A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Hueffer, Francis
HUEFFER, Francis, Ph. D., author and musical critic, was born in 1845. After studying modern philology and music in London, Paris, Berlin, and Leipzig, he fixed his residence in London and devoted himself to literary work. His first articles appeared in the late 'North British Review,' in the 'Fortnightly Review' (when under Mr. John Morley's editorship), and in the 'Academy,' of which he became assistant editor. At a time when England hesitated to acknowledge the genius of Wagner, Mr. Hueffer brought home to amateurs the meaning of the modern developments of dramatic and lyrical composition by the publication, in 1874, of his 'Richard Wagner and the Music of the Future.' Mr. Hueffer was in 1878 appointed musical critic of 'The Times,' and consistently followed up his advocacy of the modern in art by supporting the claims of living English musicians. He has also written librettos for several of our rising composers. Thus 'Colomba' and 'The Troubadour,' were written for Mr. Mackenzie, and 'The Sleeping Beauty' for Mr. Cowen. He has lately undertaken the English version of Boito's 'Otello,' where his task has been to translate the adaptation of Shakespeare's play as made by the young Italian poet and composer for Verdi's opera.
As early as 1869 Mr. Hueffer had published a critical edition of the works of Guillem de Cabestanh, which gained him the degree of Ph. D. from the University of Göttingen, and led to his election to the 'Felibrige' or Society of modern Troubadours, of which Mistral (the author of 'Mireijo'), Theodore Aubanel, and other distinguished poets are the leading spirits. 'The Troubadours,' a history of Provençal life and literature of the middle ages, appeared in 1878; and a series of lectures on the same subject was delivered at the Royal Institution in 1880. A collection of 'Musical Studies' from the 'Times,' etc., was published in 1880, and soon appeared in various translations; 'The Life of Wagner,' the first of the 'Great Musicians' series, in 1881; 'Italian and other Studies,' in 1883. The 'Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt,' a translation, followed soon after the publication of the 'Briefwechsel,' by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1888. No more than a brief reference can be made to Mr. Hueffer's occasional contributions to the Quarterly and other reviews, and to some songs composed by him from time to time. [App. p. 819 "Date of death, Jan. 19, 1889."]