Henry Edward Krehbiel
Henry Edward Krehbiel entered the world on the 10th of March 1854 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His father served as a German clergyman within the Methodist Episcopal Church. This family background created a bilingual household where young Henry spoke, read, and wrote both German and English from his earliest days. The child grew up mastering these two languages before he ever stepped into a formal schoolroom. Later in life, he would add French, Italian, Russian, and Latin to his linguistic repertoire. In 1864, the family relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio. There his father accepted a position leading a local Methodist Church. Even while still a youth, Henry took charge of the church choir as its conductor. He began studying law in Cincinnati during 1872. By June 1874, he joined the staff of the Cincinnati Gazette newspaper. His early reporting focused heavily on sports and crime stories involving baseball games and murders. He quickly shifted his focus to music events and remained with that paper until November 1880.
Krehbiel moved to New York City after leaving Cincinnati behind him. He initially joined The New York Tribune as a journalist attached to the city desk. He occasionally wrote editorials for the publication while learning its inner workings. Music coverage soon became his primary beat and he rapidly rose to become musical editor. For more than forty years he served as the chief music critic for this major newspaper. Alongside contemporaries like Richard Aldrich and Henry Theophilus Finck, he formed part of what critics called the Old Guard. This group established a uniquely American school of criticism based in New York. Krehbiel believed strongly in empiricism when writing about music. He frequently sought out first-hand experiences and accounts rather than relying on secondary sources. When researching Wagner's Die Meistersinger, he traveled to Nuremberg to witness the setting firsthand. During studies of cantorial chant, he attended synagogues to hear the actual sounds. His approach drew conclusions from primary sources instead of looking at what other writers had already published.
The critic held a strong bend towards German romanticism throughout his career. He admired Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Schumann deeply. Richard Wagner received special attention as both a great admirer and promoter within the United States. Anton Seidl was a close friend who greatly enhanced Krehbiel's appreciation for Wagner's work. The critic gave Seidl's performances his most complimentary reviews possible. He did not extend similar praise to Wagner's main successors like Richard Strauss or Gustav Mahler. Krehbiel viewed Strauss as embracing hedonist themes that lacked moral substance. He once described Mahler as a prophet of the ugly while attacking his compositions. French impressionism also faced harsh criticism from this American musicologist. Works of the Italian school met with similar disapproval during his tenure. He detested French music and waged a continuing campaign against it alongside assistant Richard Aldrich. This stance defined much of his critical output over several decades.
Krehbiel became a champion of Antonín Dvořák when the Czech composer arrived in America. Dvořák hoped to establish an authentically American school of music after being appointed head of the National Conservatory of Music of America in 1892. His interest in folk music dated back to attending the World's Columbian Exposition. There he witnessed performances by black musicians at the Midway Plaisance and felt enthralled. Inspired by Dvořák's own work collecting folk songs, Krehbiel spent years researching diverse musical traditions. He collected folk songs from Magyars, Scandinavians, Russians, Native Americans, and African Americans. This extensive fieldwork resulted in numerous publications spanning many years. The most notable outcome was Afro-American folksongs: a study in racial and national music published in 1914. It stood as one of the earliest examinations of African American music available to the public. He also served as annotator for New York Philharmonic concert programs throughout this period.
The critic translated several German opera libretti into English for performance or publication. Nicolai's Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor received its first English translation performance in 1886. Paderewski's Manru followed with an English version appearing in 1902. Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor reached audiences through his translation in 1916. When Così fan tutte premiered in the United States during 1922, it used a new English text written by Krehbiel. His translation efforts extended beyond opera to include biographical works on classical composers. Alexander Wheelock Thayer had left a planned fourth volume unwritten at the time of his death in 1897. Krehbiel penned his own fourth volume numbering 1,137 pages to complete the series. This massive addition appeared in the 1925 republication of his English language translation of Thayer's Beethoven biography. The work was published posthumously after Krehbiel himself passed away in March 1923.
Debussy's La mer arrived in the United States during 1907 and initially met skepticism from Krehbiel. He wrote dismissive comments about the piece when it first gained attention among orchestras. Years later he felt obliged to write that La mer was a poetic work capturing sea rhythms wondrously. This change occurred in 1922 when the composition became a staple of the orchestral repertoire. Peter Gammond cites this case as illustrative of professional critics' fallibility regarding their early judgments. Critics may later regret early pronouncements once they become permanent fixtures of a legacy. Such reversals often overshadow broader contributions made by the critic over decades. Aldrich wrote in tribute that Krehbiel had been the leading musical critic of America upon his death. His changing assessment illustrates how vulnerability to retrospective judgment affects even seasoned professionals.
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Common questions
When and where was Henry Edward Krehbiel born?
Henry Edward Krehbiel entered the world on the 10th of March 1854 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His father served as a German clergyman within the Methodist Episcopal Church.
What role did Henry Edward Krehbiel hold at The New York Tribune?
Henry Edward Krehbiel rose to become musical editor for The New York Tribune after joining its staff in 1874. He served as the chief music critic for this major newspaper for more than forty years until November 1880 when he left Cincinnati behind him.
Which composers did Henry Edward Krehbiel admire most during his career?
Henry Edward Krehbiel held a strong bend towards German romanticism and admired Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Schumann deeply. Richard Wagner received special attention as both a great admirer and promoter within the United States.
What significant publication resulted from Henry Edward Krehbiel's research into folk songs?
The most notable outcome of Henry Edward Krehbiel's extensive fieldwork was Afro-American folksongs: a study in racial and national music published in 1914. It stood as one of the earliest examinations of African American music available to the public.
When did Henry Edward Krehbiel die and what posthumous work appeared after his death?
Henry Edward Krehbiel passed away in March 1923 before completing his fourth volume on Beethoven. This massive addition numbering 1,137 pages appeared in the 1925 republication of his English language translation of Thayer's Beethoven biography.