Jack Westrup

Sir Jack Allan Westrup (26 July 1904 – 21 April 1975) was an English musicologist, writer, teacher and occasional conductor and composer. Biography Jack Allan Westrup was the second of the three sons of George Westrup, insurance clerk, of Dulwich, and his wife, Harriet Sophia née Allan. He was educated at Dulwich College, London 1917–22, and at Balliol College, Oxford. He first read classics in which he gained first class honours in moderations (1924) and second class honours in literae humaniores (1926). He gained his B.Mus. degree in 1926, and a Master of Arts in 1929. In 1925, with William Henry Harris, he staged the first complete performance in modern times of Claudio Monteverdi’s opera L’Orfeo (but only over certain obstacles presented by Sir Hugh Allen ), and in 1927 he produced the first British performance of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. (In February 1975 he was present at a new production of Orfeo to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University Opera Club.) He was a music critic for The Daily Telegraph 1934–39, and also editor of the Monthly Musical Record 1933–45. From 1959 to 1976 he was editor of Music and Letters (Oxford University Press). He gave class