David Cairns (writer)

For other people named David Cairns (disambiguation), see David Cairns (disambiguation) (disambiguation).

David Cairns (born David Adam Cairns, 8 June 1926, Loughton, Essex) is a British journalist, non-fiction writer and musician. He is a leading authority on the life of Berlioz.

Biography

His work in journalism has spanned a number of high profile newspapers and magazines. He was chief music critic of the Sunday Times from 1983 to 1992, having earlier been music critic and arts editor of The Spectator. Other publications for which he has been a music critic include the Evening Standard, Financial Times and New Statesman.

He is known for his two-volume biography of Berlioz: Berlioz: The Making of an Artist 1803–1832 and Berlioz: Servitude and Greatness 1832-1869. The books won a number of major awards, including:

• The Royal Philharmonic Society's Music award
• The Yorkshire Post "Book of the Year" award
• The British Academy's Derek Allen prize
• The Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction
• Biography of the year in the Whitbread Book Awards

Cairns also translated Berlioz's autobiography, published by Gollancz in the United Kingdom in 1969.

In Mozart and his Operas (2006) Cairns stated part of his music's appeal was its simultaneous embodiment of both "the perfection our souls long for and the sensation of our longing".

He founded and conducted the Thorington Players, a London based orchestra that played regularly in St Mary's Church, Putney and St. John's, Smith Square.

Sources

Grove Music Online, Cairns, David (Adam), article by Stanley Sadie.