Barzun, Jacques (Martin)

Barzun, Jacques (Martin), eminent French-born American historian and educator; b. Créteil, Nov. 30, 1907. He settled in N.Y. and became a naturalized American citizen in 1933. He was educated at Columbia Univ. (A.B., 1927; M.A., 1928; Ph.D., 1932). After serving as a lecturer (1927–29), asst. prof. (1938–42), and assoc. prof. (1942–45) on its faculty, he was a prof. (1945–67), dean of graduate studies (1955–58), and dean of faculties and provost (1958–67) there. In 1967 he was made prof. emeritus. From 1975 to 1993 he also was literary advisor to the publishing firm Charles Scribner’s Sons. He was a member of the American Academy and Inst. of Arts and Letters, serving as its president (1972–75; 1977–78). He also was a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur of France. Among his books dealing with various aspects of music were Darwin, Marx, Wagner: Critique of a Heritage (Boston, 1941; rev. éd., 1958), Berlioz and the Romantic Century (2 vols., Boston, 1950; 3 rd ed., rev., 1969), Music in American Life (N.Y., 1956), and Critical Questions on Music and Letters, Culture and Biography, 1940–1980 (N.Y., 1982).