- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEdwin Olin Downes
- Olin Downes was born on June 27, 1886 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Carnegie Hall (1947), First Opera Film Festival (1948) and Trzy etiudy Chopina (1944). He was married to Marion Davenport and Irene Miles. He died on August 22, 1955 in New York City, New York, USA.
- SpousesMarion Davenport(? - October 1939) (divorced, 3 children)Irene Miles(? - August 22, 1955) (his death)
- Renowned music critic during the first half of the twentieth century. He was music critic for the New York Times from 1924 until his death in 1955.
- Was a great champion of the legendary Italian conductor, Arturo Toscanini.
- Took strong exception to the "Pastoral Symphony" segment in Walt Disney's "Fantasia". He was deeply offended that the Disney artists had chosen to illustrate Beethoven's music by showing centaurs and centaurettes flirting and Bacchus the wine god cavorting drunkenly.
- Both his first wife and widow survived him, along with three children from his first marriage: Edward O.D. Downes [teaches music history at U. of Minnesota]; Mrs. George Rockwell Smith of Concord, N.H.; Mrs. Richard Williams III of New York; and four grandchildren. Also surviving, two sisters: Mrs. Charles Cutler of Newtonville, Mass. and and Mrs. Theodore Behre of New Orleans.
- [reviewing 'George Gershwin's Songbook'] Gershwin's way of playing the piano was maddeningly his own. He could never write down his accompaniments as he played them, although the edition of selected songs which appeared some six years ago had affixed to them a series of laughably appropriate embroideries on the melody for the keyed instruments.
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