Cornell musicologist has died

American musicologist William W Austin died on 15 March, aged 80, at home in Ithaca. Austin graduated from Harvard in 1939, and received further Harvard degrees in 1940 (MA) and 1951 (PhD).

As an internationally respected musicologist, Austin received the E J Dent and Otto Kinkeldey Prizes for Music in the Twentieth Century: From Debussy to Stravinsky (Norton, 1966). Other publications include Susanna, Jeanie and the Old Folks at Home: Songs of Stephen C Foster From His Time to Ours (1975), contributions to Grove and many articles for Music Quarterly and Music Review.

Remembered as a remarkable teacher, Austin was at Cornell from 1947 until his retirement in 1990, initially as assistant professor and university organist, and later as Goldwin Smith Professor of Musicology and Given Professor of Musicology emeritus.

Information: www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March00/Austin.obit.fc.html

Posted: 24 March 2000

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