Oskar Bie

Born in Breslau on February 9, 1864, Oskar Bie was a German music writer, art historian, and publicist. He studied philosophy, art history, and music history in Breslau, Leipzig, and Berlin, completed his doctorate in 1886, and later taught in Berlin.

Bie became especially influential as an editor and critic. From 1894 to 1922 he led Die neue Rundschau, helping build it into one of Germany’s leading cultural journals, and he also wrote as an opera, music, and art critic for major Berlin publications. His books ranged across music, dance, aesthetics, and the visual arts, including well-known works on the piano, opera, and modern music.

As a Jewish author, he was barred from publishing after 1933. He died in Berlin on April 21, 1938. His career now stands as a reminder of the rich intellectual life of German cultural criticism before it was violently disrupted under Nazi rule.