William Oliver Strunk (March 22, 1901 – February 24, 1980) 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 ...

Charles Rosen Charles Welles Rosen (May 5, 1927December 9, 2012) was an American pianist and writer on music. He is remembered for his career as a concert pianist, for his recordings, and for his many writings, notable among them the book ''The Classical Sty ...

called him one of the most influential American musicologists of the 1930s–1960s.Rosen, Charles. "The Discipline of Philology: Oliver Strunk," collected in ''Critical Entertainments''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001. He was known for his anthology ''Source Readings in Music History'' (1950) and his work on

Byzantine music Byzantine music (Greek: Βυζαντινή μουσική) is the music of the Byzantine Empire. Originally it consisted of songs and hymns composed to Greek texts used for courtly ceremonials, during festivals, or as paraliturgical and liturgical ...

. He was the son of ''Elements of Style'' coauthor William Strunk, Jr. (1869–1946)

Life and career

Strunk attended

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 ...

from 1917 to 1919 and again in 1927, studying under

Otto Kinkeldey Otto Kinkeldey (November 27, 1878 – September 19, 1966) was an American music librarian and musicologist. He was the first president of the American Musicological Society and held the first chair in musicology at any American university.Cornell ...

. While never earning a university degree, he received honorary degrees from the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

in 1936 and from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

in 1970. He studied at

Berlin University Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

from 1927 to 1928 and then worked at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, becoming head of the Music Division in 1934. He began his teaching career as a lecturer at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in 1934, and in 1937 joined the faculty of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, becoming a full professor in 1950. Retiring from teaching in 1966 he moved to

Grottaferrata Grottaferrata () is a small town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, situated on the lower slopes of the Alban Hills, south east of Rome. It has grown up around the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, founded in 1004. Nearby comm ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, continuing his research on Byzantine music at the Abbey of Santa Maria (Badia Greca) there. Strunk served as president of the

Music Library Association The Music Library Association (MLA) of the United States is the main professional organization for music libraries and librarians (including those whose music materials form only part of their responsibilities and collections). It also serves corpo ...

(1935–37) and was a founding member 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 ...

, as well as the initial editor of the ''

Journal of the American Musicological Society The ''Journal of the American Musicological Society'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal and an official journal of the American Musicological Society. It is published by University of California Press The University of California Press, othe ...

'' in 1948 and the president of the AMS from 1959 to 1960. He directed the ''Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae'', 1961–71. His scholarship was exceptionally broad, covering the notation of early

, the '' ars nova'', Renaissance

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

, and

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

. He was one of the leading figures in post–World War II American musicology. His ''Source Readings in Music History'' (1950; rev. 1998 by

Leo Treitler Leo Treitler (born January 26, 1931) is an American musicologist born in Dortmund, Germany. He is distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Treitler studied at the University of Chicago under Grosvenor Coop ...

) was and is a standard primary-source text for music historians.

Books

*''State and Resources of Musicology in the United States'' (Washington DC, 1932) *''Source Readings in Music History'' (New York, 1950, enlarged 2nd ed. 1998 by

) *(ed.) ''Specimina notationum antiquiorum'' (1966) * ''Essays on music in the Western World'' (New York, 1974) *(with Enrica Follieri) ''Triodium Athoum'' (1975) * ''Essays on music in the Byzantine World'' (New York, 1977)

References

Sources

Kenneth Levy Kenneth Jay Levy (February 26, 1927 – August 15, 2013) was an American musicologist who specialized in Medieval, Renaissance and Byzantine music. He was described as "among the world’s authorities on early Christian and Byzantine music". L ...

, "Oliver Strunk". ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'' online. *Harold Powers et al. ''Studies in Music History: Essays for Oliver Strunk''. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1968. *''

Who Was Who in America Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

'', volume VII (1977–81), p. 554 (Chicago 1981)

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strunk, Oliver 1901 births 1980 deaths American expatriates in Italy Cornell University alumni Catholic University of America faculty Princeton University faculty Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America 20th-century American musicologists Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy