William Charles Smith (22 July 1881 – 20 November 1972) was an English musicologist who specialized in musical bibliographies. His particular area of interest was 17th and 18th century musical figures that were active in England. Considered an authority on the life and works of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

, he notably published several books on the famous composer. Smith also had a large private collection of Handel works, some of them original manuscripts. He was also interested in chronicling the work of English music engravers and publishers of the period. Smith was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. From 1900 to 1944 he was on staff of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, serving as Assistant Keeper of Printed Books from 1920 – 1944. He died in

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

in 1972 at the age of 91.

Sources

* https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000026021
''New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors''
* Sadie, S. (ed.) (1980) ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians'', ol. # 17 *

William Charles Smith William Charles Smith (22 July 1881 – 20 November 1972) was an English musicologist who specialized in musical bibliographies. His particular area of interest was 17th and 18th century musical figures that were active in England. Considered a ...

Selection

* ''A Bibliography of the Musical Works Published by John Walsh during the Years 1695–1720''. London 1948 und 1968. * ''Concerning Handel: his Life and Works''. London 1948. * Mit Charles Humphries: ''Music Publishing in the British Isles''. London 1954 und 1970. * ''The Italian Opera and Contemporary Ballet in London, 1789–1820''. London 1955. * ''Handel: a Descriptive Catalogue of the Early Editions''. London 1960 und 1970. * ''A Handelian's Notebook''. London 1965. * Mit Charles Humphries: ''A Bibliography of the Musical Works Published by the Firm of John Walsh during the Years 1721–1766''. London 1968. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, William Charles 1881 births 1971 deaths English musicologists 20th-century British musicologists Employees of the British Museum