Young, Percy M(arshall)
Young, Percy M(arshall)
Young, Percy M(arshall), English writer on music; b. Northwich, Cheshire, May 17, 1912. He studied English, music, and history as an organ scholar at Selwyn Coll., Cambridge (B.A., 1933; Mus.B., 1934), then went to Dublin, where he graduated from Trinity Coll. (Mus.D., 1937); upon his return to England, he took courses with C.B. Rootham and E.J. Dent in Cambridge. He subsequently occupied various teaching posts; from 1944 to 1966, was director of music at the Coll. of Technology in Wolverhampton. He publ. a number of arrangements of early English songs, and also composed some vocal pieces and a Fugai Concerto for 2 pianos and strings (1954). However, he is known principally for his scholarly biographical studies and essays.
Writings
(all publ. in London unless otherwise given): Samuel Pepys’ Music Book (1942); Handel (1947; 3rd ed., rev., 1979); The Oratorios of Handel (1953); Messiah: A Study in Interpretation (1951); A Critical Dictionary of Composers and Their Music (1954; U.S. ed. as Biographical Dictionary of Composers); Elgar, O.M.: A Study of a Musician (1955; 2nd ed., 1973); ed. Letters of Edward Elgar and Other Writings (1956); Tragic Muse: The Life and Works of Robert Schumann (1957; 2nd ed., rev., 1961); The Choral Tradition: An Historical and Analytical Survey from the 16th Century to the Present Day (1962; 2nd ed., rev., 1982); Zoltán Kodály (1964); ed. Letters to Nimrodfrom Edward Elgar (1965); A History of British Music (1967); Keyboard Musicians of the World (1967); ed. Elgar: A Future for English Music and Other Lectures (1968); Debussy (1969); The Bachs, 1500-1850 (1970); Sir Arthur Sullivan (1971); A Concise History of Music (1974); Beethoven: A Victorian Tribute (1976); Alice Elgar: Enigma of a Victorian Lady (1977); George Grove (1980); Mozart (1987); Elgar, Newman and the Dream ofGerontius: In the Tradition of English Catholicism (Brook-field, Vtv 1995).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire