Paul Hume

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Paul Chandler Hume (December 13, 1915, in Chicago, Illinois - November 27, 2001) was the music editor for the Washington Post from 1946 to 1982. In addition to his role as the Post music editor, Hume hosted a long-running classical music program on WGMS radio in Washington, D.C., and was guest commentator for the New York Metropolitan Opera intermission broadcasts. He was also a professor of music at Georgetown University from 1950 to 1977 and adjunct professor of music at Yale University from 1975 to 1983. He was a member of the American Association of University Professors, the Music Critics Association, and the Cosmos Club. He received a Peabody Award in 1977 for his outstanding achievement in music criticism, and received honorary degrees from Thiel College, Rosary College, and Georgetown University.[1]

Hume was best known for his critical review of a concert by Margaret Truman and the scathing letter he later received from her father, President Harry S. Truman. Truman called Hume "an eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay." He further told him:

If I ever meet you in public, you will need a new nose, lots of beefsteak for black eyes and perhaps a supporter below. You are a guttersnipe!

Truman was criticized by many for the letter. However, he pointed out that he wrote it as a loving father and not as the president.