Philip Hale

Born in Norwich, Vermont, on March 5, 1854, Philip Hale studied at Yale and at first trained for a legal career before turning fully toward music. He became an organist, pianist, lecturer, editor, and above all a critic whose writing blended strong opinions with a deep knowledge of the repertory.

Hale built his reputation in Boston journalism, writing for papers including the Boston Post, the Boston Journal, and the Boston Herald. He also became especially well known for the program notes he wrote for the Boston Symphony Orchestra from the early 1900s until 1934, work that helped shape how many American listeners encountered composers and major orchestral works.

He died in Boston on November 30, 1934. Though he wrote about music more than he wrote music himself, his essays and concert notes left a lasting record of American musical life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.