Peter J. Pirie (1916 – 1997) was an English musicologist and critic prominent in music journalism of the mid-twentieth century. Having left school with no formal qualifications, Pirie was self-taught in music until he won a composition scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music, where he studied piano, composition and conducting.

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During the Second World War, he was a conscientious objector, and went to prison as a result. Once released, he was permitted to serve with the Light Rescue Service.^{[clarification needed]} After the war, Pirie and his family moved to Whitstable, Kent, where he helped to run a music and book shop, "Pirie and Cavender," which was in business until 2007. Later on, he moved to Sussex, near to the South Downs, which he loved deeply.^{[citation needed]} His wife Mildred (1911–1996) was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and active as a peace campaigner.

His writing about music mainly consisted of magazine articles, reviews of recordings and concerts, and record sleeve notes. He was a supporter of 20th-century English music, especially that of Arnold Bax and Frank Bridge. The Stratford & East London Music Festival awards a "Peter J. Pirie Memorial Prize" and a "Mildred Pirie Memorial Cup."

• English Musical Renaissance

• Frank Bridge, Triad Press (1971) ISBN 0-902070-02-9
• The English Musical Renaissance: Twentieth Century British Composers & Their Works, St. Martin's Press (1980) ISBN 0-312-25435-0
• Furtwängler and the Art of Conducting, Duckworth (1981) ISBN 0-7156-1486-X