Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi

Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi (2 October 1877, Marseille, France – 1 February 1944, London, England) was a music writer and music critic of Greek descent.

Calvocoressi studied music in Paris, however he was mostly self-educated. He also studied in the social sciences. He moved to London in 1914 writing music criticism for French journals. He mastered the Russian language and was a fervent proponent of Russian music. He also was responsible for the translation of Russian and German songs into English and French. He was also a member of the Apaches music society.

Selected books

• La Musique russe (Paris, 1907)
• The Principles and Methods of Musical Criticism (London, 1923; rev. 1933)
• Musical Taste and How to Form It (London, 1925)
• Musicians’ Gallery: Music and Ballet in Paris and London (London, 1933)
• Masters of Russian Music (London, 1936), with Gerald Abraham.

Monographs

• Liszt (Paris, 1906)
• Mussorgsky (Paris, 1908)
• Glinka (Paris, 1911)
• Schumann (Paris, 1912)
• Debussy (London, 1941);
• Mussorgsky (London, 1946), a new extensive biography of Mussorgsky posthumously published.
• Mussorgsky (London, 1956)

References

• "Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi." Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Centennial Edition. Nicolas Slonimsky, Editor Emeritus. Schirmer, 2001.