Philip Lieson Miller

Background

Philip Lieson Miller was born on April 23, 1906 in New York, United States.

Education

He studied at the Choristers School in Rhinebeck, NY, and at the choir school of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. He trained at the Neighborhood School of Music (now the Manhattan School of Music), and the Institute of Musical Art (now Juilliard School of Music), where he studied voice.

Career

Miller began nearly forty years with the New York Public Library in 1927 as an assistant, became assistant chief in 1946 and chief in 1959. He retired as chief of the music division of the New York Public Library in 1966. He is credited with organizing concerts in Bryant Park and orchestrating the extensive collection’s move to its present location at the Library and Museum of the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Miller contributed many articles to music journals, including Musical Quarterly, High Fidelity, and Saturday Review. He wrote the second volume of the "Guide to Long Playing Records" series, titled "Vocal Music". He also compiled, translated, and wrote the accompanying text to "The Ring of Words: An Anthology of Song Texts".

He died on November 23, 1996 at Cabrini Hospital, New York, United States. He was 90 and lived in Greenwich Village.

Achievements

• Miller gained notice as the head of the New York Public Library’s music department, increasing its collections to rival that of the Library of Congress.

Works

More photos

• book

  • The Ring of Words: An Anthology of Song Texts; The Original Texts Selected and Translated, With an Introduction (Classic Reprint)
  • Vocal Music: The Guide to Long Playing Records

Connections

Miller was married to Catharine Keyes Miller, a retired head of a branch library on East 58th Street, who died in 1966.

Spouse:

Catharine Keyes Miller

niece:

Trudi Miller-Infante