H. C.

Colles
Henry Cope Colles (20 April 1879 4 March 1943) was
an English music critic, music lexicographer, writer on
music and organist. He is best known for his 32 years
as chief music critic of The Times (19111943) and for
editing the 3rd and 4th editions of Groves Dictionary of
Music and Musicians (1927 and 1940 respectively).

For this service he was awarded a medal by the Greek

government.[2]
His arrangement of Henry Purcell's Hornpipe in E minor,
ZT 685, was performed at the Proms in 1915 and 1916.[6]
On Sir Hugh Allen's invitation, he lectured on music history, analysis and interpretation at the RCM.[3] He also
taught at Cheltenham Ladies College.[3] In 1923 he spent
some time in the United States as guest music critic for
The New York Times.[2]

Biography

In 1927, he produced the 3rd edition of Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, which was an extensive revision of the 2nd edition produced by Fuller Maitland between 1904 and 1910. In 1940 he put out the 4th edition, a corrected reprint of the 3rd edition along with a
supplementary volume.[2][3] He personally wrote about
one-twentieth of the millions of words in Grove III and
IV. According to one obituarist, his assistant critic A. H.
Fox Strangways, Colless task was to put in some sort
of showing, on people and things that 'ought to nd a
place there', apart from any intrinsic interest they might
or might not awaken; he was, in fact, a general tidier-up
of half-remembered persons and topics.[7]

Henry Colles (known informally as Harry)[1] was born

in Bridgnorth, Shropshire in 1879, the son and grandson of doctors both called Abraham Colles (the senior Abraham Colles is remembered as the discoverer
and eponym of Colles fracture). His family was of
Irish origin, originally from Kilkenny. They settled in
Somerset, although the junior Abraham Colles practised
in Bridgnorth.[2]
Harry Colles entered the Royal College of Music at age
of 16 and studied music history under Hubert Parry,
the organ under Walter Alcock, and counterpoint under
Walford Davies.[3] He and Davies cemented a lifelong
friendship, and Colles later wrote Daviess biography.[2]
He spent three years at the RCM and then, on Sir Walter
Parratt's advice,[2] applied for and won the organ scholarship at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating in 1902.[3]

In 1932 Colles was appointed D.Mus. honoris causa by

the University of Oxford. In 1934 he was appointed Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
In 1936 he became an Honorary Fellow of Worcester
In 1908, he designed the organ for Emmanuel Church, College, Oxford.[2][3]
West Hampstead in consultation with Walford Davies[4] Colles was deeply religious and took a special interest in
who gave the rst performance. Colles replaced the in- the Three Choirs Festival. He made an abridged edition
augural organist Martin Shaw, and was himself replaced of Handel's Messiah for the festival. He was a Fellow and
by Harold Darke.[5]
Governor of St. Michaels College, Tenbury, Chairman
of the Church Music Society and Chairman of the School
of English Church Music.[2][3]

The Dean of Worcester College, William Henry Hadow,

had strongly supported Colles to use his gifts with the
written word in the eld of music criticism. He became
assistant music critic of The Times, under J. A. Fuller
Maitland, and in 1911 succeeded him as chief critic.[3]
He occupied that role for more than half his life; he was
31 when appointed, and remained in this position until
his death 32 years later in 1943, at the age of 63. During that time he appointed Frank Howes, Dyneley Hussey
and A. H. Fox Strangways as his assistants, Howes eventually succeeding him.[2] His writing was marked by its
comprehensive taste, sure and fair judgment, and unfailing tact and humanity that tempered even his severest
strictures.[2]

Colles was an examiner for the Associated Board of

the Royal Schools of Music, visiting Australia and New
Zealand in that capacity in 1939.[2][3]
In early 1943, he was instrumental in arranging for the release from internment on the Isle of Man of the composer
Egon Wellesz, to enable him to take up a Fellowship of
Lincoln College, Oxford.[8]
Henry Cope Colles died in London on 4 March 1943,
aged 63. When the library of the School of English
Church Music was re-opened after the war in 1946, it
was renamed the Colles Library in his memory.[9]

During World War I, Colles attained the rank of captain

in the Royal Artillery and served in Macedonia, where
he trained the Greek artillery in the use of British guns.
1

Other writings

His writings apart from those mentioned above included:

Brahms (London, 1908)
The Growth of Music (Oxford, 19121916)
Voice and Verse: a Study of English Song (London,
1928)
The Chamber Music of Brahms (London, 1933)
The Royal College of Music: a Jubilee Record, 1883
1933 (London, 1933)
On Learning Music and Other Essays (London,
1940)
H. Walford Davies (London, 1942)
History of St Michaels College, Tenbury (with MF
Alderson; London, 1943).[3]

References

[1] William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections, McMaster University Library. Henry Cope
Colles fonds. Archeion. Archives Association of Ontario. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
[2] Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954,
Vol II, p. 376
[3] Royal College of Music
[4] Emmanuel Church, West Hampstead
[5] Emmanuel Church
[6] BBC Proms Archive
[7] Music and Letters; Obituary of Colles by A H Fox Strangways
[8] Amanda Holden remembers Egon Wellesz
[9] RSCM

REFERENCES

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