- Sigmund Spaeth
Sigmund Gottfried Spaeth (
April 10 ,1885 ,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania –November 12 ,1965 ,New York City, New York ) was a musicologist 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.Born in Philadelphia, Spaeth attended
Haverford College (where he composed the alma mater) and went to Princeton where he did his Ph.D. thesis on "Milton's Knowledge of Music." He taught school and worked for "Life", "The New York Times ", the "Evening Mail " and the "Boston Evening Transcript ".He composed music scores for early
sound film s, including "The Trespasser " (1929), the talkie debut ofGloria Swanson . His books include "Read 'Em and Weep", "Weep Some More, My Lady", "The History of Popular Music in America", "The Common Sense of Music", "The Importance of Music" and "Stories Behind the World's Greatest Music".On
NBC 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 fromJanuary 19 toMarch 23 ,1947 . He also appeared on "Metropolitan Opera Quiz".External links
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12567 Find a Grave]
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,769661,00.html "Tune Detective," "Time" (August 22, 1932)]
* [http://www.soundfountain.org/rem/remcritics.html Sigmund Spaeth - Remington Records: Music Plus Series]
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