Sigmund Gottfried Spaeth (April 10, 1885 – November 12, 1965) 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 ...
who traced the sources and origins of popular songs to their folk and classical roots. Presenting his findings through books, lectures, liner notes, newspapers, radio and television, he became known as The Tune Detective.
Biography
Spaeth was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, the son of Adolph Spaeth and
Harriet Reynolds Krauth Spaeth. His father, his grandfather
Charles Porterfield Krauth and his great-grandfather
Charles Philip Krauth Charles Philip Krauth (born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 7 May 1797; died in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 30 May 1867) was a Lutheran clergyman of the United States. He was the first president of Gettysburg College (then Pennsylvania College) 18 ...
were all Lutheran clergymen. He attended
Haverford College
Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
(where he composed the "Haverford Harmony Song") and went to Princeton where he did his Ph.D. thesis on "Milton's Knowledge of Music." He taught school and worked for ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'', ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', the ''
Evening Mail'' and the ''
Boston Evening Transcript
The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941.
Beginnings
''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...
''.
He composed the music score for the silent film ''
The Magic Flame
''The Magic Flame'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Henry King, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and based on the 1900 play ''Konig Harlekin'' by Rudolph Lothar. George Barnes was nominated at the 1st Academy Awards for Best Cinem ...
'' (considered lost), with
Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...
and
Vilma Bánky
Vilma Bánky (born Vilma Koncsics;Hungarian civil registration document from Nagydorog, available through LDS records; film number 1793002 Items 4–5 9 January 1901 – 18 March 1991) was a Hungarian-American silent film actress. Although her ...
; and wrote the lyrics of one of the songs in ''
The Trespasser
Trespasser
In the law of tort, property, and criminal law a trespasser is a person who commits the act of trespassing on a property, that is, without the permission of the owner. Being present on land as a trespasser thereto creates liabi ...
'' (1929), the talkie debut of
Gloria Swanson
Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most f ...
. His books include ''Read 'Em and Weep'', ''Weep Some More, My Lady'', ''A History of Popular Music in America'', ''The Common Sense of Music'', ''Fifty Years With Music'', ''The Importance of Music'' and ''Stories Behind the World's Greatest Music''.
On
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
his program of piano instruction, ''Keys to Happiness'' (1931), brought an avalanche of 4000 fan letters each week. In November, 1931 he began his 15-minute NBC program, ''The Tune Detective'', airing Tuesdays at 10pm and continuing until 1933. Beginning in 1932 NBC also carried his ''Song Sleuth'' which was heard Thursdays at 8:15pm. On
Mutual he did ''Sigmund Spaeth's Musical Quiz'' on Sunday afternoons at 1:15pm from January 19 to March 23, 1947. He also appeared on ''Metropolitan Opera Quiz''.
He was a charter member of the Iota chapter of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America (colloquially known as Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Mu Alpha, or simply Sinfonia) () is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music. The fraternity is open to men "w ...
at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. He was awarded the 1958
Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award The Charles E. Lutton Man of Music Award is one of the highest honors awarded to members of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity for a lifelong achievement in uplifting the world through art and music. Its recipients include musical legends such as ...
for his contributions. Haverford College awarded him an honorary
D.H.L.
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society.
The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...
in 1965.
Spaeth died in
New York City, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
at the age of 80.
Selected bibliography
Books
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* Other volumes in the ''Music and Dance'' survey which were edited by Spaeth include ''Music and Dance in New York State'', ''Music and Dance in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware'', ''Music and Dance in the Southern States'' and ''Music and Dance in the Southeastern States''.
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;Song collections (as editor)
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* Spaeth provided "new singable translations of the German, French, Italian, and Russian songs".
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Essays and reporting
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*(August 1928). "Jazz is not music." ''Forum: the magazine of controversy.'' 80 (2): 267–271.
Notes
References
External links
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"Tune Detective," ''Time'', August 22, 1932
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaeth, Sigmund
1885 births
1965 deaths
American male composers
American composers
American radio personalities
Musicians from Philadelphia
Haverford College alumni
The New Yorker people
20th-century American musicologists
20th-century American male musicians