Hueffer, Francis

1843-1889

Author and musical critic; born at Münster. He studied music and modern language in London, Paris, Berlin and Leipsic, thereafter taking up his residence in London where he devoted himself to literary work. While in Berlin he had become one of the admirers of Wagner and later his publication, Richard Wagner and the Music of the Future, caused English musicians to acknowledge the genius of the great artist. He was appointed musical critic of The Times in 1878, having already been editor of the New Quarterly Magazine. The same year appeared his learned treatise, The Troubadours, a history of Provenc.al Life and Literature in the Middle Ages. Its publication caused his election to the Felibrige Society. He also delivered lectures on the same subject at the Royal Institution in 1880. Hueffer wrote the librettos for Colomba, The Sleeping Beauty, The Troubadour, and a clever translation of Boito's Otello for Verdi's music. He published a collection of his Times articles, translated the correspondence of Wagner and Liszt into English, besides many other works.