John Alexander Fuller-Maitland

John Alexander Fuller Maitland was an influential British music critic and scholar from the 1880s to the 1920s. He encouraged the rediscovery of English music of the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly Henry Purcell’s music and English virginal music. He also propounded the notion of an English Musical Renaissance in the second half of the 19th century, particularly praising Charles Villiers Stanford and Hubert Parry.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article on John Alexander Fuller Maitland.

From the period sources

According to A Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1900), J. A. Fuller-Maitland is noted for his work in cataloguing the significant Fitzwilliam Collection. In 1893, he collaborated with Dr. A. H. Mann to produce a complete catalogue of this extensive collection, which had been bequeathed to the University of Cambridge by Viscount Richard Fitzwilliam. The musical manuscripts within the Fitzwilliam Collection are described as “especially valuable works,” including the “Virginall-Booke of Queen Elizabeth,” anthems in Purcell’s own hand, sketches by Handel, and numerous early Italian compositions. This cataloguing effort built upon earlier work, such as Vincent Novello’s editing and publication of five volumes of the Italian sacred music from the collection.