author
Paul Rosenfeld
1890–1946
A sharp-eyed American critic and essayist, he helped shape early 20th-century conversations about music, literature, and modern art. His writing is remembered for its energy, seriousness, and belief that the arts mattered deeply in everyday life.
1 Audiobook
Musical Portraits : Interpretations of Twenty Modern Composers
by Paul Rosenfeld
About the author
Born in New York City in 1890, Paul Rosenfeld studied at Yale and later at Columbia's School of Journalism before building a career as a writer and critic. He became especially known for music criticism, but his work also ranged across literature and visual art.
Rosenfeld wrote for influential journals including The Dial and was closely connected with modernist cultural circles in the United States. Reference sources describe him as a journalist, essayist, and novelist, and his papers are preserved at Yale, reflecting the breadth of his literary life and reputation.
He died in 1946, but his work still offers a vivid window into American artistic life in the first half of the 20th century. Readers interested in criticism that treats art as something urgent and alive may find him an especially engaging voice.