Anthony Newcomb
Encyclopedia
Anthony Newcomb is an American musicologist
. He was born in New York
and studied at the University of California, Berkeley
where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in 1962. He then studied with Gustav Leonhardt
in Holland while on a Fulbright Scholarship. He received an MFA (1965) and Ph.D from Princeton University
in 1969.
In 1968 he joined the music faculty at Harvard University
, and left in 1973 to join the faculty at Berkeley. In 1981 he won the Dent Medal, a prestigious award for musicology awarded by the Royal Musical Association
. From 1986–1990 he was the editor of the Journal of the American Musicological Society. In 1990 Newcomb became the Dean of Arts and Humanities at Berkeley, where he is currently a professor emeritus. In 1992 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Newcomb's early interest was in the Italian madrigal
between 1540 and 1640, and especially the music of the concerto delle donne
of Ferrara
. Later interests include the works of Richard Wagner
and the connection of 18th and 19th century instrumental works and questions of meaning.
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
. He was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and studied at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1962. He then studied with Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Leonhardt is a highly renowned Dutch keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. Leonhardt has been a leading figure in the movement to perform music on period instruments...
in Holland while on a Fulbright Scholarship. He received an MFA (1965) and Ph.D from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1969.
In 1968 he joined the music faculty at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and left in 1973 to join the faculty at Berkeley. In 1981 he won the Dent Medal, a prestigious award for musicology awarded by the Royal Musical Association
Royal Musical Association
The Royal Musical Association is a British scholarly society and charity. Founded in 1874, the Association claims to be the second oldest musicological society in the world, after that of the Netherlands...
. From 1986–1990 he was the editor of the Journal of the American Musicological Society. In 1990 Newcomb became the Dean of Arts and Humanities at Berkeley, where he is currently a professor emeritus. In 1992 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Newcomb's early interest was in the Italian madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
between 1540 and 1640, and especially the music of the concerto delle donne
Concerto delle donne
The concerto delle donne was a group of professional female singers in the late Renaissance court of Ferrara, Italy, renowned for their technical and artistic virtuosity. The ensemble was founded by Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara, in 1580 and was active until the court was dissolved in 1597...
of Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. Later interests include the works of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and the connection of 18th and 19th century instrumental works and questions of meaning.
Works
- "Carlo Gesualdo and a Musical Correspondence of 1594", Musical Quarterly, liv (1968), pp 409–36
- Newcomb, Anthony (1980). The Madrigal at Ferrara, 1579-1597. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-09125-0.
- Women Making Music: the Western Musical Tradition, 1150-1950 ed. J. Bowers and J. Tick. "Courtesans, Muses, or Musicians: Professional women musicians in sixteenth-century Italy." pp. 90–115 by Anthony Newcomb. Urbana, IL. 1986. ISBN 0-252-01470-7
- In addition to many other scholarly articles, Newcomb has contributed a good many articles to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.