Herbert Weinstock (16 November 1905 – 21 October 1971) was an American writer, music historian, editor and translator. A prolific writer on musical subjects, he was particularly known for his biographies of the

bel canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...

opera composers

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano p ...

Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera ...

, and Bellini which he published between 1963 and 1971. Weinstock was born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

but from 1930 was based in New York City where he became the music editor of the

Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

publishing house in 1943. He died in New York at the age of 65, survived by his long-time companion, Ben Meiselman.

Life and career

Weinstock was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He briefly attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

but left to start his own a bookstore. After running the bookstore for three years, he moved to New York City. He published his first books on music in 1939 and 1941, '' Men of Music: Their Lives, Times, and Achievements'' and ''The Opera, a History of its Creation and Performance'', both co-authored with Wallace Brockway (1905–1972). Weinstock and Brockway had been close friends since their time as students at the University of Chicago. Weinstock became the music editor for

in 1943 and remained associated with that publishing house for the remainder of his career, apart from a period between 1959 and 1963 when he worked for

Doubleday Doubleday may refer to: * Doubleday (surname), including a list of people with the name Publishing imprints * Doubleday (publisher), imprint of Knopf Doubleday, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House * Doubleday Canada, imprint of Penguin Random ...

and Macmillan. In 1943 he also published the first of his composer biographies, ''Tchaikovsky''. It was followed by ''Handel'' (1946), ''Chopin: The Man and His Music'' (1949), ''Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris and Vienna in the first half of the Nineteenth Century'' (1963) and ''Rossini'' (1968). His last biography, ''Vincenzo Bellini: His Life and His Operas'' was published shortly after his death in 1971 and was the first, full‐length critical biography of Bellini in English. From the early 1930s Weinstock had been a friend, champion, and chronicler of the Mexican composer

Carlos Chávez Carlos Antonio de Padua Chávez y Ramírez (13 June 1899 – 2 August 1978) was a Mexican composer, conducting, conductor, music theorist, educator, journalist, and founder and director of the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He was influence ...

. He wrote a lengthy analysis of his music for ''

The Musical Quarterly ''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including C ...

'' in 1936 and translated his ''Hacia una nueva música: ensayo sobre música y electricidad'' into English for publication by Norton in 1937. He also wrote the notes to a series of concerts given by Chávez at New York's

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in 1940 and the biography for the catalogue of Chávez works published by the

Pan American Union The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

in 1944. Weinstock died in New York City at the age of 65 following an operation. At the time of his death he was working on a biography of

Gluck Christoph Willibald ( Ritter von) Gluck (; ; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire at ...

. In his review of Weinstock's Bellini biography,

Alan Rich Alan Rich (June 17, 1924 – April 23, 2010) was an American music critic who served on the staff of many newspapers and magazines on both coasts. Originally from Brookline, Massachusetts, he first studied medicine at Harvard University before tur ...

wrote that his qualities as a biographer "combined the story‐teller's gift with an enthusiasm for great works of art that made Weinstock the envy of all who knew him." He also wrote that as the music editor at Knopf, Weinstock "was responsible for guiding into print some of the best, most readable and most important writing about music" that the 20th century had produced. The Herbert Weinstock Collection at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

contains professional and personal papers, letters, and memorabilia belonging to Weinstock, members of his family, and Weinstock's long-time companion, Ben Meiselman. Meiselman, who died in 1989, also donated a large collection of Weinstock's scores and music books to the music department of

Bar-Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...

Works

In addition to his books and translations, Weinstock was a music critic for '' The Saturday Review'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', and from 1966 for the British journal ''

Opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

''. He also contributed over 300 articles on music to the ''

Encyclopedia Americana ''Encyclopedia Americana'' is a general encyclopedia written in American English. It was the first general encyclopedia of any magnitude to be published in North America. With '' Collier's Encyclopedia'' and ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclo ...

'' as well as numerous notes for recordings and concert programs.

Books

*Herbert Weinstock and Wallace Brockway (1939). '' Men of Music: Their Lives, Times, and Achievements''. Simon and Schuster (31 editions published between 1939 and 1966) *Herbert Weinstock and Wallace Brockway (1941). ''The Opera, a History of its Creation and Performance''. Simon and Schuster (34 editions published between 1941 and 1966) *Herbert Weinstock (1943). ''Tchaikovsky''. Alfred A. Knopf (32 editions published between 1943 and 1980) *Herbert Weinstock (1946). ''Handel''. Alfred A. Knopf (36 editions published between 1946 and 1979) *Herbert Weinstock (1949). ''Chopin: The Man and His Music''. Alfred A. Knopf (23 editions published between 1949 and 1981) *Herbert Weinstock (1953). ''Music as an Art''. Harcourt Brace (1 edition) *Irene Gass and Herbert Weinstock (1958). ''Through an Opera Glass''. Abelard-Schuman (for younger readers, 2 editions) *Herbert Weinstock (1963). ''Donizetti and the World of Opera in Italy, Paris and Vienna in the first half of the Nineteenth Century''. Pantheon Books (40 editions published between 1963 and 1986) *Herbert Weinstock (1966). ''What Music Is''. Doubleday (revised and expanded version of ''Music as an Art'', 19 editions published between 1966 and 1988) *Herbert Weinstock (1968). ''Rossini''. Alfred A. Knopf (42 editions published between 1968 and 1987) *Herbert Weinstock (1971). ''Vincenzo Bellini: His Life and His Operas''. Alfred A. Knopf (28 editions published between 1971 and 1980)

Translated books

(1937). ''Toward a New Music: Music and Electricity'', W. W. Norton & Co. (translated from the Spanish ''Hacia una nueva música: ensayo sobre música y electricidad'') *

Francesco Carletti Francesco Carletti (1573 – January 12, 1636) was a Florentine merchant, explorer and writer. He was the first private traveler to circumnavigate the globe without royal or religious sponsorship, leaving Florence in 1591 at the age of eighteen ...

(1964). ''My Voyage Around the World''. Pantheon Books (translated from the Italian ''Ragionamenti del mio viaggio intorno al mondo'') *

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

(1968). ''Notes of an Apprenticeship''. Alfred A. Knopf (a collection of previously published essays translated from the original French) * Edmond Michotte (1968). ''Richard Wagner's visit to Rossini (Paris 1860) and An Evening at Rossini's in Beau-Sejour (Passy 1858)''. University of Chicago Press (translated from the French ''La visite de R. Wagner à Rossini (Paris 1860)'' and ''Une soirée chez Rossini à Beau-Séjour (Passy 1858)'') * Jacques Chailley (1971). ''The Magic Flute, Masonic Opera''. Alfred A. Knopf (translated from the French ''La Flûte enchantée, opéra maçonnique'')

Life and career

Works

Books

Translated books

Notes

References

Further reading