Ernest Bradbury was born in Leeds on 3 March 1919. Having played the piano and organ since he was a boy, he studied composition privately under Sir Edward Bairstow, the organist and choirmaster at York Minster, and wrote a number of songs, some of which were broadcast on the BBC. During the Second World War, as a pacifist, he worked as a forester and with Jewish refugees. In his early twenties he started his long association with the Yorkshire Post, initially as a freelance contributor. In 1947 Bradbury joined the staff as the paper's music critic. During his long career Bradbury sometimes wrote for other newspapers or magazines, like Music and Musicians, Musical Times, and the Radio Times . He was a champion of the composers Peter Warlock and Edmund Rubbra. Ernest Bradbury's work includes introductions to concert programmes and articles on subjects other than music, notably art and drama. He also wrote broadcasts for BBC music programmes, and, whilst working on the Yorkshire Post, covered music in London and numerous British and International music festivals. In 1966 Bradbury was awarded the Hannen Swaffer Award for his consistently high standards of music criticism. In 1984 he retired, but continued to write occasional articles on music. During his career and also after his retirement he lectured in the extra-mural departments of Leeds and Bradford Universities. In 1977 he became a deacon at Bradford Cathedral. Ernest Bradbury died on 18 November 1994.
From the guide to the The Ernest Bradbury archive, 1899-1994, (GB 206 Leeds University Library)
