Jellinek, George
Jellinek, George
Jellinek, George, Hungarian-born American broadcaster, writer on music, and teacher; b. Budapest, Dec. 22, 1919. After violin studies in Hungary (1925–37), he settled in the U.S. in 1941 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1943. He was active in N.Y., where he was director of program services for SESAC, Inc. (1955–64) and recording director for Muzak, Inc. (1964–68). From 1968 to 1984 he was music director of WQXR radio, where he was host of the popular nationally syndicated program “The Vocal Scene.” He was an adjunct asst. prof. of music at Long Island Univ. from 1976 to 1991. His articles appeared in various periodicals, and he also was a contributing ed. of Stereo Review (1958–74) and Ovation (1974-88) magazines. He publ. the books Callas: Portrait of a Prima Donna (N.Y., 1960; 2nd ed., 1986) and History Through the Opera Glass: From the Rise of Caesar to the Fall of Napoleon (White Plains, N.Y., 1994). He was the librettist for Zador’s operas The Magic Chair (1966) and The Scarlet Mill (1968). Among his many honors were an honorary doctorate in music from Long Island Univ. in 1984 and a Grammy Award for his literary contribution to The Heifetz Collection CD recordings (1995).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire