Peter J. Pirie (1916 – 1997) was an English

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

and critic, prominent in music journalism of the mid-twentieth century. Having left school with no formal qualifications, Pirie was self-taught in music until he won a composition scholarship to the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

, where he studied piano, composition and conducting. During the Second World War he was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

, and went to prison as a result. Once released, he was permitted to serve with the Light Rescue Service. After the war, Pirie and his family moved to

Whitstable Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent adjoining the convergence of the Swale Estuary and the Greater Thames Estuary in southeastern England, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay. The 2011 Census reported a population of 32 ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, where he helped to run a music and book shop, "Pirie and Cavender", which was in business until 2007. Later on he moved to

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, near to the

South Downs The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the east. ...

which he loved deeply. His wife Mildred (1911–1996) was a member of the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

(Quakers) and active as a peace campaigner. His writing about music mainly consisted of magazine articles, reviews of recordings and concerts, and record sleeve-notes. He was a supporter of 20th century English music, especially that of

Arnold Bax Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...

and

Frank Bridge Frank Bridge (26 February 187910 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor. Life Bridge was born in Brighton, the ninth child of William Henry Bridge (1845-1928), a violin teacher and variety theatre conductor, formerly a m ...

. The Stratford & East London Music Festival awards a "Peter J. Pirie Memorial Prize" and a "Mildred Pirie Memorial Cup".

Books

*''Frank Bridge'', Triad Press (1971) *''The English Musical Renaissance: Twentieth Century British Composers & Their Works'', St. Martin's Press (1980) *''Furtwängler and the Art of Conducting'', Duckworth (1981) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirie, Peter J. 1916 births 1997 deaths English writers about music English music critics English male non-fiction writers English musicologists 20th-century English male writers