author
R. A. (Richard Alexander) Streatfeild
1866–1919
An English music critic and musicologist, he wrote lively books on opera, Handel, and modern music while spending most of his working life at the British Museum. He also played a part in literary history by helping bring Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh to publication after Butler’s death.
1 Audiobook
The Opera A Sketch of the Development of Opera. With full Descriptions of all Works in the Modern Repertory.
by R. A. (Richard Alexander) Streatfeild
About the author
Born in Carshalton, Surrey, in 1866, Richard Alexander Streatfeild was educated at Oundle and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied Classics. In 1889 he joined the Department of Printed Books at the British Museum, and he remained there for the rest of his career.
Alongside his museum work, Streatfeild built a reputation as a thoughtful writer on music. He served as music critic for the Daily Graphic from 1898 to 1902 and published books on opera, Handel, and contemporary composers, helping make serious music more approachable for general readers.
His interests reached beyond music. A friend of Samuel Butler, he arranged for the posthumous publication of The Way of All Flesh. Streatfeild died in 1919, leaving behind a body of work that reflects both scholarly care and a clear enthusiasm for the arts.