Hamish MacCunn (1868-1916)

As the first comprehensive study of MacCunn's life, this book illustrates how social and cultural situations, as well as personal relationships, influenced his career. Having risen to fame in the late 1880s with a string of Scottish works, MacCunn further highlighted his Caledonian background by cultivating a Scottish artistic persona that defined him throughout his life. A talented composer, but also a difficult individual who made poor professional choices, MacCunn played a role in establishing national identity in British music but also ultimately sabotaged his own career.

Jennifer Oates, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center-CUNY, and Head of the Music Library at Queens College. Oates's research focuses on nineteenth- and twentieth-century British music, particularly Scottish art music, Scotland in music, and the music of Hamish MacCunn and Sir Granville Bantock.

Introduction; From Greenock to London: 1868-86; `Pushing off into the stream': 1887-90; Between the concert hall and the opera house: 1887-93; Scottish opera: 1892-95; After Jeanie Deans: 1896-97; `Dried up': 1898-1910; Final years: 1911-16; `The potential saviour of native music': appraisals and conclusions; Appendix; Select bibliography; Discography; Index.