain’s best-known music critics and musicologists. He wrote under the name Ernest Newman, and reference works describe him as a leading British music critic of the first half of the 20th century.
Newman was known for an analytical style that aimed at intellectual fairness rather than pure personal impression. Alongside his journalism, he produced substantial books on composers and opera, with Wagner standing at the center of much of his work; his studies of Wagner helped establish his lasting reputation.
He died on July 7, 1959. Even now, he is remembered as a critic who treated music seriously, wrote with authority, and helped make music criticism a more thoughtful and demanding art.