Jack Westrup

Sir Jack Westrup (26 July 1904 – 21 April 1975) was an English musicologist, writer, teacher and occasional conductor and composer.

Jack Allan Westrup was the second of the three sons of George Westrup, insurance clerk, of Dulwich, and his wife, Harriet Sophia née Allan. He was educated at Dulwich College, London 1917–22, and at Balliol College, Oxford. He first read classics in which he gained first class honours in moderations (1924) and second class honours in literae humaniores (1926). He gained his B.Mus. degree in 1926, and a Master of Arts in 1929. He took an active part in music in the university as a keyboard and brass player. With an Italian expatriate Arundel del Re, he co-founded the Oxford University Opera Club while still an undergraduate, and was later its conductor. The club had a policy of producing works in English and used its funds to hire professional singers and conductors. In 1925, with William Henry Harris, he staged the first complete performance in modern times of Claudio Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo (but only over certain obstacles presented by Sir Hugh Allen), and in 1927 he produced the first British performance of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. (In February 1975 he was present at a new production of Orfeo to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University Opera Club.)

He was a music critic for The Daily Telegraph 1934–39, and also editor of the Monthly Musical Record 1933–45.

He gave classes at the Royal Academy of Music in London 1938–40. He was lecturer in music at King's College, Newcastle upon Tyne 1941–44, the Peyton and Barber Professor of Music at the University of Birmingham 1944–47, and Wadham College, Oxford 1947–71, where he held the Heather professorship. His students there included Joseph Horowitz,Alan Blyth and many others.

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