He started in music journalism by assisting Rosa Newmarch in writing program notes for Sir Henry J.

He retired as chief music critic for The Observer in 1953, but still wrote weekly contributions right up till his death.

[2] In his capacity as musical adviser to the Dent publishing firm, he also edited the Master Musicians series, of which he wrote "Mozart".

[1] He also translated many entries by foreign contributors (he was fluent in German, Danish, Italian and French as well as English).

His own biography, written by Frank Howes (the chief music critic of The Times[5]), appeared in the Supplementary Volume.

He wrote that Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes was "so impressive and original that only the most absurd prejudice will keep it out of the great foreign opera houses".

He was capable of uniquely insightful comments on well-known works in which he held a minority opinion; e.g., that the solo part of the Sibelius Violin Concerto "is closely interwoven with the symphonic tissue, and is therefore neglected by the average virtuoso" (even though it is in fact one of the most popular and frequently played and recorded of all violin concertos).

To this, Harold C. Schonberg, New York critic not immune to snobbery of his own, in his Lives of the Great Composers, responded with equally outspoken unfairness, "It is one of the most outrageously snobbish and even stupid statements ever to be found in a work that is supposed to be an objective reference".

There was one son Michael Blom who designed many of Massey Ferguson’s best selling post war tractors, and one daughter, Celia, who married the author Paul Jennings and illustrated some of his books.

Bach's final chorale prelude Vor Deinen Thron tret' ich zu Dir (I step before Thy throne, O Lord).