Background
Lowens, Irving was born on August 19, 1916 in New York City. Son of Harry and Hedwig (Abramovich) Lowens.
Lowens, Irving was born on August 19, 1916 in New York City. Son of Harry and Hedwig (Abramovich) Lowens.
Bachelor of Science, Columbia, 1939. Master of Arts, University Maryland., 1957, postgraduate, 1957-1959. Contributing music critic Washington Evening Star, 1953-1960, chief music critic, 1961-1978.
Dean, associate director Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1978-1983.
Reference librarian for sound recordings, music division Library of Congress, Washington, 1959-1961, assistant head reference section music division, 1961-1966. Chairman, Board Of Directors American Museum Digest, 1967-1970.
Research consultant Moravian Music Foundation, 1956-1983. Senior research fellow, visiting professor Institute Studies American Music, Brooklyn College, City Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, 1975-1976.
Member of advisory board Inter-American Institute Museum.
Area. He served as the chief music critic at the Washington Star newspaper, the Assistant Head of the music division of the Library of Congress, and the dean of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. Lowens was instrumental in improving working conditions for American critics as well as increasing standards of criticism. His main interests and scholarly works concerned American tunebooks, of which he held a significant collection.
In 1957, Lowens earned his Master of Arts in American Studies from the University of Maryland.
Lowens served as an air traffic controller in the Civil Aeronautics Administration during World World War II, continuing in the position until the 1950s. His musicological career began in 1953, when he began to write music criticism for the Washington Star.
He also provided editorial assistance to publishers such as G. Schirmer. In 1959, Lowens became the Sound Recordings Reference Librarian at the Library of Congress.
He was promoted to the Library’s Assistant Head of the Music Division in 1961.
In 1966, Lowens left the Library of Congress in order to devote himself full-time to the Washington Star, where he had been appointed Chief Music Critic in 1960. He remained in this position until 1978. Lowens taught at Dunbarton College, the University of Southern California, Berkshire Music Center, Aspen School of Music, the University of Maryland, and City University of New York Brooklyn.
He was appointed to the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore in 1977 and became its dean in 1978.
He retired in 1981 with Emeritus status. Lowens amassed a large collection of American tunebooks that are now found in the Irving Lowens Collection at the Moravian Music Foundation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Society for American Music honors the musicologist through the Irving Lowens Awards, presented every year to the authors of the best book and the best article on American Music.
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Fellow American Antiquarian Society. Member American Mucicol. Society (council 1956-1959, 1961-1964, 68-71, Executive Board 1964-1965), International Musicol.
Society, American Studies Association, College Music Society, Inter-American Association Music Critics (vice president 1973-1983), Sonneck Society (chairman pro tem 1974-1975, president 1975-1981), Manuscript Society, American Liszt Society (advisory board 1977-1983), Hymn Society American, Society Ethnomusicology, International Association Music Libraries, Music library association (Executive Board 1962-1964, vice president 1964-1965, president 1965-1966), Music Critics Association (treasurer 1962-1969, vice president 1969-1971, president 1971-1975, Executive Board 1975-1977).
Clubs: Johns Hopkins Faculty (Baltimore).
Married Margery Louise Morgan, February 1, 1969.