Peter Ward Jones: A Life in Music and Scholarship

0:00It's April 30th, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Entertainment and Celebrity News today. Your AI-powered Entertainment Report Peter Ward Jones, the renowned scholar librarian and musician, passed away at age 81 on March 22nd, 2026. He dedicated nearly his entire career to Oxford's Bodleian Library, rising to become its music librarian and a global expert on Felix Mendelssohn, born March 30th, 1944, in Chester. He showed early talent as a teenage timpanness and church organist. He honed his skills at King's School, then won an organ scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, studying under masters like Harold Dark. Scholars and musicians remember him as endlessly generous, sharing his deep knowledge freely. His writing shaped music history from editing Mendelssohn's honeymoon diary to revising key books and contributing to major journals like music. Letters He wasn't just behind the books. He lived the music, serving 30 years as organist at St. John's Church, playing all of

1:03Bach's organ works in weekly, recitals and conducting groups like the Oxford Harmonic Society. His final book, British Coral Singing, dropped just this year. Ward Jones leaves his son and daughter. His legacy echoing through libraries, concert halls, and the scores he championed.