Montagu C. Butler
Encyclopedia
Montagu Christie Butler, (b. 25 January 1884 in London
, d. 5 May 1970) was a British
academic, librarian
and musician
. A winner of several prizes at the Royal Academy of Music
in London
, he was a harp
ist and a versatile music teacher
skilled in playing various musical instrument
s, as well as a teacher of voice and of musical composition
.
He was a Quaker
and a vegetarian
who first became an Esperantist
in 1905. From that time Butler taught Esperanto
to students, eventually achieving near-native fluency and becoming the first truly bilingual Esperantist
. Butler was a member of the Linguistic Committee, the group tasked with preserving the fundamental principles of the Esperanto language and guiding its evolution. From 1916 to 1934 he served as secretary of the Esperanto Association of Britain
("Brita Esperanto-Asocio").
to Esperanto and is the author of the textbook Step by Step in Esperanto, published by Esperanto-USA, and a thoroughgoing Esperanto-English Dictionary.
The major collection of Esperanto
and Esperanto-related books he assembled during his lifetime now forms the heart of the Montagu Butler Library
at Wedgwood Memorial College
in Staffordshire
, England
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, d. 5 May 1970) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic, librarian
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
and musician
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
. A winner of several prizes at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was a harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
ist and a versatile music teacher
Music education
Music education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. It touches on all domains of learning, including the psychomotor domain , the cognitive domain , and, in particular and significant ways,the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity...
skilled in playing various musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s, as well as a teacher of voice and of musical composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
.
He was a Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
and a vegetarian
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
who first became an Esperantist
Esperantist
An Esperantist is a person who speaks or uses Esperanto. Etymologically, an Esperantist is someone who hopes...
in 1905. From that time Butler taught Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
to students, eventually achieving near-native fluency and becoming the first truly bilingual Esperantist
Multilingualism
Multilingualism is the act of using, or promoting the use of, multiple languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of...
. Butler was a member of the Linguistic Committee, the group tasked with preserving the fundamental principles of the Esperanto language and guiding its evolution. From 1916 to 1934 he served as secretary of the Esperanto Association of Britain
Esperanto Association of Britain
The Esperanto Association of Britain is a registered educational charity whose objective is to advance the education of the public in the international language Esperanto....
("Brita Esperanto-Asocio").
Writing and translation
Editor of La Brita Esperantisto ("The British Esperantist") in 1931 and 1932, he became one of 57 principal collaborators on the 1933 Esperanto Encyclopædia. Amongst other works, he translated Caroline Emelia Stephen's Quaker Strongholds. Butler is the editor of two respected Esperanto-language anthologies, Kantaro Esperanta (a songbook with 358 songs) and Himnaro Esperanta (a hymnal with 212 hymns). He adapted Pitman ShorthandPitman Shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman , who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written...
to Esperanto and is the author of the textbook Step by Step in Esperanto, published by Esperanto-USA, and a thoroughgoing Esperanto-English Dictionary.
The major collection of Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
and Esperanto-related books he assembled during his lifetime now forms the heart of the Montagu Butler Library
Montagu Butler Library
The Montagu Butler Library is one of the world’s major collections in and about Esperanto, having 4433 items in its detailed catalogue.It is named after Montagu C...
at Wedgwood Memorial College
Wedgwood Memorial College
Wedgwood Memorial College is a small residential college in Barlaston, near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. The college is owned and operated by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and is nationally important as a centre of Esperanto education....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Translations
- Dickens, CharlesCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
: La vivo de nia sinjoro Jesuo (1934) - Haggard, Henry Rider: Luno de Izrael: rakonto pri la eliro (1928) (Moon of Israel)
- Himnaro : konsistanta el cent himnoj taŭgaj por konataj melodioj (1910)
- Himnaro Esperanta (five editions, 1910–1966)
- Hyde, H. E.: Internacia parlamento: ĉu Britujo montros la vojon? (1918)
- Kantaro Esperanta (1926)
- Konsiloj kaj demandoj (1984)
- Leakey, James: Leakey's introduction to Esperanto : la lingvo internacia (1925)
- Stephen, Caroline: Fundamentoj de la kvakerismo (1916)
- Stephen, Caroline: William Penn
- Torpey, H. J.: Londonaj interesaĵoj: gvidlibro por la Esperantista vizitanto (1907)
- Zamenhof, Ludwik LazarL. L. ZamenhofLudwig Lazarus Zamenhof December 15, 1859 – April 14, 1917) was the inventor of Esperanto, the most successful constructed language designed for international communication.-Cultural background:...
: Proverbs in Esperanto and English: from Zamenhof's "Proverbaro"