Upton, George Putnam

1835-

 

Musical critic and writer; born in Boston. He graduated at Brown University, Providence, R. I., 1854, and taught school at Plymouth, Mass. The next year he went to Chicago and became musical critic for the Chicago Journal. He wrote the first musical criticisms for the city, and for twenty-five years was musical critic, later becoming editorial writer on the Chicago Tribune. His work in this line covers the period of the growth of art in that city. In 1862 he went south as war correspondent. He was the first president of the Apollo Musical Club, which was founded after the fire of 1872. In 1880 he married Georgiana S. Wood. Among his writings are Letters of Peregrine Pickle, Woman in Music, Standard Operas, Standard Oratorios, Standard Cantatas, Standard Symphonies; translation of the lives of Haydn, Beethoven, Wagner and Liszt; Musical Pastels; Standard Light Operas; Life Stories for Young People; and the Life of Theodore Thomas.