Lewis, Sir Anthony (Carey)
Lewis, Sir Anthony (Carey)
Lewis, Sir Anthony (Carey), eminent English conductor, musicologist, composer, and teacher; b. Bermuda, March 2, 1915; d. Haslemere, June 5, 1983. He became an organ scholar at Peterhouse, Cambridge (1932); continued his studies with Dent at Cambridge (B.A. and Mus.B., 1935); also took courses with Boulanger in Paris (1934). He joined the music staff of the BBC (1935); then was the creator of its Third Programme (1946). From 1947 to 1968 he was a prof. of music at the Univ. of Birmingham; also was dean of the faculty of fine arts there (1961–64). From 1968 to 1982 he served as principal of the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1967 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was knighted in 1972. His specialty was the music of the Baroque period; he ed., conducted, and recorded works by Purcell, Rameau, and Handel. He publ. The Language of Purcell (Hull, 1968); was a founder and ed. of the prestigious series Musica Britannica (1951). His compositions include Choral Overture (1938), Elegy and Capriccio for Trumpet and Orch. (1947), Trumpet Concerto (1950), A Tribute of Praise for Voices (1951), and Horn Concerto (1959).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire