Sir George Grove

Sir George Grove 1820-1900, English musicographer, whose Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1879-89) has become a standard reference work. Originally an engineer, he assisted in the establishment of the Crystal Palace in London and for many years annotated the programs of the concerts there. From these notes he later drew material for Beethoven and His Nine Symphonies (1896).

Grove, Sir George (1820–1900). Civil engineer and writer on music. After embarking on a career building lighthouses in the West Indies, Grove became secretary to the Society of Arts (1850) and the Crystal Palace (1852), for whose concerts he wrote numerous programme notes. Interested in biblical studies, he co-founded the Palestine Exploration Fund and co-edited Smith's Dictionary of the Bible; he also wrote on many other subjects including geography and was editor of Macmillan's Magazine. He became the first director of the Royal College of Music in 1883. His Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1879–89), has remained the foremost English-language musical dictionary. Its most recent sixth edition, published in 20 volumes as The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1980), was rewritten under the editorship of Stanley Sadie. Grove also published Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies (1896).

Eric Cross