Henry J. Wood

Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 1869 – 19 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences. After his death, the concerts were officially renamed in his honour as the "Henry Wood Promenade Concerts", although they continued to be generally referred to as "the Proms".

Born in modest circumstances to parents who encouraged his musical talent, Wood started his career as an organist. During his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, he came under the influence of the voice teacher Manuel Garcia and became his accompanist. After similar work for Richard D'Oyly Carte's opera companies on the works of Arthur Sullivan and others, Wood became the conductor of a small operatic touring company. He was soon engaged by the larger Carl Rosa Opera Company. One notable event in his operatic career was conducting the British premiere of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in 1892.

From the mid-1890s until his death, Wood focused on concert conducting. He was engaged by the impresario Robert Newman to conduct a series of promenade concerts at the Queen's Hall, offering a mixture of classical and popular music at low prices. The series was successful, and Wood conducted annual promenade series until his death in 1944. By the 1920s, Wood had steered the repertoire entirely to classical music. When the Queen's Hall was destroyed by bombing in 1941, the Proms moved to the Royal Albert Hall.

Wood declined the chief conductorships of the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestras, believing it his duty to serve music in the United Kingdom. In addition to the Proms, he conducted concerts and festivals throughout the country and also trained the student orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music. He had an enormous influence on the musical life of Britain over his long career: he and Newman greatly improved access to classical music, and Wood raised the standard of orchestral playing and nurtured the taste of the public, presenting a vast repertoire of music spanning four centuries.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 3, 1869 (London), Died August 19, 1944 (Hertfordshire)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1915 - 1925

Roles Represented in DAHR: conductor, arranger

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 146 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia 6771 12-in. 1916 The dream of Gerontius Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6772 12-in. 1916 The dream of Gerontius Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6773 12-in. 1916 The dream of Gerontius Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6774 12-in. 1916 The dream of Gerontius Clara Butt ; Maurice D'Oisly ; Henry J. Wood Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6775 12-in. approximately 1916 Rend' il sereno Clara Butt Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6776 12-in. approximately 1916 Ballet music, no. 1 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6777 12-in. approximately 1916 Ballet music, no. 2 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6778 12-in. approximately 1916 Ballet music, nos. 3 & 4 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6779 12-in. approximately 1916 Ballet music, part 5 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6780 12-in. approximately 1916 Violin concerto in B minor : Allegro New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Albert Sammons ; Henry J. Wood Violin solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6781 12-in. approximately 1916 Violin concerto in B minor : Andante New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Albert Sammons ; Henry J. Wood Violin solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6782 12-in. approximately 1916 Violin concerto in B minor : Lento New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Albert Sammons ; Henry J. Wood Violin solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6783 12-in. approximately 1916 Violin concerto in B minor : Allegro molto New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Albert Sammons ; Henry J. Wood Violin solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6786 12-in. approximately 1916 Tills merry pranks: or a rogue's New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6787 12-in. approximately 1916 Ballet music, nos. 6 & 7 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6817 12-in. approximately 1916 Concert overture New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6818 12-in. approximately May 1916 Fantasia on English sea-songs, part 1 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor, arranger  
Columbia 6819 12-in. approximately May 1916 Fantasia on English sea-songs, part 2 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor, arranger  
Columbia 6895 12-in. approximately 1916 He shall feed his flock Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 6896 12-in. approximately 1916 Il segreto per essere felici Clara Butt ; Henry J. Wood Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra conductor  
Columbia 74194 12-in. approximately 1920 Fra Diavolo overture, part 1 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 74195 12-in. approximately 1920 Fra Diavolo overture, part 2 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 74197 12-in. approximately 1920 The prophet : Coronation march New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 74198 12-in. approximately 1920 Night on the bare mountain, part 1 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
Columbia 74199 12-in. approximately 1920 Night on the bare mountain, part 2 New Queen's Hall Orchestra ; Henry J. Wood Orchestra conductor  
(Results 26-50 of 146 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wood, Henry J.," accessed May 20, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/351463.

Wood, Henry J.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 20, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/351463.

"Wood, Henry J.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/351463

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