Tovey, Sir Donald (1875-1940), was a British pianist, composer, and teacher. He is best remembered for his brilliant Essays in Musical Analysis (1935-1939). These six volumes of essays are versions of program notes that he wrote when he was Reid Professor of Music at Edinburgh University. Tovey’s compositions reflect the strong influence of German music, especially the great German composers Johann Sebastian Bach and Johannes Brahms. Tovey’s major compositions include a piano concerto (1903), a symphony in D (1913), the opera The Bride of Dionysus (1929), and a cello concerto (1935).
Donald Francis Tovey was born on July 17, 1875, in Eton, in what is now Berkshire, England. He was educated privately and at Balliol College, Oxford University, graduating in 1898. Tovey performed in a series of chamber music concerts in London from 1894 to 1914 and played many of his own compositions. He made his American debut in 1925 and toured the United States in 1927 and 1928. Tovey was knighted in 1935. He died on July 10, 1940.
