R. J. Buckley Explained

Robert Johnson Buckley
Birth Date:	1847
Birth Place:	Monaghan, Ireland
Death Date:	26 December 1938
Death Place:	Birmingham, England

Robert John Buckley (FRCO), was born 14 July 1847 at Monaghan, Ireland was an English music critic, composer and author.^{[1] [2]} He died 26 December 1938 at his home in Sandford road, Moseley.

Buckley was married thrice and had seven children. One of his children was film critic, writer, actor and BBC radio personality and Television presenter F. R. Buckley.^[3]

Organist

Though claiming to have never had a lesson, Buckley was a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists as well as a church organist at St John's Church, Harborne (1874)^[4] and Smethwick in 1878. He was also organist at Holy Trinity, Bordesley and St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham.

In 1887 he began writing for the Sunday Mercury, a series of short articles titled ‘’Pulpit and Pew’’ about popular contemporary preachers and it ran for 27 years.

Chess

Buckley was the Librarian of the Birmingham Chess Club^[5] and wrote a chess column for the Sheffield Weekly Independent from October 1891 through at least 1893.^[6] and edited a column on chess in the Birmingham Weekly Mercury from 1889 to 1907

Music Critic

Buckley was the music critic for the Birmingham Gazette from 1886 to 1926 when he retired. He had become known as "the doyen of music critics".

Works

• 1904 "Sir Edward Elgar"^[7]
• "Ireland As It Is"^[8]
• 1902 "The Master Spy""^[9]
• 1912 "Granville Bantock: A Famous Musician at Home" The Pall Mall Magazine Vol. L July to September^[10]
• 1910 The Nation's Music Vol. 1 English.
• 1910 The Nation's Music Vol. 2 Scotch.
• 1910 The Nation's Music Vol. 3 Irish
• 1910 The Nation's Music: Vol. 4 Welsh
• 1910 The Nation's Music. Vol. 5 Sacred.

External links

• Book: Buckley . Robert J.. [{{GBurl|id=QYAfAAAAYAAJ}} Ireland as it is and as it Would Be Under Home Rule ]. 1893 . Birmingham Daily Gazette. Birmingham . en.
• Book: Buckley . Robert J.. [{{GBurl|id=pWH-MgEACAAJ}} The Master Spy ]. 1902 . Ward, Lock & Co., Limited. London, New York and Melbourne . en.
• Book: Buckley . Robert J.. [{{GBurl|id=loMfAAAAYAAJ}} Sir Edward Elgar ]. 1904 . John Lane The bodley Head Ltd. . London, Vigo St. . en.
• Buckley . Robert J. . The Peacemaker . Quiver . Apr 1908 . 399 . 474–477 . 2 December 2021 . en.
• Buckley . Robert J. . The Soul of the Music . Quiver . Oct 1908 . 435 . 1087–1089 . 2 December 2021 . en.

Notes and References

1. News: Doyen of Music Critics . 26 November 2021 . . 27 December 1938 . Warwickshire, England . 4 . en.
2. News: Death of Birmingham Doyen of English Music Critics . 26 August 2022 . Evening Despatch . 27 December 1938 . 7.
3. News: A Birmingham Man's Boyhood Memories . 26 August 2022 . Sunday Mercury . 24 July 1938 . 4. }
4. News: Birmingham Daily Post 12 Jan 1874, page 5 . 28 November 2021 . The Birmingham Daily Post . XXI. 4,835 . 12 January 1874 . 5 . en.
5. News: Birmingham Chess Club . 28 November 2021 . Birmingham Daily Post . XXXIX . 7,807 . 11 July 1883 . 3.
6. Book: Gittins . Frederick Richard . [{{GBurl|id=5HF4scVBTDsC|page=115}} The Chess Bouquet ]. 1897 . Feilden, McAllan & Co., LTD., Artistic and General Printers . London W.C.. 115 . 27 November 2021 . en.
7. News: News and Gossip About Authors . 26 November 2021 . New York Times . LIV. 17,388 . 25 September 1905 . 584 . en.
8. Web site: Buckley . Robert John . Ireland as It Is, and as It Would Be Under Home Rule . 26 August 2022 . English . 17 August 2009.
9. News: eds. . [{{GBurl|id=qF9DAQAAMAAJ}} New Novels]. The Athenaeum . 3909. 27 September 1902 . Ward, Lock & Co., Ltd . Salisbury Square, London, E.C. . 408 . en.
10. Book: Buckley . Robert J. . Granville Bantock: A Famous Musician at Home . 1912 . The Pall Mall MAgazine . 585 . 2 September 2022 . en.