Anthony Lewis

Sir Anthony Carey Lewis (2 March 1915 – 5 June 1983) was an English musicologist, conductor, composer, and music educator. He co-founded and served as the first chief editor of Musica Britannica, producing scholarly editions of British music hitherto unavailable. He published critical editions of operas by Handel, Purcell and John Blow.

After working in the music department of the BBC, Lewis became professor of music at the University of Birmingham (1947–68) and was principal of the Royal Academy of Music in London (1968–82).

As a conductor Lewis played a role in the baroque music revival of the mid 20th century by directing performances of several Handel opera revivals, and making commercial premiere recordings of works from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Life and career Early years Lewis was born in Bermuda, the youngest of the three children – all boys – of Major Leonard Carey Lewis (1880–1952) and his wife, Katherine Barbara, née Sutton (1884–1965). There was a military tradition on both sides of the family, which the young Lewis did not follow: his musical talent became clear from his early years and he was sent to Salisbury Cathedral choir school, and at the age of eight he became a chorister at St George's Chapel, Windsor. A scholarship enabled him to spend some months studying in Paris with Nadia Boulanger in 1934. He graduated the following year as BA and MusB. He frequently focused on music by Purcell and earlier composers such as Byrd, whose music was then little known. Lewis later took on responsibility for all broadcast chamber music. The Musical Times praised his pioneering recordings of little-known works such as Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine and Purcell's The Fairy-Queen and King Arthur, which the magazine considered set new standards. Lewis was an early proponent of the revival of Handel operas, which for 200 years had been generally regarded as unstageable.

During his early years as professor at Birmingham, Lewis approached the Royal Musical Association with a proposal to launch a national edition of British music, making available scholarly editions of otherwise generally unpublished scores. He contended:

The proposal was agreed, and resulted in the inception of Musica Britannica in 1951. The Times judged the post to be well suited to Lewis's talents, and one that he filled with distinction.

Lewis was president of the Royal Musical Association from 1963 to 1969; a member of the music committee of the British Council, 1967–73; and a director of English National Opera between 1974 and 1978.

Lewis was appointed CBE in 1967 and knighted in 1972. He was awarded an honorary DMus by Birmingham University in 1970, and he held honorary memberships or fellowships of Trinity College of Music (1948), the Royal Academy of Music (1960), the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1969), the Royal College of Music (1971), the Royal Northern College of Music (1974), and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (1980).