British Musicology in Personalities: Paul Griffiths

Abstract

The article makes a brief overview of the history of British musicology, which had many outstanding exponents starting from the late 17th century, most of them enlightened music lovers of one kind or another. Among the factors that have influenced the development of musicology in Great Britain to varying degrees are performance practice, the numerous societies of music lovers, and the close connection between musicology and journalism. The name of Paul Griffiths, who holds a degree in biochemistry from Oxford University and is not a professional musician, occupies a prominent place in British musical culture of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The present article examines various areas of Griffiths’s creative activity: criticism, musicology, literature, and librettistics. It also presents a list of Griffiths’s monographs, most of which are devoted to the history of modern music and its creative spirit. Excerpts from some of the musicologist’s studies are provided. The conclusions include reflections on the phenomenon of brilliant amateurs, “non-academic” musicology, and the unique character of British music studies.

Keywords: British musicology, British criticism, Paul Griffiths, amateurism, modern music