Charles Osborne (music writer)
Encyclopedia
Charles Thomas Osborne, born 24 November 1927 in Brisbane
, Australia, is a journalist, critic, poet and novelist, and a recognised authority on opera. He was assistant editor of The London Magazine from 1958 until 1966, literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain
from 1971 until 1986, and chief theatre critic of the London Daily Telegraph
from 1986 to 1991. He is the only author the Agatha Christie
Estate has ever allowed to produce adapted works in her name.
for his outstanding contribution to the works of Verdi
.
Osborne's father hailed originally from Devon and his mother was from Vienna, a fact to which he attributes his lifelong love of opera. He went to school locally, then studied at the University of Queensland
. Osborne then worked in literary and musical journalism and in repertory theatre in Australia and Britain, where he settled permanently in 1953. He played the role of Front Gunner Foxlee in the 1955 film The Dam Busters
, and acted in the play Black Coffee
by Agatha Christie, which he later adapted as a novel.
From 1958, he was assistant editor of The London Magazine, founded by John Lehmann
, which publishes poems, short stories and literary reviews. Osborne himself wrote poetry from an early age. He has published three collections of poetry, including Swansong in 1968.
Between 1971 and 1986 he was literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain. This involved dispensing government grants, and Osborne, perhaps inevitably, given the nature of the position, became embroiled in the so-called "poetry wars" that took place during the 1970s. Osborne has given an account of his tenure at the Arts Council in his autobiography.
Between 1986 and 1991, Osborne was chief drama critic for the Daily Telegraph. He continued to write journalism on a wide variety of arts, leading to Vogue
magazine dubbing him an uomo universale (universal man).
Osborne is an authority on opera and has published books on Verdi, Wagner
, Mozart
, Puccini
, Richard Strauss
and the bel canto
operas. His ground-breaking book, The Complete Operas of Verdi, was the first on that composer by someone who had actually seen all the operas staged. It was translated into Italian and published by Mursia. In 2009, the Italian state conferred on him the honorific title of Commendatore dell'Ordine della Stella della solidarietà italiana for his outstanding contribution to the life and works of Verdi.
Osborne published an original novel, Pink Danube, in 2000 and has adapted works for the stage as novels, which have been widely reprinted and translated into many languages. His novelised versions of Black Coffee (1998), The Unexpected Guest (1999) and Spider's Web (2000), all originally by Agatha Christie, have proved enduringly popular with readers. He has also adapted Blithe Spirit
(2004), by Noël Coward, and Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
.
, his most recent published work is The Opera Lover's Companion (2004). Osborne holds an honorary doctorate from Griffith University
, Brisbane, Australia, for services to the arts and is a fellow
of the Royal Society of Literature
. He is a former president, and now council member, of the UK Critics Circle
.
Osborne's 1986 autobiography, Giving it Away: Memoirs of a Uncivil Servant, sheds light on his influential role at the Arts Council, as does Peter Barry's 2006 book, Poetry Wars: British Poetry of the 1970s and the Battle of Earl's Court.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia, is a journalist, critic, poet and novelist, and a recognised authority on opera. He was assistant editor of The London Magazine from 1958 until 1966, literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain
Arts Council of Great Britain
The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...
from 1971 until 1986, and chief theatre critic of the London Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
from 1986 to 1991. He is the only author the Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
Estate has ever allowed to produce adapted works in her name.
Career
Osborne is the recipient of the Commendatore dell'Ordine della Stella della solidarietà italianaOrder of the Star of Italian Solidarity
The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity was founded as national order by the first President of the Italian Republic, Enrico De Nicola, in 1947, to recognise civilian and military expatriates or foreigners who made an outstanding contribution to the reconstruction of Italy after World War...
for his outstanding contribution to the works of Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
.
Osborne's father hailed originally from Devon and his mother was from Vienna, a fact to which he attributes his lifelong love of opera. He went to school locally, then studied at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
. Osborne then worked in literary and musical journalism and in repertory theatre in Australia and Britain, where he settled permanently in 1953. He played the role of Front Gunner Foxlee in the 1955 film The Dam Busters
The Dam Busters (film)
The Dam Busters is a 1955 British Second World War war film starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd and directed by Michael Anderson. The film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany with Wallis's...
, and acted in the play Black Coffee
Black Coffee (play)
Black Coffee is a play by the British crime-fiction author Agatha Christie which was produced initially in 1930. The first piece that Christie wrote for the stage, it launched a successful second career for her as a playwright....
by Agatha Christie, which he later adapted as a novel.
From 1958, he was assistant editor of The London Magazine, founded by John Lehmann
John Lehmann
Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann was an English poet and man of letters, and one of the foremost literary editors of the twentieth century, founding the periodicals New Writing and The London Magazine.The fourth child of journalist Rudolph Lehmann, and brother of Helen Lehmann, novelist Rosamond...
, which publishes poems, short stories and literary reviews. Osborne himself wrote poetry from an early age. He has published three collections of poetry, including Swansong in 1968.
Between 1971 and 1986 he was literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain. This involved dispensing government grants, and Osborne, perhaps inevitably, given the nature of the position, became embroiled in the so-called "poetry wars" that took place during the 1970s. Osborne has given an account of his tenure at the Arts Council in his autobiography.
Between 1986 and 1991, Osborne was chief drama critic for the Daily Telegraph. He continued to write journalism on a wide variety of arts, leading to Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
magazine dubbing him an uomo universale (universal man).
Osborne is an authority on opera and has published books on Verdi, Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
, Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
and the bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
operas. His ground-breaking book, The Complete Operas of Verdi, was the first on that composer by someone who had actually seen all the operas staged. It was translated into Italian and published by Mursia. In 2009, the Italian state conferred on him the honorific title of Commendatore dell'Ordine della Stella della solidarietà italiana for his outstanding contribution to the life and works of Verdi.
Osborne published an original novel, Pink Danube, in 2000 and has adapted works for the stage as novels, which have been widely reprinted and translated into many languages. His novelised versions of Black Coffee (1998), The Unexpected Guest (1999) and Spider's Web (2000), all originally by Agatha Christie, have proved enduringly popular with readers. He has also adapted Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit (play)
Blithe Spirit is a comic play written by Noël Coward which takes its title from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem "To a Skylark" . The play concerns socialite and novelist Charles Condomine, who invites the eccentric medium and clairvoyant, Madame Arcati, to his house to conduct a séance, hoping to...
(2004), by Noël Coward, and Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
.
, his most recent published work is The Opera Lover's Companion (2004). Osborne holds an honorary doctorate from Griffith University
Griffith University
Griffith University is a public, coeducational, research university located in the southeastern region of the Australian state of Queensland. The university has five satellite campuses located in the Gold Coast, Logan City and in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt, Nathan and South Bank. Current...
, Brisbane, Australia, for services to the arts and is a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
. He is a former president, and now council member, of the UK Critics Circle
The Critics' Circle
The Critics' Circle is a professional association of British critics of dance, drama, film, music, visual arts and architecture. It was established in 1913 as an offshoot of the Society of Dramatic Critics, which had been formed six years earlier but had become inactive.For many years the Circle...
.
Osborne's 1986 autobiography, Giving it Away: Memoirs of a Uncivil Servant, sheds light on his influential role at the Arts Council, as does Peter Barry's 2006 book, Poetry Wars: British Poetry of the 1970s and the Battle of Earl's Court.
General
- Kafka, Oliver & Boyd, London 1967
- Swansong (poems), Shenval Press, London 1968
- The Opera House Album, Robson Books 1979 ISBN 0800858360
- W. H. Auden: The Life of a Poet, Methuen, London 1980 ISBN 0-413-39670-3
- Letter to W. H. Auden and Other Poems, Calder Publications 1984 ISBN 0714540366
- Giving it Away (memoirs), Secker & Warburg, London 1986 ISBN 0-436-35401-2
- Black Coffee (Agatha Christie), Collins Crime, London 1998 ISBN 0002326620
- The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie, Harper Collins, London 2000 ISBN 0006531725
- Murder In Three Stages (Agatha Christie), Harper Collins, London 2007 ISBN 0007245793
- Spider's Web (Agatha Christie), Harper Collins, London 2008 ISBN 0006514936
- The Unexpected Guest (Agatha Christie), Harper Collins, London 2008 ISBN 0006513689
Music
- The Complete Operas of Verdi, Victor Gollancz, London 1969
- Wagner and his World, Thames & Hudson, London 1977 ISBN 0-500-13060-4
- The Complete Operas of Puccini, Victor Gollancz, London 1981 ISBN 0-575-03013-5
- How to Enjoy Opera, Piatkus, London 1982 ISBN 0-861-88144-3
- The Dictionary of Opera, Macdonald & Co, London, 1983 ISBN 0 356 097005
- The Complete Operas of Wagner, Victor Gollancz, London 1990 ISBN 0-575-05380-1
- The Complete Operas of Strauss, Victor Gollancz, London 1992 ISBN 0-575-05379-8
- The Complete Operas of Mozart, Victor Gollancz, London 1992 ISBN 0-575-03823-3
- The Opera Lover's Companion, Yale University Press ISBN 9780300104400
Sources
- Publisher's biographical note added to Osborne, Charles: The Complete Operas of Wagner (1992), Victor Gollancz Ltd, London
External links
- Entry at AustLit