Henry Pleasants (music critic)
Encyclopedia
Henry Pleasants was an American music critic and intelligence officer. Born on May 12, 1910, in Wayne
, Pennsylvania
, Pleasants studied voice
, piano
and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music
, from which he received an honorary doctorate in 1977. In 1930, at age 19, he became a music critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and was the paper's music editor from 1934 to 1942, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army.
In 1948-49, he re-entered the military as an army liaison officer
with the Austrian government. He left the army to enter the Foreign Service
in 1950, serving as an intelligence officer in Munich
. From 1950 to 1956, he was the CIA
station chief in Bern, and subsequently from 1956 until his retirement from the CIA in 1964, CIA station chief in Bonn
. He was involved in espionage
during the Cold War
, living with Reinhard Gehlen
, a former Nazi general and a top intelligence official for West Germany
, to evaluate his "suitability." The Gehlen Organization, which the former general led, became the forerunner of the postwar West German Federal Intelligence Service
.
Following the end of the war, from 1945 to 1955, Pleasants contributed articles on European musical events to The New York Times
. He also wrote regularly for Opera Quarterly, was London editor for the magazine Stereo Review
, and for 30 years, beginning in 1967, was the London music critic for the International Herald Tribune
. In 1964, he retired from the service and settled in London
with his wife, Virginia Pleasants, a harpsichord
ist and fortepianist
.
Henry Pleasants’ first and major enthusiasm, however, was the human voice. His The Great Singers (1966) became a standard reference work. Other books on singers and singing were The Great American Popular Singers, Opera in Crisis (the growing importance of willful stage directors) and The Great Tenor Tragedy: The Last Days of Adolphe Nourrit, about the 19th-century French singer who took his own life after his vocal style became outmoded. His article, "Elvis Presley," reprinted in Simon Frith, ed., Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. Volume 3: Popular Music Analysis (Routledge, 2004), describes in detail Elvis Presley
's "extraordinary compass and very wide range of vocal color."
He died aged 89 in a London hospital after suffering a ruptured aorta
.
Wayne
- People with the surname Wayne :* Anthony Wayne, a general in the American colonial and United States armies* David Wayne , a musician* Elsie Wayne, a Canadian politician* Gary Wayne an American Major League baseball player* Jeff Wayne, a musician...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Pleasants studied voice
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and composition at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
, from which he received an honorary doctorate in 1977. In 1930, at age 19, he became a music critic for the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin and was the paper's music editor from 1934 to 1942, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army.
In 1948-49, he re-entered the military as an army liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
with the Austrian government. He left the army to enter the Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
in 1950, serving as an intelligence officer in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. From 1950 to 1956, he was the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
station chief in Bern, and subsequently from 1956 until his retirement from the CIA in 1964, CIA station chief in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. He was involved in espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, living with Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen
Reinhard Gehlen was a General in the German Army during World War II, who served as chief of intelligence-gathering on the Eastern Front. After the war, he was recruited by the United States military to set up a spy ring directed against the Soviet Union , and eventually became head of the West...
, a former Nazi general and a top intelligence official for West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, to evaluate his "suitability." The Gehlen Organization, which the former general led, became the forerunner of the postwar West German Federal Intelligence Service
Bundesnachrichtendienst
The Bundesnachrichtendienst [ˌbʊndəsˈnaːχʁɪçtnˌdiːnst] is the foreign intelligence agency of Germany, directly subordinated to the Chancellor's Office. Its headquarters are in Pullach near Munich, and Berlin . The BND has 300 locations in Germany and foreign countries...
.
Following the end of the war, from 1945 to 1955, Pleasants contributed articles on European musical events to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. He also wrote regularly for Opera Quarterly, was London editor for the magazine Stereo Review
Stereo Review
Stereo Review was an American magazine first published in 1958 by Ziff-Davis with the title HiFi and Music Review. It was one of a handful of magazines then available for the individual interested in high fidelity. Throughout its life it published a blend of record and equipment reviews, articles...
, and for 30 years, beginning in 1967, was the London music critic for the International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
. In 1964, he retired from the service and settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his wife, Virginia Pleasants, a harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
ist and fortepianist
Fortepiano
Fortepiano designates the early version of the piano, from its invention by the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 up to the early 19th century. It was the instrument for which Haydn, Mozart, and the early Beethoven wrote their piano music...
.
Later publications and death
In 1965 Pleasants wrote Death of a Music? and Serious Music and All That Jazz, a book critiquing contemporary music. He then wrote the reference work The Great Singers: From the Dawn of Opera to Our Own Time in 1966. However, his most famous and controversial book was his 1955 publication The Agony of Modern Music, a polemical attack on the direction taken by much of 20th-century music, and an argument in favor of jazz as the "true" master music of the time. The book stated "Serious music is a dead art. The vein which for 300 years offered a seemingly inexhaustible yield of beautiful music has run out. What we know as modern music is the noise made by deluded speculators picking through its slag pile." He developed this theme in other books, Death of a Music?: The Decline of the European Tradition and the Rise of Jazz (1961) and Serious Music — and All That Jazz! (1969).Henry Pleasants’ first and major enthusiasm, however, was the human voice. His The Great Singers (1966) became a standard reference work. Other books on singers and singing were The Great American Popular Singers, Opera in Crisis (the growing importance of willful stage directors) and The Great Tenor Tragedy: The Last Days of Adolphe Nourrit, about the 19th-century French singer who took his own life after his vocal style became outmoded. His article, "Elvis Presley," reprinted in Simon Frith, ed., Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. Volume 3: Popular Music Analysis (Routledge, 2004), describes in detail Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's "extraordinary compass and very wide range of vocal color."
He died aged 89 in a London hospital after suffering a ruptured aorta
Aorta
The aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
.
Sources
- Stevens, David, "Obituary of Henry Pleasants," International Herald Tribune, January 13, 2000.
- Martin, Douglas, "Henry Pleasants, 89, Spy Who Knew His Music," New York Times, January 14, 2000