Alan Blyth
British musicologist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Geoffrey Alan Blyth (27 July 1929 – 14 August 2007) was an English music critic, author, and musicologist who 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 at Rugby School.[1] He attended the music lectures of Professor Jack Westrup.[1] After graduation from Pembroke College, Oxford, where he read history, he returned to London and worked in journalism and publishing.[1] He wrote reviews, interviews, and obituaries for The Times and for Gramophone.[1] He was a long-time contributor to the British magazine Opera.[3]
Personal life
Blyth 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 in Lavenham, 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.[1]
Articles and books
- Blyth, Alan. Colin Davis (Recordmasters/2). Ian Allan, London, 1972 (SBN 711001319 x)
- Blyth, Alan (3 May 2013). "Karl Böhm, interviewed by Alan Blyth (Gramophone, December 1972)". The Gramophone. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- Blyth, Alan, ed. Opera on Record. Hutchinson, London, Melbourne, 1979 (ISBN 0 09 139980 7) Blyth also contributed the chapters on Der Freischütz, Otello, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Manon, Eugene Onegin, Die Fledermaus and Peter Grimes.
- Blyth, Alan, ed. (1981). Remembering Britten. Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-144950-6.[4][5]
- Blyth, Alan, ed. Opera on Record 2. Hutchinson, London, Melbourne, 1983 (ISBN 0 09 153120 9) Blyth also contributed the chapters on Samson et Dalila and Hänsel und Gretel.
- Blyth, Alan (23 October 1986). Song on Record: Volume 1, Lieder. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26844-8.
- Blyth, Alan (1995). Opera on Video. Trafalgar Square Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85626-175-3.
- Blyth, Alan (1 November 2014). "An interview with Heinz Holliger". The Gramophone. Retrieved 18 December 2023.