- Theodore Baker
Theodore Baker (June 3, 1851 – October 13, 1934) was an American
musicologist .Born in
New York , Baker studied business but turned to music as a career, becoming an organist inConcord, Massachusetts . In 1874 he moved toGermany and obtained his doctorate atLeipzig in 1882. His dissertation dealt with the music of theSeneca Indians , and was the first major work published on the music of American Indians. Themes included in the work were used byEdward MacDowell in his "Indian Suite". In 1891 Baker returned to the United States, where he took the post of literary editor forSchirmer Publishing in 1892. He worked there until 1926, when he retired and moved back to Germany. He died inDresden in 1934.Baker translated a considerable body of books and "libretti" into English, and wrote often in the "
Musical Quarterly ", a Schirmer publication. In 1900, he published the first edition of "Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians ", which was revised after his death byNicholas Slonimsky and is still in print in its ninth edition.References
*
H. Wiley Hitchcock , "Theodore Baker". "The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians " online.
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