Joel Honig (October 13, 1936 – September 25, 2003) was an American music critic,

copy editor Copy editing (also known as copyediting and manuscript editing) is the process of revising written material (copy) to improve readability and fitness, as well as ensuring that text is free of grammatical and factual errors. ''The Chicago Manual of ...

, writer, and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. He is best remembered for his extensive contributions to '' Opera News'' magazine. Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, Honig studied piano at the Manhattan School of Music before entering

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

where he was part of a social group of young men that included composer John Corigliano and theatre director Michael Kahn. During his junior year he studied French literature at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in Paris. He was a close friend of playwright William M. Hoffman whom he met at a bar in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

in the 1950s. Hoffman said of the event, "I was dead drunk, reciting a Jean Genet poem in French at the top of my lungs, and Joel came up to me and finished the poem. And we became fast friends." In the late 1950s Honig served as the personal secretary of composer Gian Carlo Menotti, notably working with him when he founded the Festival dei Due Mondi in 1958. Around that same time he began working as a freelance writer and music critic. He notably was a regular contributor to '' Opera News'' magazine for 40 years. In the 1960s, he served as the rehearsal accompanist and concert pianist for the

Harkness Ballet The Harkness Ballet (1964–1975) was a New York ballet company named after its founder Rebekah Harkness. Harkness inherited her husband's fortune in Standard Oil holdings, and was a dance lover. Harkness funded Joffrey Ballet, but when they r ...

and also worked in the studios of many of the era’s leading ballet instructors. He even attempted, unsuccessfully, to teach Rebekah Harkness to play the piano. He later worked for 19 years as a copy editor for

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan R ...

. He barely contained a fantastic intellect within a searing wit. There were few subjects, and few people, he had no opinion about. A longtime friend of Raymond Guy Wilson, Juilliard graduate, also of Harkness House, and Director of Music for the National Academy of Dance. He led a life of loyalty to old friends, contempt of stupidity, and grudging hope in the improvement of Mankind. Quote: "Expectations are very limited."

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Honig, Joel 1936 births 2003 deaths American music critics American male non-fiction writers Manhattan School of Music alumni Columbia University alumni University of Paris alumni 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male writers