Gustav Kobbé

Born in New York City on March 4, 1857, Gustav Kobbé became an American music critic and author with a strong gift for making opera approachable. As a boy he studied in Wiesbaden, Germany, and later continued his education in New York, graduating from Columbia College and then Columbia Law School before turning fully to musical writing.

Kobbé wrote for New York newspapers and became especially known as a critic and commentator on opera. He also wrote books on Richard Wagner, but his lasting reputation rests on The Complete Opera Book, an ambitious guide that explained opera plots and highlighted important musical passages in a way ordinary readers could enjoy.

He died on July 27, 1918, before that famous book appeared in print, and it was published posthumously the following year. More than a century later, it remains the work most closely linked with his name, valued for its lively, practical way of opening the world of opera to readers.