author
George P. (George Putnam) Upton
1834–1919
A pioneering Chicago music critic and prolific author, he helped bring opera, symphonies, and musical history to a broad reading public. His accessible handbooks remain a window into nineteenth-century musical culture.
6 Audiobooks
The Standard Operas: Their Plots, Their Music, and Their Composers (12th edition)
by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
The Standard Oratorios: Their Stories, Their Music, And Their Composers
by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
Letters of Peregrine Pickle
by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
The Standard Light Operas, Their Plots and Their Music
by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
The Standard Cantatas: Their Stories, Their Music, and Their Composers A Handbook
by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
Woman in music
by George P. (George Putnam) Upton
About the author
Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, George Putnam Upton earned an M.A. from Brown University in 1854 before beginning a career in Chicago journalism. He became the Chicago Tribune’s music critic in 1862, later serving as a senior editor and editorial writer until 1905.
Upton wrote widely on music, art, literature, and journalism, and also translated works from German. His best-known books include The Standard Operas, The Standard Oratorios, The Standard Cantatas, and The Standard Symphonies, as well as studies of composers such as Haydn, Liszt, and Wagner.
He died in Chicago on May 19, 1919, leaving behind an influential body of writing that helped make serious musical subjects approachable for general readers.