Ernest Warburton

Who was Ernest Warburton?

Ernest Warburton was a noted musicologist who specialized in the music of Johann Christian Bach. His efforts resulted in the publication from 1984 to 1999 of The Collected Works of Johann Christian Bach in 48 volumes.

Warburton was also an executive with BBC Radio, serving as Head of Music Programmes and Editor of Music for BBC Radio 3 before transferring to the BBC World Service. During this period, he revived many obscure operas, such as Wagner's Die Feen and Rienzi and Puccini's Le Villi.

As general editor of The Collected Works of Johann Christian Bach, Warburton not only edited a share of the music, but wrote out the scores printed in the edition in his own calligraphy.

After obtaining his BA at Oxford in 1959, Warburton was unable to stay there to complete his DPhil, due to lack of money. He therefore worked as the music teacher at Queen Mary's School, Basingstoke, Hants, from 1960 to 1964, completing his DPhil in his own time. This shortage of money explains why such a distinguished musicologist was briefly a teacher at a relatively obscure provincial school.