Aldrich, Richard

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Aldrich, Richard

Aldrich, Richard, American music critic; b. Providence, July 31, 1863; d. Rome, June 2, 1937. He studied with Paine at Harvard Univ. (graduated, 1885), then was music critic of the Providence Journal (1885–89) and the Evening Star (1889–91). From 1891 to 1901 he was assistant to H. E. Krehbiel on the N.Y. Tribune, then was music ed. of the N.Y. Times (1902–23). A selection of his articles from the Times was publ. in Musical Discourse (1928) and in Concert Life in New York, 1902–1923 (1941). He also wrote Guide to Parsifal (1904) and Guide to the Ring of the Nibelung (1905). His critical writings were urbane and witty; while liberal-minded in regard to milder types of modern music, he vehemently opposed extreme trends.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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