William James Henderson (December 4, 1855 – June 5, 1937) was an American musical critic and scholar.
He was born on December 4, 1855, inNewark, New Jersey.
He graduated fromPrinceton in 1876 and immediately began work as a journalist, later as a reporter, then as the musical critic ofThe New York Times, and in 1902 ofThe New York Sun. He wrote perceptive press reviews of the performances of theMetropolitan Opera's star singers which remain valuable for today's scholars. Henderson's perspicacity as a musical reviewer and evaluator was recognised when he was appointed lecturer on musical history in theNew York College of Music. He was also elected a member of theNational Institute of Arts and Letters in 1914.
Three days after the death of his longtime friend and fellow newspaper music critic,Richard Aldrich, he committed suicide with a .38-calibre revolver in his West-SideManhattan hotel room. HisNew York Times obituary called him "for fifty years one of America's best known music critics."[1]
