author
J. Spencer (John Spencer) Curwen
1847–1916
A key figure in Britain’s tonic sol-fa world, he helped carry a family music-education movement into a new generation. He also became known for encouraging amateur music-making and festival culture in England.
1 Audiobook
The Boy's Voice A Book of Practical Information on The Training of Boys' Voices For Church Choirs, &c.
by J. Spencer (John Spencer) Curwen
About the author
Born in 1847, he was the son of music educator John Curwen and grew up closely connected with the tonic sol-fa method. He later took on major roles in the family’s work, including leadership in the J. Curwen & Sons publishing firm and the Tonic Sol-Fa College, helping to spread practical music teaching to a wide public.
He wrote on music education and worship music, and he also produced a memoir of his father, Memorials of John Curwen (1882). After his father’s death, he became managing editor of the Tonic Sol-Fa Reporter, a journal that later evolved into The Musical Herald.
Reference works credit him with founding the competition festival movement in England for amateur musicians, a lasting part of his influence alongside his educational writing. He died in 1916.