Richard Aldrich

For the U.S. Representative from Rhode Island, see Richard S. Aldrich.

Richard Aldrich (July 31, 1863 – June 2, 1937) was an American music critic. From 1902–23, he was music critic for The New York Times.

Aldrich was born in Providence, Rhode Island and graduated A.B. in 1885 from Harvard College, where he had studied music. He began his journalistic career on the Providence Journal. From 1889–91 he was private secretary to Senator Dixon in Washington, D.C., writing criticisms for the Washington Evening Star. In 1891–92 he was with the New York Tribune in various editorial capacities, assisting Henry Edward Krehbiel with musical criticisms. He was associated with Krehbiel as an American contributor to the revised edition of Grove's Dictionary.

Personal life

He was married to the former Margaret Livingston Chanler; the couple had two children: a daughter, Margaret Aldrich DeMott (died April 24, 2011, aged 100), and a son, the late Richard Chanler Aldrich. Aldrich died in Rome, Italy.

Publications

• Guide to Parsifal (Ditson, 1904)
• Guide to the Ring of the Nibelung (Ditson, 1905)
• Translator of Lilli Lehmann's How to Sing (Macmillan 1912)
• Musical Discourse (1928)
• Concert Life in New York 1902–1923 (1941)

External links

• A biographical sketch of composer Jan Albert van Eyken written by Aldrich in a score of van Eyken's Three Sonatas for Organ; from Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• A biographical sketch of Paganini written by Aldrich in a score of Paganini's Le streghe (the witches’ dance) for violin and orchestra (or piano); from Sibley Music Library Digital Scores Collection
• Guide to Richard Aldrich's collection of musical autographs at Houghton Library, Harvard University
• Guide to Richard Aldrich papers at Houghton Library, Harvard University