Carl Engel

Carl Engel was a French-born American musicologist of German descent. He was educated at the universities of Strasbourg and München. In 1905 he emigrated to the United States and became a naturalized American citizen in 1917.

Engel was musical editor at the Boston Music Co. (1909-22), head of the music division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. (1922-34), and president of the music publishing company G. Schirmer in New York (1929-32, 1934-44). Beginning in 1922, he contributed to Musical Quarterly magazine, acting as its editor from 1929 to 1942. From 1937-38, he was president of the American Musicological Soc., which he had co-founded in 1934. A brilliant and erudite writer, he published the essay collections “Alla Breve, from Bach to Debussy” (1921) and “Discords Mingled” (1931).

Engel was also active as a pianist and composer, writing chamber music, piano pieces, and songs.