James Campbell McInnes
| James Campbell McInnes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 January 1874 |
| Origin | Ramsbottom, Lancashire, United Kingdom |
| Died | 8 February 1945 (age 71) |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, teacher |
| Instruments | Singing |
| Years active | 1899 to 1945 |
James Campbell McInnes (23 January 1874 – 8 February 1945) was a well-known English baritone singer and teacher at the turn of the 20th century, ex-husband of author Angela Thirkell and father of writer Colin MacInnes.
He was born to parents Archibald McInnes and Mary Gallagher on 23 January 1874, in Ramsbottom, Lancashire.
James Campbell McInnes, a baritone, studied at the Royal College of Music (R.C.M.) under a succession of great teachers including George Henschel, Sir Charles Santley, William Shakespeare, Jacques Bouhy, and Jean de Reszke. He was a composer of songs and, in the early days of the folk-song movement, he collected songs in Scotland. He worked with Lucy Broadwood and Cecil Sharp and sang at the dedication ceremony at the opening of Cecil Sharp House.
He gave after-dinner recitals for affluent Edwardian families at their homes as a result of his close friendship with Lucy Broadwood and regularly appeared in concerts across England, including Leeds and Worcester and the Broadwood Concerts.
He was closely associated with the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and premiered many of his vocal works including the songs "Blackmwore by the Stour" and "Whither must I wander?" in 1902. The latter was the first song of the cycle Songs of Travel to be written. McInnes also sang the baritone solos in the world premieres of Willow-Wood (1903), A Sea Symphony(1910), and Five Mystical Songs(1911). The early song "Boy Johnny," based on a Christina Rossetti poem, was first published in The Vocalist 1/6 September 1902 with the dedication "To J. Campbell McInnes, Esq." Of his singing the composer has written, "The two outstanding characteristics of Campbell McInnes's singing (in addition to his beautiful baritone voice) were his feeling for words and his almost unique sense of the shape of a tune. My most vivid recollections of his singing are connected with that lovely melody (often attributed not surprisingly to J. S. Bach) " Jesu meines Glaubens Zier " and the words of Christ in the Gospel according to St. Matthew.It is for these two qualities that the guardians of English folk-song should keep his name in grateful remembrance.
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