Music

Moores professor writes book, wins award

Howard Pollack - Photo 2

Moores professor Howard Pollack will be awarded for his controversial book on a musical prodigy, “Marc Blitzstein: His life, His Work, His World.” | Courtesy of Howard Pollack

Through mountainous piles of reels and memorabilia, a UH music professor preserves the legacy of one of the greatest American musicians of the 20th century.

John and Rebecca Moores School of Music professor Howard Pollack was announced as the recipient of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Nicolas Slonimsky Award for Outstanding Musical Biography in the 45th annual Deems Taylor Awards for his work on early 20th century composer Marc Blitzstein.

Pollack’s story of an American musical prodigy of the caliber of Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland, discriminated against and glossed about for his political ideology and sexuality and long-forgotten by history, has gained vigorous momentum in his book, “Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World.”

“I gravitate toward subjects who appeal to me, both in terms of their lives and their work and who I think are outstanding artists deserving of further study. But they are all different, as we are all different,” Pollack said.

“Blitzstein, for instance, was particularly passionate about social and economic injustice, with a rapier wit to match, and worked mostly in the theater, writing not only very dramatic scores, but superb lyrics as well. He made quite a stir in his own time and remains a fascinating figure, although he’s rather neglected today.”

To piece together Blitzstein’s life, Pollack unearthed letters, diaries, programs, musical manuscripts and photographs, among many other sources of information, much of which was provided by the musician’s estate on 71 reels of microfilm. Pollack also conducted several interviews, providing an “oral history” element to his novel. It was given a positive review in The New York Times’ Sunday Book Review by William S. Niederkorn.

“‘Marc Blitzstein’ is the story of an artistic genius who refused to sell out, and Pollack has made a powerful case for his rediscovery,” Niederkorn said.

“The story of an idealistic musician doggedly trying to write music that would transform society is a compelling one. Dr. Pollack has succeeded in tying the story of Blitzstein’s life, politics, and music together in a way that fully illustrates the man.”

Pollack has won several awards for his other historical-musicological “life and work” novels on American composers Copland and George Gershwin. Besides his literary contributions to the field of music, the collection of reels that Pollack used for his research on Blitzstein is currently stored in UH’s music library for the benefit of students, which would make it one of a few institutions in the country to have Blitzstein’s papers, Pollack said.

For Richard Robbins, who worked and studied under Pollack while earning his Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting degree before graduating in 2010, Pollack’s accomplishments and scholarly contributions reflect the the University’s reputation and commitment to its students.

“I think that the entire UH community benefits when a professor like Dr. Pollack wins such a prestigious award. The University of Houston has established an international presence in music, and this award allows everyone to see what our community already knows: that our professors are world-class, and that the education students receive at UH is exceptional. Our community and all of our music students can all take great pride in the accomplishment of Dr. Pollack.”

The ink has barely dried on the pages, but Pollack is ready to dive headfirst into the life of another artist. The insatiable curiosity that started in his youth now drives him to learn about the poet and lyricist John Latouche.

“I’m currently working on yet another biography, a habit I don’t seem able to shake,” Pollack said.

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