Joseph Bennett (critic)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bennett was an English music critic and librettist. After an early career as a schoolmaster and organist, he was engaged as a music critic by The Sunday Times
in 1865. Within five years he was appointed chief music critic of The Daily Telegraph
, a post he held from 1870 to 1906.
Among Bennett's other work was writing or adapting libretti for cantata
s and other large-scale orchestral and choral works by British composers such as Arthur Sullivan
, Frederic Cowen
and Alexander Mackenzie.
, Gloucestershire
. He attended the local church, and became a member of its choir, and joined a local musical society in whose orchestra he played the viola
. When he reached the age of 18, his friends encouraged him to become a minister in the Congregational church
, but after long consideration he decided that he could not accept all the doctrines of the church. He embarked instead on a career as a teacher, and studied for a year at a training college in London in 1853.
After spending the following year in Margate
, where he taught at the local school and played the organ in the Baptist
church, Bennett was invited to take charge of a school in Islington
, north London. He remained there for three years, before moving in 1857 to the Weigh House Chapel
in the City of London
as precentor
and schoolmaster. He soon resigned the precentorship, while retaining his teaching duties, to allow himself time to work as an organist at Westminster Chapel
.
recommended him to Henry Coleman, music critic of The Sunday Times
, who was in need of a deputy. The position was at first unpaid, but he was soon taken on to the editorial staff of the paper, and within five years was also writing for six other publications including The Daily Telegraph
and The Musical Standard.
In 1870, J W Levy, proprietor of The Daily Telegraph, invited Bennett to join the staff of the paper as chief music critic. It was agreed that Bennett would not write for any rival newspapers, but he was free to contribute to strictly musical journals. He remained with the paper until 1906. In a speech at a banquet marking Bennett's retirement, the composer Sir Alexander Mackenzie
said:
Bennett was inadvertently responsible for naming a long-lived movement in British music, known as the "English Musical Renaissance
". In 1882, in a review of Hubert Parry
's First Symphony, he wrote that the work gave "capital proof that English music has arrived at a renaissance period." Bennett developed the theme in 1884, singling out for praise a now forgotten symphony by Frederic Cowen
(the Scandinavian Symphony) and equally forgotten operas by Arthur Goring Thomas
(Esmeralda), Charles Villiers Stanford
(Savonarola) and Mackenzie (Columba). This idea of an English musical renaissance was taken up with zeal by the music critic of The Times
, J A Fuller Maitland
. Bennett was not a member of the inner circle of the supposed renaissance; although he was a friend and collaborator of one of its leading composers, Mackenzie, he was equally a friend and collaborator of Arthur Sullivan
, of whom the renaissance circle disapproved because of Sullivan's popular appeal.
and other concerts. From these, he progressed to supplying libretti for cantata
s and other large-scale choral works. Among the composers with whom he collaborated on one or two works were C Lee Williams, Herbert Brewer
and Frederick Bridge
. With Cowen, Bennett collaborated on five large-scale works, and with Mackenzie on six, including the composer's best-known oratorio
, The Rose of Sharon. Bennett's last libretto was for the Sullivan's 1886 cantata The Golden Legend, based on the 1851 poem of the same name by Longfellow
.
Between 1877 and 1891, Bennett contributed to The Musical Times
a series entitled, "The great composers sketched by themselves", dealing with the life and works of more than 30 composers. The music publisher Novello & Co reprinted five of these articles, those on Berlioz
, Chopin
, Rossini, Cherubini
and Meyerbeer
, as separate volumes. After his retirement, Bennett published a book of memoirs, Forty Years of Music.
Bennett retired to Purton
in Gloucestershire, not far from his birthplace. He died there at the age of 79.
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
in 1865. Within five years he was appointed chief music critic of The 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...
, a post he held from 1870 to 1906.
Among Bennett's other work was writing or adapting libretti for cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s and other large-scale orchestral and choral works by British composers such as Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
, Frederic Cowen
Frederic Hymen Cowen
Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen , was a British pianist, conductor and composer.-Early years:Cowen was born Hymen Frederick Cohen at 90 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica, the fifth and last child of Frederick Augustus Cohen and Emily Cohen née Davis. His siblings were Elizabeth Rose Cohen ; actress,...
and Alexander Mackenzie.
Early years
Bennett was born in BerkeleyBerkeley, Gloucestershire
Berkeley is a town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Vale of Berkeley between the east bank of the River Severn and the M5 motorway within the Stroud administrative district. The town is noted for Berkeley Castle where the imprisoned Edward II was murdered.- Geography...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. He attended the local church, and became a member of its choir, and joined a local musical society in whose orchestra he played the viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
. When he reached the age of 18, his friends encouraged him to become a minister in the Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
, but after long consideration he decided that he could not accept all the doctrines of the church. He embarked instead on a career as a teacher, and studied for a year at a training college in London in 1853.
After spending the following year in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, where he taught at the local school and played the organ in the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church, Bennett was invited to take charge of a school in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, north London. He remained there for three years, before moving in 1857 to the Weigh House Chapel
King's Weigh House
The King's Weigh House today serves as the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile and was formerly the name of a Congregational Church in London.-History:...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
as precentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
and schoolmaster. He soon resigned the precentorship, while retaining his teaching duties, to allow himself time to work as an organist at Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical church that has been based in central London since 1840. Situated in Buckingham Gate, just from Buckingham Palace and just off Victoria Street, the chapel has long been a popular place of worship for Evangelical Christians. The current building, seating around...
.
Journalism
In addition to his work as a teacher and organist, Bennett conducted two choral societies in the London area. In 1865, one of the members of the choir he conducted at BlackheathBlackheath
Blackheath is the name of a number of places:*Blackheath, London, England**Blackheath, Kent *Blackheath, Surrey, England**Blackheath, Surrey *Blackheath, West Midlands, England*Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia...
recommended him to Henry Coleman, music critic of The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, who was in need of a deputy. The position was at first unpaid, but he was soon taken on to the editorial staff of the paper, and within five years was also writing for six other publications including The 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...
and The Musical Standard.
In 1870, J W Levy, proprietor of The Daily Telegraph, invited Bennett to join the staff of the paper as chief music critic. It was agreed that Bennett would not write for any rival newspapers, but he was free to contribute to strictly musical journals. He remained with the paper until 1906. In a speech at a banquet marking Bennett's retirement, the composer Sir Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
said:
Bennett was inadvertently responsible for naming a long-lived movement in British music, known as the "English Musical Renaissance
English Musical Renaissance
The English Musical Renaissance was a hypothetical period in the late 19th and early 20th century, when British composers, often those lecturing or trained at the Royal College of Music, were said to have freed themselves from foreign musical influences, to have begun writing in a distinctively...
". In 1882, in a review of Hubert Parry
Hubert Parry
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet was an English composer, teacher and historian of music.Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is best known for the choral song "Jerusalem", the coronation anthem "I was glad" and the hymn tune "Repton", which sets the words...
's First Symphony, he wrote that the work gave "capital proof that English music has arrived at a renaissance period." Bennett developed the theme in 1884, singling out for praise a now forgotten symphony by Frederic Cowen
Frederic Hymen Cowen
Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen , was a British pianist, conductor and composer.-Early years:Cowen was born Hymen Frederick Cohen at 90 Duke Street, Kingston, Jamaica, the fifth and last child of Frederick Augustus Cohen and Emily Cohen née Davis. His siblings were Elizabeth Rose Cohen ; actress,...
(the Scandinavian Symphony) and equally forgotten operas by Arthur Goring Thomas
Arthur Goring Thomas
Arthur Goring Thomas was an English composer. He was the youngest son of Freeman Thomas and Amelia, daughter of Colonel Thomas Frederick.He was born at Ratton Park, Sussex, and educated at Haileybury College...
(Esmeralda), Charles Villiers Stanford
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish composer who was particularly notable for his choral music. He was professor at the Royal College of Music and University of Cambridge.- Life :...
(Savonarola) and Mackenzie (Columba). This idea of an English musical renaissance was taken up with zeal by the music critic of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, J A Fuller Maitland
John Alexander Fuller Maitland
John Alexander Fuller Maitland was an influential British music critic and scholar from the 1880s to the 1920s. He encouraged the rediscovery of English music of the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly Henry Purcell's music and English virginal music...
. Bennett was not a member of the inner circle of the supposed renaissance; although he was a friend and collaborator of one of its leading composers, Mackenzie, he was equally a friend and collaborator of Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
, of whom the renaissance circle disapproved because of Sullivan's popular appeal.
Librettist and musicologist
As well as his journalistic work, Bennett was highly regarded for the analytical notes he wrote for the programmes of the Philharmonic SocietyRoyal Philharmonic Society
The Royal Philharmonic Society is a British music society, formed in 1813. It was originally formed in London to promote performances of instrumental music there. Many distinguished composers and performers have taken part in its concerts...
and other concerts. From these, he progressed to supplying libretti for cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s and other large-scale choral works. Among the composers with whom he collaborated on one or two works were C Lee Williams, Herbert Brewer
Herbert Brewer
Sir Arthur Herbert Brewer was an English composer and organist. As organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1896 until his death, he contributed a good deal to the Three Choirs Festival for 30 years....
and Frederick Bridge
Frederick Bridge
Sir John Frederick Bridge was an English organist, composer, teacher and writer.From a musical family, Bridge became a church organist before he was 20, and he achieved his ambition to become a cathedral organist by the age of 24, at Manchester Cathedral...
. With Cowen, Bennett collaborated on five large-scale works, and with Mackenzie on six, including the composer's best-known oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
, The Rose of Sharon. Bennett's last libretto was for the Sullivan's 1886 cantata The Golden Legend, based on the 1851 poem of the same name by Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
.
Between 1877 and 1891, Bennett contributed to The Musical Times
The Musical Times
The Musical Times is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It is currently the oldest such journal that is still publishing in the UK, having been published continuously since 1844. It was published as The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular until...
a series entitled, "The great composers sketched by themselves", dealing with the life and works of more than 30 composers. The music publisher Novello & Co reprinted five of these articles, those on Berlioz
Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation. He specified huge orchestral forces for some of his works; as a...
, Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Rossini, Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
and Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
, as separate volumes. After his retirement, Bennett published a book of memoirs, Forty Years of Music.
Bennett retired to Purton
Purton, Berkeley
Purton is a village on the east bank of the River Severn, 3 miles north of Berkeley, in Gloucestershire, England. The village is in the civil parish of Hinton. It lies opposite the hamlet of Purton on the west bank of the river....
in Gloucestershire, not far from his birthplace. He died there at the age of 79.