Geoffrey Alan Blyth(27 July 1929 – 14 August 2007) was an English music critic, author, andmusicologistwho was particularly known for his writings within the field of opera.[1][2]He was a specialist on singers and singing.[1]Born in London, Blyth's earliest musical experiences were atRugby School.[1]He attended the music lectures of ProfessorJack Westrup.[1]After graduation fromPembroke College, Oxford,where he read history, he returned to London and worked in journalism and publishing.[1]He wrote reviews, interviews, and obituaries forThe Timesand forGramophone.[1]He was a long-time contributor to the British magazineOpera.[3]
Personal life
editBlyth was married first to the German-born Ursula Zumloh, who died in 2000, and then to the Buddhist scholar Sue Hamilton. For the last two decades of his life, he lived inLavenham,Suffolk.[1]He wrote a critical discography of Heddle Nash, a singer he much admired, together with Paul Campion, and with the help of Nash's son.[4]
Blyth died after his 78th birthday[4]
Articles and books
edit- Blyth, Alan (1 November 2014)."An interview with Heinz Holliger".The Gramophone.Retrieved18 December2023.
- Blyth, Alan (3 May 2013)."Karl Böhm, interviewed by Alan Blyth (Gramophone, December 1972)".The Gramophone.Retrieved18 December2023.
- Blyth, Alan (1995).Opera on Video.Trafalgar Square Publishing.ISBN978-1-85626-175-3.
- Blyth, Alan (23 October 1986).Song on Record: Volume 1, Lieder.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-26844-8.
References
edit- ^abcdefgReed, Philip (15 August 2007)."Obituary: Alan Blyth".The Guardian.Retrieved23 July2021.
- ^"Alan Blyth".The Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved23 July2021.
- ^Baker, Janet, and Max Loppert. "Alan Blyth, 1929–2007",Opera Magazine(2007): 1168–1171.
- ^abReed, Philip (15 August 2007)."Alan Blyth".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved23 September2024.
- C. Mackenzie. "Tribute: Alan Blyth",The Gramophone(2007), volume 85, issues 1024–1026, page 10.
External links
edit- Cummings, D.M. (2000).International Who's who in Music and Musicians' Directory: (in the Classical and Light Classical Fields).International Who's who in Music and Musicians' Directory 2000/2001: In the Classical and Light Classical Fields. International Biographical Centre. p. 64.ISBN978-0-948875-53-3.Retrieved18 December2023.