author
M. (Montagu) Montagu-Nathan
1877–1958
A British writer on music with a deep fascination for Russian composers, he helped introduce English-language readers to figures like Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Scriabin. His books blend biography, criticism, and musical history in a way that still feels lively and accessible.
1 Audiobook
Moussorgsky
by M. (Montagu) Montagu-Nathan
About the author
Born in Banbury in 1877, he became known as a British music writer and critic with a strong special interest in Russian music. Reference works identify him as having studied in Birmingham and later with noted violin teachers in Brussels, Frankfurt, and London, and they note that he legally changed his name to Montagu Montagu-Nathan in 1909.
He is best remembered for books that guided English-language readers through Russian musical life and its leading composers. Among the works associated with him are A History of Russian Music, Contemporary Russian Composers, and studies of composers including Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Scriabin.
Montagu-Nathan died in London in 1958. Although he is not widely known today outside specialist circles, his writing played an important part in explaining Russian music to readers in Britain and beyond.