Robert MacHardy

Robert Machardy LL.D né McHardy (10 September 1848 – 8 July 1921) was a 19th-century Scottish composer, conductor, and music educator. A Fellow of the National College of Music, he composed over a hundred works, including operas, cantatas, and oratorios, many of which drew inspiration from Scottish folklore and melodies. Though successful in the 1880s and 1890s, his work being commissioned and performed by some of the most celebrated opera singers of the time, his music ultimately fell into obscurity. In later life, he focused on music examination, teaching, and conducting choral and operatic societies in East Lothian and Lanarkshire. Early life and education Robert McHardy, later adopting the spelling “Machardy,” was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Robert McHardy and Elizabeth McDonald. His brother, James Marius Patrick McHardy, also pursued a career as a composer and conductor. During his youth, the McHardy family briefly emigrated to Australia, returning to Edinburgh around 1856. Machardy attended Edinburgh High School and the University of Edinburgh, where he later became the organist at one of the city’s cathedrals. He reportedly furthered his musical education in continental