Philip Hale facts for kids

Philip Hale (born March 5, 1854, in Norwich, Vermont; died November 30, 1934, in Boston, Massachusetts) was an important American music critic. A music critic is someone who listens to music and writes reviews about it.

Early Life and Education

Philip Hale went to Yale University. After he graduated in 1876, he started working as a lawyer.

Even while practicing law, he loved music. He studied the piano with John Kautz. He also played the organ in a church.

In 1882, Philip Hale decided to stop being a lawyer. He wanted to focus only on music. He traveled to Germany and Paris to continue his music studies. In Germany, he learned from Josef Rheinberger. In Paris, he studied with Alexandre Guilmant.

Career in Music

After returning to the United States, Philip Hale worked as an organist and a conductor for several years. An organist plays the organ, and a conductor leads a musical group like an orchestra.

He began his career as a music critic in 1890. His first job was with Boston Post newspaper. From 1891 to 1903, he worked for the Boston Journal.

From 1903 until he passed away, he wrote for the Boston Herald. During this time, he became one of the most respected music critics of his era. However, he was known for being very critical of the music of Johannes Brahms, a famous composer.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

Starting in 1901, Philip Hale wrote special notes for the Boston Symphony. These were called program notes. They gave information about the music being played at concerts.

After he died, a collection of his best program notes was published. The book was called Philip Hale's Boston Symphony Programme Notes. It came out in 1935.

Philip Hale died in Boston in 1934.