John F. Runciman

John F. Runciman (1866–1916) was an English music critic and author. Modern reference sources and scholarly writing describe him as an important voice in the rise of the “new criticism” in British music journalism, a style linked to George Bernard Shaw and opposed to older, more academic criticism.

He is best remembered for books on composers and musical culture, including Old Scores and New Readings, Richard Wagner, Haydn, and Purcell. The surviving record around his work shows a critic deeply interested in opera and musical history, with Wagner standing at the center of his enthusiasms.

Runciman’s reputation rests on the force of his personality as much as on the subjects he covered. Scholars have described him as eccentric, combative, and highly influential in his corner of musical writing, which helps explain why his criticism can still feel lively more than a century later.