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Frank Stewart Howes (2 April 1891 – 28 September 1974) was an English music critic. From 1943 to 1960 he was
chief music critic of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''. From his student days Howes gravitated towards criticism as his musical specialism, guided by the advice of the conductor and professor
Sir Hugh Allen and the critic
H C Colles.
Howes was known for his affinity with English music in the tradition of the "
English Musical Renaissance
The English Musical Renaissance was a hypothetical development 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 musica ...
"; after 1945 he found the less nationalistic, more cosmopolitan nature of post-war composers uncongenial.
In addition to his work for ''The Times'', Howes wrote fifteen books, and served on many musical committees for bodies including the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
and the
Arts Council.
Life and career
Howes was born in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and was educated at Oxford High School and
St John's College, where his love of music was developed under the tutelage of
Sir Hugh Allen.
["Mr Frank Howes", ''The Times'', 30 September 1974, p. 17] After the First World War, in which he was conscripted into the
Non-Combatant Corps
The Non-Combatant Corps (NCC) was a corps of the British Army composed of conscientious objectors as privates, with NCOs and officers seconded from other corps or regiments. Its members fulfilled various non-combatant roles in the army during the ...
, he was admitted to the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...
, where, guided by
H. C. Colles
Henry Cope Colles (20 April 18794 March 1943) was an English music critic, music lexicographer, writer on music and organist. He is best known for his 32 years as chief music critic of ''The Times'' (1911–1943) and for editing the 3rd and 4th ...
, he specialised in musical criticism.
In 1925 Colles, who was chief music critic of ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', recruited Howes to his staff. In 1938 Howes took on the additional duties of lecturer at the Royal College, and was later an extramural lecturer at Oxford and
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
Universities. When Colles died in 1943, Howes was appointed his successor.
Among Howes's enthusiasms was English folk music and, from 1927 to 1945, he edited the journal of the
English Folk Dance and Song Society
The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS, or pronounced 'EFF-diss') is an organisation that promotes English folk music and folk dance. EFDSS was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dan ...
.
He supported the theory that
Hubert Parry
Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, 1st Baronet (27 February 18487 October 1918) was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. Born in Richmond Hill in Bournemouth, Parry's first major works appeared in 1880. As a composer he is b ...
and
Charles Villiers Stanford
Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...
led an "
English Musical Renaissance
The English Musical Renaissance was a hypothetical development 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 musica ...
" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from which composers not from a Royal College elite were excluded.
[Eatock, Colin (2010). "The Crystal Palace Concerts: Canon Formation and the English Musical Renaissance". ''19th-Century Music'', 34 (1), pp. 87–105; and Onderdonk, Julian. "The English Musical Renaissance, 1860–1940: Construction and Deconstruction," ''Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association'', September 1995, pp. 63–66] His obituarist in ''The Times'' considered that of Howes's 15 books, it was the 1996 ''The English Musical Renaissance'' that meant most to him.
According to his fellow critic Martin Cooper, Howes's affinity with music in the "English Renaissance" tradition left him out of sympathy with the increasingly cosmopolitan outlook of those British composers who emerged only after the Second World War.
Among Howes's other books were studies of
William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
,
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
and
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...
. In addition to his writing, he was active in behind-the-scenes musical work, as president of the
Royal Musical Association
The Royal Musical Association (RMA) is a British scholarly society and charity. Founded in 1874, the Association claims to be the second oldest musicological society in the world, after that of the Netherlands. Activities include organizing and sp ...
(1947–58), chairman of the
Musicians' Benevolent Fund
Help Musicians (formerly Musicians Benevolent Fund), is a United Kingdom charity offering help for musicians throughout their careers.
History
It was created by Victor Beigel in 1921 as the Gervase Elwes Memorial Fund, following the death of En ...
(1936–55); and member of music advisory panels for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, the