Donald Jay Grout (September 28, 1902 – March 9, 1987) was an American

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

. He is best known as the author of ''A Short History of Opera,'' first published in 1947. The fourth edition was published by Columbia University Press in 2003. Grout was born in

Rock Rapids, Iowa Rock Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Iowa, Lyon County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,611 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, an increase from 2,573 in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. Hi ...

. He attended

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and graduated with a degree in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in 1923. He took his Ph.D. at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1939. He taught at Harvard from 1936 to 1942, at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

from 1942 to 1945 and at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

until 1970.Jones, Gaynor G., and Claude V. Palisca
"Grout, Donald J(ay)"
Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, retrieved 23 March 2018 Early in his career, Grout's main body of research was in

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

. After 1960 he became more interested in philosophies of music history, due in large part to his publication of a general music history textbook, ''

A History of Western Music A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...

''. A ninth edition of the book was published in 2014; after Grout's death, the new editions were revised by Claude Palisca and

J. Peter Burkholder J. Peter Burkholder (born June 17, 1954) is an American musicologist and author. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Musicology at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He has written numerous monographs, essays, and journal artic ...

. Grout also performed as a pianist and organist until the early 1950s. He served as editor of ''

JAMS Jams or JAMS may refer to: *Plural form of jam, a type of fruit preserve *Jams (clothing line) *JAMS (organization), United States organization that provides alternative dispute resolution services *The JAMs, former name of The KLF, a British band ...

'' from 1948 to 1951, and was president of the

American Musicological Society The American Musicological Society (AMS) is a musicological organization which researches, promotes and produces publications on music. Founded in 1934, the AMS was begun by leading American musicologists of the time, and was crucial in legitim ...

(1952–54, 1960–62) and the

International Musicological Society The International Musicological Society (IMS) is a membership-based organisation for musicology at the international level, with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It seeks the advancement of musicological research through international coopera ...

(1961–64). A reassessment of Grout's historiography was published in 2011 in the inaugural volume of ''Journal of Music History Pedagogy''.Kristy Johns Swift.
"Grappling with Donald J. Grout's Essays on Music Historiography"
''Journal of Music History Pedagogy''], 1 (2011)

Bibliography

*''The Origins of the "opéra comique"'' (diss., Harvard U., 1939) *''A Short History of Opera'' (New York, 1947, revised 3rd edition 1988 by H.W. Williams; 4th edition by Hermine Weigel Williams, published by Columbia University Press, 2003 ) *''A History of Western Music'' (New York, 1960, 7th ed, 2005 with

) *''Mozart in the History of Opera'' (Washington DC, 1972) *''Principles and Practice in the Writing of Music History'' (Brussels: Paleis der Academiën, 1972) *''Alessandro Scarlatti: an Introduction to his Operas'' (Berkeley, 1979)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grout, Donald Jay 1902 births 1987 deaths Cornell University faculty International Musicological Society presidents Syracuse University alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American musicologists