Western classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

has a substantial history of

music criticism ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

, and many individuals have established careers as music critics. However, concert reviews are not always credited in the daily and weekly newspapers, especially those in the early to mid-20th Century. This selective list of chief music critics (or equivalent title, influence or status) aims to make it easier to find the likely author of a review, or at least the influence of the chief music critic on what was covered and how. Journalistic newspaper criticism of Western music did not properly emerge until the 1840s. Before then, in England,

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard S ...

had contributed essays on music to ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' in

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's era. Former opera impresario Willian Ayrton began writing occasional musical criticism for ''

The Morning Chronicle ''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. It ...

'' (1813–26) and '' The Examiner'' (1837–51) and founded the monthly music journal ''The Harmonicon'' in 1823. Arts and literary magazines such as '' The Athenæum'' (and its critic H F Chorley, writing from 1830 to 1868) sometimes covered musical topics. Specialist music paper ''The Musical World'' began publication in 1836 and ''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...

'' in 1844. In France, the composer Hector Berlioz wrote reviews and criticisms for the Paris press of the 1830s and 1840s, as did other French writers such as

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les ...

and

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, composer, teacher, and one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ''Biographie univer ...

. In Germany,

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

began giving influential reviews for the ''

Neue Zeitschrift für Musik 'Die'' (; en, " heNew Journal of Music") is a music magazine, co-founded in Leipzig by Robert Schumann, his teacher and future father-in law Friedrich Wieck, and his close friend Ludwig Schuncke. Its first issue appeared on 3 April 1834. His ...

'' in the 1830s. But ''

The Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'' in England was the first daily newspaper to regularly publish concert reports, while ''

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 ...

'' is generally recognised as being the first to appoint a professionally competent music critic, J W Davidson, in 1846. Throughout the mid-to-late 1800s

Eduard Hanslick Eduard Hanslick (11 September 18256 August 1904) was an Austrian music critic, aesthetician and historian. Among the leading critics of his time, he was the chief music critic of the ''Neue Freie Presse'' from 1864 until the end of his life. H ...

became a leading figure in Austria, writing for the ''

Neue Freie Presse ''Neue Freie Presse'' ("New Free Press") was a Viennese newspaper founded by Adolf Werthner together with the journalists Max Friedländer and Michael Etienne on 1 September 1864 after the staff had split from the newspaper ''Die Presse''. It ...

''. The presence of music criticism continued to grow, and by the 20th century numerous major newspapers had joined ''The Morning Post'' and ''Times'' in establishing permanent music critic posts, including ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' and ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' in Britain, and the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in America. The late 19th and early 20th century saw the development of a uniquely American school of criticism, inaugurated by an informal group of New York-based, termed the 'Old Guard', which included Richard Aldrich,

Henry Theophilus Finck Henry Theophilus Finck (22 September 1854 – 1 October 1926) was an American music critic and author. Among "the most prolific and influential critics of his day", he was chief classical music critic of both the ''New York Evening Post'' and ...

William James Henderson William James Henderson (December 4, 1855 – June 5, 1937) was an American musical critic and scholar. Biography He was born on December 4, 1855 in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Princeton in 1876 and immediately began work as a jo ...

James Huneker James Gibbons Huneker (January 31, 1857 – February 9, 1921) was an American art, book, music, and theater critic. A colorful individual and an ambitious writer, he was "an American with a great mission," in the words of his friend, the critic Be ...

and

Henry Edward Krehbiel Henry Edward Krehbiel (10 March 1854 – 20 March 1923) was an American music critic and musicologist who was the chief music critic of '' The New York Tribune'' for more than forty years. Along with his contemporaries Richard Aldrich, Henry T ...

. Other leading critics of this time included

John Alexander Fuller Maitland John Alexander Fuller Maitland (7 April 1856 – 30 March 1936) 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 Pur ...

Samuel Langford Samuel Langford (1863 - 8 May 1927) was an influential English music critic of the early twentieth century. Trained as a pianist, Langford became chief music critic of ''The Manchester Guardian'' in 1906, serving in that post until his death. ...

and

Ernest Newman Ernest Newman (30 November 1868 – 7 July 1959) was an English music critic and musicologist. ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' describes him as "the most celebrated British music critic in the first half of the 20th century." His ...

in Britain, and

Paul Bekker Max Paul Eugen Bekker (11 September 1882 – 7 March 1937) was a German music critic and author. Described as having "brilliant style and ..extensive theoretical and practical knowledge," Bekker was chief music critic for both the '' Frankfu ...

in Germany. After World War II, leading critics included Eric Blom,

Neville Cardus Sir John Frederick Neville Cardus, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (2 April 188828 February 1975) was an English writer and critic. From an impoverished home background, and mainly self-educated, he became ''The Manchester Gua ...

, Martin Cooper,

Olin Downes Edwin Olin Downes, better known as Olin Downes (January 27, 1886 – August 22, 1955), was an American music critic, known as "Sibelius's Apostle" for his championship of the music of Jean Sibelius. As critic of ''The New York Times'', he ex ...

Harold C. Schonberg Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was chief music critic from 1960 to 1980. In 1971, he became the fi ...

and

Virgil Thomson Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 – September 30, 1989) was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclass ...

. Influential music critics from the late 20th century include

Martin Bernheimer Martin Bernheimer (28 September 1936 – 29 September 2019) was a German-born American music critic. Described as "a widely respected and influential critic, who is particularly knowledgeable about opera and the voice", Bernheimer was the chief ...

Robert Commanday Robert Paul Commanday (18 June 1922 – 3 September 2015) was an American music critic who specialized in classical music. Among the leading critics of the West Coast, Commanday was a major presence in the Bay Area music scene over a five-dec ...

Richard Dyer Richard Dyer (born 1945) is an English academic who held a professorship in the Department of Film Studies at King's College London. Specialising in cinema (particularly Italian cinema), queer theory, and the relationship between entertainment ...

, Michael Kennedy and Michael Steinberg. In the 21st century fewer newspapers have dedicated critics for classical music, but writers have still been active, such as

Alex Ross Nelson Alexander Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries ''Marvels'', on which he collaborated wi ...

at ''The New Yorker'',

Anthony Tommasini Anthony Carl Tommasini (born April 14, 1948) is an American music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "a discerning critic, whose taste, knowledge and judgment have made him a must-read", Tommasini was the chief ...

at ''The New York Times'' and both Tim Page and

Anne Midgette Anne Midgette (born June 22, 1965) is an American music critic who was the first woman to write classical music criticism regularly for ''The New York Times''. She was the chief classical music critic of ''The Washington Post'' from 2008 to 20 ...

at ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''.

List by publication

'' Aftonbladet'' (Sweden) * Adolf Lindgren, 1874–1905. '' The Atlas'' (UK) * Edward Holmes, 1826–1838 (and later). ''

Birmingham Post The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with a circulation of 2,545 and distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a s ...

'' (UK) * Stephen Stratton, 1877–1906. *

, 1906–1919.Scaife, Nigel
"Newman, Ernest (1868–1959)"
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 * A J Sheldon (1874–1931), 1920–1931. * Eric Blom, 1931–1946. * John F Waterhouse, 1950s...?. * Christopher Morley, from 1988. ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' (USA) * Michael Steinberg, 1964–1976. *

, 1976–2006. *

Jeremy Eichler Jeremy Adam Eichler (born 13 August 1974) is an American music critic, and cultural historian. Since 2006 he has been the chief classical music critic of ''The Boston Globe'', frequently writing in his column the "Third Ear". Having written ...

, from 2006. ''

The Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Puli ...

'' (USA) *

Philip Hale Philip Hale (March 5, 1854 in Norwich, Vermont – November 30, 1934 in Boston, Massachusetts) was an American music critic. Hale attended Yale, where he served on the fourth editorial board of ''The Yale Record''. After graduating in 1876, ...

, 1903–1934. George Putnam Upton

'' (USA) *

George Putnam Upton George Putnam Upton (18341919) was an American journalist and author. Biography George Putnam Upton was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on October 25, 1834. He took an MA at Brown University in 1854, and soon after started writing for newspape ...

, 1861–1881. * William Matthews (W. S. B. Matthews), 1878–1886. *

Frederick Grant Gleason Frederick Grant Gleason (born 17 December 1848 in Middletown, Connecticut - died Chicago, 6 December 1903) was an American composer, and director of the Chicago Conservatory from 1900 to 1903. Gleason's father was a banker. Like many other wel ...

, 1884–1889. * Albert Goldberg (1898–1990), 1943–1947. * John von Rhein, 1978–2018. ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' (UK) *

Francis Toye John Francis Toye (27 January 1883 – 13 October 1964) was an English music critic, teacher, writer and educational administrator. After early efforts as a composer and novelist, and service in naval intelligence in World War I, he became music ...

, leader writer, then music critic, 1922–1925. *

Arthur Jacobs Arthur David Jacobs (14 June 1922 – 13 December 1996) was an English musicologist, music critic, teacher, librettist and translator. Among his many books, two of the best known are his ''Penguin Dictionary of Music'', which was reprinted in sev ...

, 1947–1952. *

Noël Goodwin Trevor Noël Goodwin (25 December 1927 – 27 March 2013) was an English music critic, dance critic and author who specialized in classical music and ballet. Described as having a "rare ability to write about music and dance with equal distincti ...

, chief music and dance critic, 1965–1978. ''

Daily Graphic ''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was founded in New York City in 1873 by Canadian engravers George-Édouard Desbarats and William Leggo, and began publication ...

'' (UK) * R. A. Streatfeild, 1898–1902. '' Daily Herald'' (UK) *

Rutland Boughton Rutland Boughton (23 January 187825 January 1960) was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music. He was also an influential communist activist within the Communist Party of Gre ...

, from 1912. *

Spike Hughes Patrick Cairns "Spike" Hughes (19 October 1908 – 2 February 1987) was a British musician, composer and arranger involved in the worlds of classical music and jazz. He has been called Britain's earliest jazz composer. Later in his career, he ...

, 1933-36. * Stuart Fletcher, 1930s. * Martin Cooper, 1946-50. ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' (UK) *

Richard Capell Richard Capell (23 March 188521 June 1954) was a British journalist who was music critic for the ''Daily Mail'' (1911–1933) and thereafter at ''The Daily Telegraph''."Obituary in ''The Times'', ''Mr. Richard Capell'', 22 June 1954, p.10 Biogr ...

, 1911–1933."Obituary, 'Mr. Richard Capell', in ''The Times'', 22 June 1954, p.10 * Edwin Evans, 1933–1945. * Ralph Hill, assistant music critic from 1933, chief music critic, 1945–1948.
The Penguin Music Magazine (1946–1949) and Music (1950–1952)
', RIPM.org * Percy Cater, 1953–1960s. '' Daily News'' (UK) *

George Hogarth George Hogarth WS (6 September 1783 – 12 February 1870) was a Scottish lawyer, newspaper editor, music critic, and musicologist. He authored several books on opera and Victorian musical life in addition to contributing articles to various publ ...

, 1846–1866. * Edward A Baughan, circa 1904–1910. * Alfred Kalisch, 1912–1933? ''

'' (USA) * Campbell Clarke, 1855?–1870. * Joseph Bennett, 1870–1906. * Robin Legge, 1906–1931. * Herbert Hughes, 1911–1932. *

, 1933–1954. * Martin Cooper, music critic from 1950, chief music critic, 1954–1976. *

Peter Stadlen Peter Stadlen (14 July 1910 – 21 January 1996) was an Austrian pianist, musicologist and critic, specialising in the study and interpretation of Beethoven and the composers of the Second Viennese School. Stadlen, who was born in Vienna, initial ...

, music critic from 1959, chief music critic, 1976–85. *

Anthony Payne Anthony Edward Payne (2 August 1936 – 30 April 2021) was an English composer, music critic and musicologist. He is best known for his acclaimed completion of Edward Elgar's third symphony, which subsequently gained wide acceptance into Elga ...

, 1965-1987. *

Gerald Abraham Gerald Ernest Heal Abraham, (9 March 1904 – 18 March 1988) was an English-Jewish musicologist, editor and music critic. He was particularly respected as an authority on Russian music. Early career and author Abraham was born at Newport, Isl ...

, 1967–68 (filling in for both Stadlen and Cooper). * Michael Kennedy, staff music critic from 1950, joint chief music critic, 1986–2005. *

Geoffrey Norris Geoffrey Norris (born 1947) is an English musicologist and music critic. His scholarship focuses on Russian composers; in particularly, Norris is a leading scholar on the life and music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, about whom he has written in num ...

, music critic from 1983, chief music critic from 1995 to 2009. * Ivan Hewett, music critic from 2002, chief music critic from 2009. ''

Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Evening News'', an alternate name for '' News Hour'' in so ...

'' (UK) * William McNaught, 1933-1939. *

Mosco Carner Mosco Carner (born Mosco Cohen) (15 November 1904 – 3 August 1985) was an Austrian-born British musicologist, conductor and critic. He wrote on a wide range of music subjects, but was particularly known for his studies on the life and works of ...

, concert music critic, 1957–1961.'Music Critics and Criticism Today'
in ''The Musical Times'', Vol. 101, No. 1406, April 1960 ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' (known as ''The Standard'', 1827–1904) (UK) * Henry Frost, 1888–1901. *

Percy Scholes Percy Alfred Scholes PhD OBE (24 July 1877 – 31 July 1958) (pronounced ''skolz'') was an English musician, journalist and prolific writer, whose best-known achievement was his compilation of the first edition of ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' ...

, 1913–1920. *

, 1956–1958. * Rick Jones, 1992–2002. * Barry Millington, 2002–2020s. ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' (UK) * Andrew Porter, 1953–1972. *

Ronald Crichton Ronald Crichton (28 December 1913 – 16 November 2005) was a music critic for the ''Financial Times'' in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a scion of the Earls of Erne. In his ''Times'' obituary he was described as "one of the last of the school of ...

, 1972–1978. * Max Loppert, 1980–94. * Andrew Clark, from the late 1990s (now retired). Paul Bekker (1925-27)

'' Frankfurter Zeitung'' (Germany) *

, 1911–1923. ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

'' (UK) * Malcolm Rayment, until 1983. * Michael Turnelty, 1983–2011. ''

'' (until 1959 ''The Manchester Guardian'') (UK) * George Fremantle, 1867–1895. * Arthur Johnstone, 1896–1904. *

, 1905–1906. *

, 1906–1927. *

, 1927–1940. *

Philip Hope-Wallace Philip Adrian Hope-Wallace CBE (6 November 1911 – 3 September 1979) was an English music and theatre critic, whose career was mostly with ''The Manchester Guardian'' (later known as ''The Guardian''). From university he went into journalism afte ...

, music and theatre critic, 1946-1979. * Colin Mason, 1950–1964. *

Edward Greenfield Edward Harry Greenfield OBE (3 July 1928 – 1 July 2015) was an English music critic and broadcaster. Early life Edward Greenfield was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. His father, Percy Greenfield, was a manager in a labour exchange, while his ...

, record critic from 1955, music critic from 1964, chief music critic, 1977–1993. *

Gerald Larner Gerald Larner (9 March 1936 – 18 December 2018) was a British music critic. He began his career writing for ''The Guardian'', joining as assistant music critic in 1962 and as chief Northern music critic (1965-93). He wrote for ''The Times'' from ...

, assistant music critic, 1962-5, chief Northern music critic, 1965-1993. * Andrew Clements, from 1993. *

Tom Service Tom Service (born 8 March 1976) is a British writer, music journalist and television and radio presenter, who has written regularly for ''The Guardian'' since 1999 and presented on BBC Radio 3 since 2001. He is a regular presenter of The Proms f ...

, from 1999 to 2003? ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' (UK) * Bayan Northcott, 1986–2009. *

, 1987–1997. *

Edward Seckerson Edward Seckerson is a British music journalist and radio presenter specialising in musical theatre. Formerly Chief Classical Music Critic of the Independent, Edward Seckerson is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster. He wrote and presented the lon ...

, chief classical music and opera critic, circa 2009–2012. ''

Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...

'' (USA) * Richard Ginell, 1978–1990. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' (USA) * Albert Goldberg, 1947–1965. *

, chief music and dance critic, 1965–1996. *

Mark Swed Mark Swed (born ) is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 1996 he has been the chief classical music critic of the ''Los Angeles Times'' where his writings have made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Pri ...

, classical music critic since 1996. ''

'' (UK) * William Ayrton. Honorary musical and literary critic, 1816–26. *

, 1834–1844. * Charles Lewis Gruneisen, circa 1845–1853. ''

'' (UK) * Howard Glover, 1849–1865. *

Henry Sutherland Edwards Henry Sutherland Edwards (1828–1906) was a British journalist. He was born in London, and educated in London and France. He was correspondent of ''The Times'' at the coronation of Alexander II of Russia, in the camp of the insurgents at ...

, 1865–1869. * William Alexander Barrett (1834–1891), 1869–1891. *

Arthur Hervey Arthur Hervey (26 January 1855 – 10 March 1922) was an Irish composer, music critic, and an expert in French music. Life Hervey was born in Paris of Irish parentage – his father was Charles J.V. Hervey who owned Killiane Castle in County We ...

, 1892–1908. *

, 1925–1937. * Scott Goddard, 1928. * Robin Hull, assistant music critic, 1934-1937. ''

Münchner Neueste Nachrichten ''Münchner Neueste Nachrichten'' (Munich's Latest News) was a German daily newspaper published in Munich between 1848 and 1945. The paper was first published on 9 April 1848 as a cheap way to inform the masses. After its purchase by , the newsp ...

'' (Germany) * Heinrich Porges, 1880–1900. *

Rudolf Louis Johann Rudolf Louis (30 January 187015 November 1914) was a German music critic and conductor. Biography Louis was born in Schwetzingen in 1870. He studied in Geneva, where he was a pupil of Friedrich Klose, and continued his studies in Vienn ...

, 1900–1914. ''

'' (Austria)

, 1864–1904. * Richard Heuberger, 1896-1901. *

Julius Korngold Julius Leopold Korngold (24 December 1860 – 25 September 1945) was an Austrian music critic. He was the leading critic in early twentieth century Vienna, serving as chief music critic of the ''Neue Freie Presse'' from 1904 to 1934. His son wa ...

, 1904–1934. * Joseph Reitler, 1906-1938 * Hermann Ullrich (1888-1982), music writer, 1926-1938. ''

Neues Wiener Tagblatt The Neues Wiener Tagblatt was a daily newspaper published in Vienna from 1867 to 1945. It was one of the highest-circulation newspapers in Austria before 1938. History The newspaper was founded by Eduard Mayer as a successor to the Wiener Journ ...

'' (Austria) * Richard Heuberger, 1881-1889. * Max Kalbeck, 1886-1921. * Ernst Décsey, 1920–1938. ''

News Chronicle The ''News Chronicle'' was a British daily newspaper. Formed by the merger of '' The Daily News'' and the ''Daily Chronicle'' in 1930, it ceased publication on 17 October 1960,''Liberal Democrat News'' 15 October 2010, accessed 15 October 2010 be ...

'' (UK) * Scott Goddard, 1938–1955. * George Dannatt, 1944–1956. ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' (UK) *

W. J. Turner Walter James Redfern Turner (13 October 1884 – 18 November 1946) was an Australian-born, English-domiciled writer and critic.McKenna, C. W. F., (1990). nlineTurner, Walter James Redfern (1884–1946), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' ...

, 1915–1940. * Desmond Shawe-Taylor, 1945–1958.Obituary, ''The Independent'', 22 October, 2011
/ref> * David Drew, 1959–1967. ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' (USA) * Robert A. Simon, 1925–1948. *

Winthrop Sargeant Winthrop Sargeant (December 10, 1903 – August 15, 1986) was an American music critic, violinist, and writer. Early life Sargeant was born in San Francisco, California on December 10, 1903. He studied violin in his native city with Albert Elku ...

, 1949–1972. * Andrew Porter, 1972–1992. * Paul Griffiths, 1992–1996. *

, 1996–present. ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' (USA) *

William Zakariasen William Zakariasen (August 19, 1930 – September 4, 2004) was an American operatic tenor and music critic. Biography Born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, Zakariasen began his career as a classical tenor in the late 1950s, appearing in operas and in c ...

, 1976–1993. ''

'' (USA) *

Richard Storrs Willis Richard Storrs Willis (February 10, 1819 – May 10, 1900) was an American composer, mainly of hymn music. His best known melody is probably the one called, simply, '' Carol''. This is the standard tune, in the United States, though not in Great B ...

, circa 1840s–1850s (''New York Tribune''). * Henry C Watson, 1863–1867? (''New York Tribune''). *

Gustav Kobbé Gustav Kobbé (March 4, 1857Lewis Randolph Hamersly, ''et al.Who's who in New York (city and State)'' New York: L.R. Hamersly, 1904. p. 353. – July 27, 1918)

, circa 1860s–1880s (''New York Herald''). * Myron Cooney, 1865–1884 (''New York Herald''). * John Rose Green Hassard, 1866–1883 (''New York Tribune''). * Henry E Krehbiel, circa 1880–1923 (''New York Tribune''). *

Lawrence Gilman Lawrence Gilman (July 5, 1878 in Flushing, New York – September 8, 1939 in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire) was a U.S. author and music critic. Lawrence Gilman was the son of Arthur Coit Gilman and Bessie (Lawrence) Gilman, and the grandnephew of ...

, 1896–1898 (''New York Herald''), 1923–1939 (''Herald Tribune''). *

, 1940–1954. * Herbert Kupferberg, music staff writer, 1942–1966. * Paul Lang, 1954–1963. *

Alan Rich Alan Rich (June 17, 1924 – April 23, 2010) was an American music critic who served on the staff of many newspapers and magazines on both coasts. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, he first studied medicine at Harvard University before tur ...

, 1963–68. ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' (USA) * Henry T Finck, 1881–1924. *

Olga Samaroff Olga Samaroff (August 8, 1880May 17, 1948) was an American pianist, music critic, and teacher. Among her teachers was Charles-Valentin Alkan's son, Élie-Miriam Delaborde. Her second husband was the conductor Leopold Stokowski. Samaroff was ...

, 1926–1928. * Oscar Thompson, 1928-1934.Ramona H. Matthews. 'Thompson, Oscar', in ''Grove Music Online'' (2001 * Harriett Johnson, 1943–1971. ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

'' (USA) *

, 1890s–1902. *

, 1902–1920s. * Oscar Thompson, 1937-1945. ''

'' (USA)

Richard Aldrich, musical critic of the New York Times (cropped)

* Charles Bailey Seymour, 1849–1865. * Frederick A. Schwab, 1875–1887. *

, 1887–1902. * Richard Aldrich, 1902–1923. *

, 1924–1955. *

Howard Taubman Hyman Howard Taubman (July 4, 1907 – January 8, 1996) was an American music critic, theater critic, and author. Biography Born in Manhattan, Taubman attended DeWitt Clinton High School and then won a four-year scholarship to Cornell University, ...

, staff writer from 1930, music editor from 1935, chief music critic 1955–1960. *

, staff writer from 1950, chief music critic, 1960–1980. *

Donal Henahan Donal Henahan (February 28, 1921 – August 19, 2012) was an American music critic and journalist who had lengthy associations with the ''Chicago Daily News'' and ''The New York Times''. With the ''Times'' he won the annual Pulitzer Prize for ...

, staff writer from 1967, then chief music critic 1980–1991. *

Edward Rothstein Edward Benjamin Rothstein (born October 16, 1952) is an American critic. Rothstein wrote music criticism early in his career, but is best known for his critical analysis of museums and museum exhibitions. Rothstein holds a B.A. from Yale Universi ...

, 1991–1995, then critic at large until 2014. *

Bernard Holland Bernard Holland (born 1933) is an American music critic. He served on the staff of '' The New York Times'' from 1981 until 2008 and held the post of chief music critic from 1995, contributing 4,575 articles to the newspaper. He then became the Nat ...

, staff writer from 1980, chief music critic from 1995 to 2000, then national music critic until 2008. *

, staff writer from 1996, chief music critic from 2000 to December 2021. *

Zachary Woolfe Zachary Woolfe is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. Since 2022 he has been chief classical music critic for ''The New York Times''. Education and career Woolfe studied at Princeton University. Although he "had wri ...

, from April 2022. ''

The New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under pub ...

'' (USA) * James Huneker (1919-21). *

Deems Taylor Joseph Deems Taylor (December 22, 1885 – July 3, 1966) was an American music critic, composer, and promoter of classical music. Nat Benchley, co-editor of ''The Lost Algonquin Roundtable'', referred to him as "the dean of American music." Earl ...

(1921–27). ''

'' (UK) * Edgar Frederick Jacques, from 1894. *

, 1919. *

, 1920–1925. *

A. H. Fox Strangways Arthur Henry Fox Strangways (14 September 18592 May 1948) was an English musicologist, translator, editor and music critic. After a career as a schoolmaster, Fox Strangways developed an interest in Indian music, and in the years before the First W ...

, 1925–1939. *

William Glock Sir William Frederick Glock, CBE (3 May 190828 June 2000) was a British music critic and musical administrator who was instrumental in introducing the Continental avant-garde, notably promoting the career of Pierre Boulez. Biography Glock was bo ...

, music critic from 1934, chief music critic, 1939–45 (but also served in the Royal Air Force). * Eric Blom, 1949–1953.Westrop, Jack.
Blom, Eric (Walter)
in ''Grove Music Online'' (2001) *

Peter Heyworth Peter Lawrence Frederick Heyworth (3 June 1921 – 2 October 1991) was an American-born British music critic and biographer. He wrote a two-volume biography of Otto Klemperer and was a prominent supporter of avant-garde music. Life and career Pet ...

, 1955–1987. * Nicholas Kenyon, 1986–1992. * Andrew Porter, 1992–1996. *

Fiona Maddocks Fiona Maddocks is a British music critic and author who specializes in classical music. Described as "one of the UK's leading writers and commentators on classical music", Maddocks has been chief music critic of ''The Observer'' since 2010. S ...

. 1997–2002. *

Anthony Holden Anthony Holden (born 22 May 1947) is an English writer, broadcaster and critic, particularly known as a biographer of artists including Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, the essayist Leigh Hunt, the opera librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte and the actor Laure ...

, 2002–2008. *

, 2010–present. ''

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

'' (USA) * Daniel Webster, 1963-1999. * David Patrick Stearns, from 2000. ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' (USA) *

James Hotchkiss Rogers James Hotchkiss Rogers (February 7, 1857 – November 28, 1940) was an Americans, American organist, composer, teacher, music critic, and publishing, publisher.William Osborne, "Rodgers, James H(otchkiss), in ''The Grove Dictionary of American ...

, 1915–1932. * Herbert Elwell, 1932–1964. * Robert Finn, 1964–1992. * Donald Resenberg, 1992–2008. * Zachary Lewis, 2008–2020. ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' (USA) *

Alfred Frankenstein Alfred Victor Frankenstein (October 5, 1906 – June 22, 1981) was an art and music critic, author, and professional musician. He was the long-time art and music critic for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' from 1934 to 1965. He was noted for champ ...

, 1934–1964. *

, 1964–1993. *

Joshua Kosman Joshua Kosman (born October 27, 1959) is an American music critic who specializes in classical music. The chief classical music critic of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' since 1988, Kosman has a particular interest in contemporary classical mus ...

, music critic from 1988, chief music critic since 1993. ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'' (USA) * Michael Walsh, 1977–1981.

'' Saturday Review'' (UK) * William Barclay Squire, 1888–1894. * John F Runciman, 1894–1916. ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'' (UK) * Conrad Wilson, 1963–1991. * Mary Miller, 1992–1998. * Stephen Johnson, 1998–1999. ''

La Stampa ''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy. History and profile The paper was fou ...

'' (Italy) * Andrea Della Corte, 1919–1967. ''

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (UK) *

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

, 1888–1889. ''

Sunday Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

'' (UK) * Ralph Hill, 1940s. ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'' (UK) *

John Warrack John Hamilton Warrack (born 1928, in London) is an English music critic, writer on music, and oboist. Warrack is the son of Scottish conductor and composer Guy Warrack. He was educated at Winchester College (1941-6) and then at the Royal College ...

, 1961–1972. * Malcolm Hayes, 1986–1989. * Michael Kennedy, 1989–2005. ''

'' (UK) * Joseph Bennett, 1865–1870.Zicari, Massimo.
Music Journalism in London: The Late 1870s and 1880s
, Ch. 18 of ''Verdi in Victorian London'' (2016) * Hermann Klein, music (particularly opera) critic, 1881–1901. *

, 1920–1959. * Desmond Shawe-Taylor, 1958–1983. * David Cairns, 1983–1992. ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' (Australia) * Roger Covell, 1960 – late 1990s. ''

Der Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, s ...

'' (Germany) *

Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt (1 November 1901 – 15 August 1988) was a German composer, musicologist, and historian and critic of music. Life Stuckenschmidt was born in Strasbourg. At as early an age as 19, he was the Berlin-based music criti ...

, 1947–?. *

Albrecht Dümling Albrecht Dümling (born 1949) is a German musicologist and music critic. Biography Born in Wuppertal, Dümling studied musicology in Essen, Vienna and Berlin and earned a Ph.D. with an interdisciplinary study on Arnold Schönberg and Stefan Georg ...

, 1978–1998. ''

Le Temps ''Le Temps'' ( literally "The Time") is a Swiss French-language daily newspaper published in Berliner format in Geneva by Le Temps SA. It is the sole nationwide French-language non-specialised daily newspaper of Switzerland. Since 2021, it has ...

'' (France) * Johannès Weber (1818–1902), 1861–1895. *

Pierre Lalo Pierre Lalo (6 September 1866– 9 June 1943) was a French music critic and translator. He was the son of the composer Edouard Lalo. His reviews for the Parisian paper ''Le Temps'' combined conservatism and wit; among his principal targets was the ...

, 1898–1914. *

Florent Schmitt Florent Schmitt (; 28 September 187017 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. His most famous pieces are ''La tragédie de Salome'' and ''Psaume XLVII'' (Psalm 47). He has been described as "one of th ...

, 1929–1939. James William Davison

'' (UK) * Thomas Alsager, 1817-1845. *

James William Davison James William Davison (5 October 1813 – 24 March 1885) was an English journalist, known as the music critic of ''The Times''. Life The son of James Davison, of a Northumberland family, and the actress Maria Duncan, he was born in London 5 Oct ...

, 1846–1879. *

Francis Hueffer Francis Hueffer (born Franz Carl Christoph Johann Hüffer; 22 May 1845 – 19 January 1889) was a German-English writer on music, music critic, and librettist. Biography Hueffer was born in Münster, Germany, on 22 May 1845 to Johann Hermann Hü ...

, 1879–1889. * J A Fuller Maitland, 1889–1911. *

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 ...

, assistant music critic, then chief music critic, 1911–1943. *

, deputised for Colles (who was on active service) during WW1. Wilson, Steuart, rev.

"Strangways, Arthur Henry Fox (1859–1948)"
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 24 August 2021 *

Frank Howes 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''. From his student days Howes gravitated towards criticism as his musical specialism, guided by the a ...

, staff writer from 1925, chief music critic, 1943–1960. * William Mann, assistant music critic from 1948, chief music critic, 1960–1982. * Paul Griffiths, 1982–1992. * Richard Morrison, music critic from 1984, chief music critic from 1992. ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' (Canada) * John Terauds, 2005–2012. * William Littler (current). ''

The Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'' (UK) * Ernest Bradbury, 1947–1984. * David Denton, 2000s–2020s. Anne Midgette at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in 2020

'' (USA) * Paul Hume, music editor, 1946–1982. * Joseph McLellan, mid-1970s–1995. * Tim Page, 1995–1999, 2001–2008. *

Philip Kennicott Philip Kennicott is the chief Art and Architecture Critic of ''The Washington Post.'' Education Kennicott was raised in Schenectady, New York, where he studied piano with composer and pianist Joseph Fennimore. In 1983, he attended Deep Spring ...

, 1999–2001. *

, 2008–2019. * Michael Andor Brodeur, from 2000.

References

Sources

* * Dibble, Jeremy and Horton, Julian (ed.).
British Musical Criticism and Intellectual Thought, 1850–1950
' (2018) * Dingle, Christopher (ed.).
The Cambridge History of Music Criticism
' (2019) * Graf, Max. ''Composer and critic: Two hundred years of musical criticism'' (1946) * Grant, Mark and Friedheim, Eric. ''A History of Classical Music Criticism in America'' (1998) * * * * * * Langley. L. 'The Musical Press in Nineteenth Century England', in ''Notes'', March 1990, pp. 583–592 * Maine, Basil. ''Behold these Daniels: being Studies of Contemporary Music Critics'' (1928) * * Scholes, Percy. ''The Mirror of Music 1844-1944; A Century of Musical Life in Britain as reflected in the pages of the Musical Times'', Novello/Oxford University Press (1947) {{portal bar, Classical music, Biography, Music

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

Critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

Occupations in music

List by publication

See also

References

Sources