Arthur Mendel
Arthur Mendel finished his first scholarly edition of Bach's St. John Passion in 1951. Born in Boston on the 6th of June 1905, he was already in his mid-forties when that work appeared. He died of leukemia in Newark, New Jersey on the 14th of October 1979. By then, colleagues recognized him as the foremost American Bach scholar of his day. The path that built that recognition started in 1925, when Mendel received his degree from Harvard University.
G. Schirmer, Inc. employed Mendel as an editor starting in 1930, shortly after he returned from studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. That same year, he began writing music criticism for The Nation, a role he held until 1933. His editorial work at G. Schirmer ran until 1938. He also taught at the Dalcroze School of Music and the Diller-Quaile School during those years. He conducted the Cantata Singers in New York as well. In 1940, he took on an editorial role at the journal of the American Musicological Society. A post at Associated Music Publishers followed in 1941, and both ran until 1943. A few years later, Princeton University would claim him for the next three decades.
Princeton University became the anchor of Mendel's career. He taught there for 31 years, longer than any other post he held. He chaired the music department from 1952 to 1967. In 1969, the university appointed him to the Henry Putnam University Professorship. He held that post until his retirement in 1973. Among his Princeton-era scholarly contributions was a co-edited volume called The Bach Reader. H. T. David was his partner on that 1945 publication.
Mendel produced a revised edition of Bach's St. John Passion in 1974. In 1968, he had published Studies in the History of Musical Pitch, showing scholarly interests that extended beyond editing alone.
Nathan Broder was Mendel's collaborator on an English translation of Alfred Einstein's Mozart: His Character, His Work. A second Einstein text, 'Mozart's Choice of Keys', Mendel translated independently. Through his translations of Einstein's Mozart scholarship, Mendel helped bring a generation of readers to a composer who was not his primary focus.
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Common questions
Who was Arthur Mendel and what is he known for?
Arthur Mendel (1905-1979) was an American musicologist recognized as the foremost Bach scholar in America during his lifetime. His two editions of Bach's St. John Passion, produced in 1951 and 1974, were his most prominent scholarly contributions.
What editions of Bach's St. John Passion did Arthur Mendel produce?
Arthur Mendel produced two editions of Bach's St. John Passion. The first appeared in 1951 and a revised edition followed in 1974.
Where did Arthur Mendel study music?
Arthur Mendel graduated from Harvard University in 1925 and then traveled to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger.
How long did Arthur Mendel teach at Princeton University?
Arthur Mendel taught at Princeton University for 31 years. He chaired the music department from 1952 to 1967 and later held the Henry Putnam University Professorship from 1969 until his retirement in 1973.
What books did Arthur Mendel write or edit?
Arthur Mendel co-edited The Bach Reader with H. T. David in 1945 and published Studies in the History of Musical Pitch in 1968. He also translated Alfred Einstein's Mozart: His Character, His Work with Nathan Broder, and translated Einstein's essay 'Mozart's Choice of Keys' independently.
What was Arthur Mendel's role at G. Schirmer, Inc.?
Arthur Mendel worked as an editor at G. Schirmer, Inc. from 1930 to 1938. He held that post during the same years he was writing music criticism for The Nation (1930-1933).
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6 references cited across the entry
- 1NewsArthur Mendel, Music Professor At Princeton and Expert on BachOctober 18, 1979
- 5Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American Harpsichordist and ScholarBoydell & Brewer — 2014
- 6Tribute to Arthur MendelLewis Lockwood