W. J. (William James) Henderson

Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1855, William James Henderson studied at Princeton and went on to build a long career in journalism and music criticism. He worked for The New York Times and later became music critic for The New York Sun, where he was widely known for writing about opera, orchestral music, and musical life in the United States.

Henderson was more than a reviewer. He published books on music appreciation and music history, and he also wrote on subjects that showed his broader interests, including sea songs and fiction. That mix of criticism, scholarship, and general writing helps explain why his work still turns up in libraries and reference collections today.

He died in 1937, leaving behind a substantial record as one of the prominent American music critics of his era. For readers coming to his work now, he offers a glimpse of a time when newspaper critics played a major role in introducing audiences to composers, performers, and new musical ideas.