Baker, Theodore
b: June 3, 1851; New York State
d: October 12, 1934; Dresden, Germany
Early Years and Background
- Born to Elizabeth Baker (1803-1903) who was described in history books as ‘a very cultivated woman with an unusual education for those days’
- He was known as Theodore Hunt when he was living with his step-father, William Henry Hunt, but later adapted Theodore Baker as an alias
Education
- Studied French and music in Concord, Massachusetts
- Studied business one year at Boston, Massachusetts of Technology (MIT; 1867-68), and another year at a ‘Privat-Academie’ in New York
- Studied music under Oscar Paul (1871), enrolled at the University of Leipzig (1881), and received a PhD (1882)
Highlights & Accomplishments
- A music scholar and compiler/editor of Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1900)
- Wrote a dissertation on the music of North American Indians and is widely recognized as the earliest serious study of the subject
- Seven of the songs Baker included in his dissertation served as aterial for American composer Edward MacDowell’s Second (‘Indian’) Suite for Orchestra.
- Became the literary editor and translator for G. Schirmer, a publishing firm in New York City (1892)
- He also published many articles for the Musical Quarterly as well as books under G. Schirmer such as: A Dictionary of Musical Terms (1895), Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (1900), A Pronouncing Pocket Manual of Music Terms (1905), The Musician’s Calendar and Birthday Book (1915-17)
- His Dictionary is published in 10 editions, the latter called a Centennial edition and was published as Baker’s Dictionary of Musicians in six volumes in 2001
Hymns included in the Seventh-Day Adventist Hymnal
Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming, SDAH 131 (translation)
We Gather Together, SDAH 8 (translation)
Clark Kimberling. “Theodore Baker.” The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 20 Aug. 2017.<http://www.hymnology.co.uk/t/theodore-baker>
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