Henderson, A. M. 1879-1957

Archibald Martin Henderson

Pianist and organist.

A.M. Henderson, born in 1879, was a Glaswegian musician, remembered primarily for his volume of Musical Memories and his educational editions of music for the piano. A substantial output included six volumes of Rediscovered Classics for the Piano, and various volumes of Old English Masters, Early Classic Masters, Masterpieces of Russian Piano Music, Graded Piano Duets from the Classical Masters, as well as three volumes of his own transcriptions for piano from the works of Bach. Henderson was organist and choirmaster at the University of Glasgow and had studied organ with Widor. His piano teachers were no less impressive as he received tuition from Scharwenka, Pugno and Cortot. It was this last association that led Henderson to dedicate ‘To my friend M. Alfred Cortot’ his volume of fifteen Popular Pieces for the Piano by Purcell in 1938. Henderson was keen to make available music he thought unjustly neglected in practical editions. As he states in his Foreword ‘Although Purcell is generally regarded as the greatest of English composers…his keyboard music and many fine pieces for strings are still far too little known and played.’ He makes no bones about this not being a scholarly edition, ‘This edition being intended entirely for practical purposes, and not simply as an historical document, the pieces have been carefully revised, edited, and fingered. Only in this way, I felt, could the book be of real value to both teacher and pupil…It will interest and encourage young students especially, to know that the pieces in this book have already been seen, appreciated, and played by such distinguished artists as Cortot, Marcel Dupré, Medtner and Rachmaninoff.  

• (This excerpt is taken from the following website: Cortot)

A. M. Henderson's death certificate identifies him as a retired University organist