Wood, Sir Henry (1869-1944), was the first British-born individual to make a career of conducting. In 1895, Wood cofounded the promenade concerts at London’s Queen’s Hall, which had opened in 1893. The other founder of the concerts was Robert Newman, manager of the Queen’s Hall. The promenade concerts enlarged many people’s musical experience and became a popular tradition in British musical life. Bombs destroyed the hall in 1941, during World War II, and the concerts reopened in 1942 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Wood arranged several works for orchestra and introduced much new music into his concerts. He introduced many new singers and instrumentalists to the public. Wood also conducted at major festivals of choral music. He wrote a four-volume work based on his experiences as a vocal teacher, The Gentle Art of Singing (1927-1928).
Henry Joseph Wood was born on March 3, 1869, in London. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1886 to 1888. He began his music career as an organist and became a conductor in 1889. He was knighted in 1911. He wrote an autobiography, My Life of Music (1938). Wood conducted the promenades from 1895 until his death on Aug. 19, 1944.
See also Promenade concerts .
