Background
Bookspan, Martin was born on July 30, 1926 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Simon and Martha (Schwartz) Bookspan.
announcer Music Director composers
Bookspan, Martin was born on July 30, 1926 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Simon and Martha (Schwartz) Bookspan.
Bachelor of Science, Harvard University, 1947. Doctor of Music (honorary), Mannes College of Music, 1991. Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary), Suffolk University, 1995.
He was the announcer on the Public Broadcasting Service series Live from Lincoln Center from its beginnings in 1976 until 2006, when he retired and was replaced by Fred Child. Foreign years he was also announcer for the Live from the Met series on Public Broadcasting Service (which eventually became The Metropolitan Opera Presents). He graduated from Harvard in 1947.
Bookspan also served as the new announcer for the VHS and Digital Video Disc editions of legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini"s television concerts.
Originally telecast on National Broadcasting Company between 1948 and 1952, the original announcements on the restored kinescopes were deemed sonically unsuitable for modern tastes, and so were supplanted by Bookspan"s announcements in hi-fi. He spent eleven years (1956 to 1967) at radio station WQXR in New York, where he was music director and program director
He is also the author of several books He wrote the Basic Repertoire column for Stereo Review, evaluating recordings of the standard orchestral repertoire.
In the early 1970s Bookspan was the host of an National Public Radio program "Composers Forum", in which he interviewed contemporary composers and played recordings of their music
(This very informative book: 101 Masterpiece of Music & Th...)
(1978, 1st ptg by Bookspan & Yockey, VG in price-clipped DJ)
(Book by Bookspan, Martin)
(Symphony conductors.)
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Member American Federation television and Radio Artists, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, National Academy Records, Screen Actors Guild, The Bohemians, The Dutch Treat.
Married Janet Sylvia Sobel, October 24, 1954. Children: Rachel Raissa, David Israel, Deborah Joy.