MICHAEL TUMELTY, for many years The Herald’s highly-respected classical music critic, has died at the age of 73.

Tumelty worked for this newspaper from 1983 until his retirement in 2011.

His astute, well-informed, well-written criticism made him a firm favourite with readers and musicians alike. People bought the paper to see what he thought about the latest concert he had attended.

He was not one to be unduly awed by the biggest names in the field; in 1990, for instance, reviewing a high-profile Glasgow concert by the celebrated tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, he criticised what he described as the “sloppy amateurism” of the delayed beginning, the quality of the sound, and the singer’s habit of disappearing between songs.

Tumelty was a steadfast champion of Scottish composers and artists such as Sir James Macmillan and Nicola Benedetti, and of numerous Scottish orchestras. Benedetti is among his admirers, alongside such names as the pianist Steven Osborne, the novelist Bernard MacLaverty and the composers Sally Beamish and Lyall Cresswell. 

Macmillan posted a simple tribute on Twitter, saying simply: "The end of an era. RIP JM".

During his years on The Herald Tumelty interviewed everyone from Sir Charles Mackerras and Leonard Bernstein to Jerry Goldsmith and Elmer Bernstein. The latter once invited him to his birthday concert in London and wrote to him to show his appreciation of his writing.

Walter Weller, the late Austrian conductor and violinist, when working with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, once gave Tumelty a personal tour of Vienna.

A more unusual tribute came from the author Jilly Cooper, who based a character on him in her novel, Appassionata, having spent time with him on an RSNO tour of Switzerland in the early or mid-1990s. “At that time, “ his former partner, Alison Kerr, recalled last night, “he was a sort of barnstorming, swashbuckling figure who crusaded for musicians and whose passion for the music and its characters was utterly infectious”.

Those close to Tumelty also recount memories of the time he interviewed Yehudi Menuhin as the great violinist held court while lying on a bed.

Tumelty also, for a time, presented Sunday afternoon classical concerts in Perth Concert Hall.

He spent long periods on the road in the company of Scottish orchestras on tour. He was once hospitalised in Canada after what was described as “horseplay” on a BBC SSO bus; on another occasion, he was held at gunpoint by security services in Zagreb for having a suspiciously large number of batteries for him; the batteries were for his tape-recorder.

Before he joined The Herald’s staff, Tumelty had been principal music teacher at St Columba’s High School, Clydebank, while contributing music reviews to the northern edition of the Daily Telegraph.

He was tipped off about the Herald vacancy (the then current occupant, Malcolm Rayment, was retiring) by the late Lynne Walker, press officer at the SNO: proof, it was later said, of just how impressed Scottish orchestras were by his work for the Telegraph.

“What the editor [Arnold Kemp] wanted was someone who would bring the animated discussion he heard in the bar of the City Halls after performances into the pages of the paper, someone who would criticise the Scottish scene from an emotional as much as an academic perspective”, the Herald’s arts editor, Keith Bruce, recalled in 2011 on the occasion of Tumelty’s departure to become a freelance contributor.

Michael Tumelty was steeped in the joys of classical music from a young age by his father. He left school at the age of 16 without a single O-level before going on to study at James Watt College for the Merchant Navy, but his time there did not end particularly auspiciously. In time, however, he did an honours music degree as a mature student in Aberdeen before attending teacher training college.

He was diagnosed in 2004 with a brain tumour. The twins he had had with Alison Kerr were just three months old at the time. “He could be found sitting in bed in the hospital writing his column and greeting all manner of high-falutin’ visitors”, she said.

Edinburgh’s Usher Hall tweeted after learning of his death: “So sad to hear this news. He was a lovely man and we felt we knew him well. His wide knowledge of classical music made him an outstanding reviewer”.

Donald Runnicles, the prominent conductor, observed today: "Michael's words and articles were often fearsome and fearless. His infectious passion for the music that he clearly loved informed his endlessly creative writing and critical appraisal.

"As Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Scottish Symphony, I give deep thanks for his tireless advocacy and eclectic tastes that have informed and enriched the cultural life of Scotland and beyond. We will miss him so much." 

If there was anyone who could capture the essence of a concert, it was Michael Tumelty. Truly the end of an era. A great friend to us all, we are deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra tweeted: "If there was anyone who could capture the essence of a concert, it was Michael Tumelty. Truly the end of an era. A great friend to us all, we are deeply saddened to hear of his passing".

Bernard Maclaverty added his own tribute on Twitter, saying, "It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of music critic Michael Tumelty. I got to know him over the years at intervals.He would go onto the street for a fag, I for a breath of air.And we’d talk. That’s a good way for friendships to start".

Scottish Opera tweeted: "Michael Tumelty strolling into the theatre / concert hall would always brighten our day. We have missed him terribly these last couple of years and now all hope of having a moment with him again is lost. Our thoughts are with his family".

Michael Tumelty is survived by five children, including three from a marriage to Frances Tumelty.

RUSSELL LEADBETTER