Harold Charles Schonberg (November 29, 1915 – July 26, 2003) was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism (1971). He also wrote a number of books on musical subjects, and one on chess.
Born in New York City, Schonberg grew up there, graduated from Brooklyn College in 1937, and did graduate studies at New York University. In 1939 he became a ...
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Harold Charles Schonberg (November 29, 1915 – July 26, 2003) was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism (1971). He also wrote a number of books on musical subjects, and one on chess.
Born in New York City, Schonberg grew up there, graduated from Brooklyn College in 1937, and did graduate studies at New York University. In 1939 he became a record critic for American Music Lover magazine (later renamed the American Record Guide). The son of Daivd and Mini Schonberg, he had a brother (Stanley) and sister (Edith).
Schonberg joined The New York Times in 1950. He rose to the post of senior music critic for the Times a decade later. In this capacity he published daily reviews and longer features on operas and classical music on Sundays. He also worked effectively behind the scenes to increase music coverage in the Times and develop its first-rate music staff. Upon his retirement as...
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