Biography
Sir Donald Francis Tovey (b. Eton, 17 July 1875; d. Edinburgh, 10 July 1940) was a musicologist, composer and pianist. Today he is known more for his ideas on music aesthetics rather than his compositions or skill as a pianist.
In 1894 he befriended Joseph Joachim and frequently played piano with his quartet. He performed his own piano concerto under the conductorship of Henry Wood in 1903 and under Hans Richter in 1906. During this period he also contributed heavily to the music articles in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, writing a large portion of the content on music of the 18th and 19th centuries.
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In 1914 he was named the Reid professor of music at Edinburgh University. He founded the Reid Orchestra there in 1917.
Some of his more well-known compositions include the opera The Bride of Dionysus (1929) and a cello concerto written for Pablo Casals (1935).
His writings on music include: Essays in Musical Analysis (1935-39), Essays in Musical Analysis: Chamber Music (1944) and Essays and Lectures on Music (1949).
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.