Huneker

(1859), Some Suggestions on the Subject of
Monopolies and Special Charters (1859), and
An Address on the Use of Alcoholic Liquors and
Its Consequences (1879). His death occurred at
the residence of his son-in-law, near Nashville.

[Frederick Humphreys, The Humphreys Family in
America (1883); John Livingston, Portraits of Emi-
nent Americans now Living, vol. II (1853) J C. A. Mil-
ler, The Official and Political Mamial of Tenn. (1890) ;
House Report No. 44, 37 Cong., 2 Sess.; Extracts from
the Journal of the Senate of the U. S. of America in
Cases of Impeachments (1904) ; Jour, of the Cong, of
the Confederate States of America, 1861-65, II (1904,
io8f.); Daily American (Nashville), Oct. 17, 19,1882.]

S.C.W.

HUNEKER, JAMES GIBBONS (Jan. 31,
i86o-Feb. 9,1921), musician, author, critic, was
born in Philadelphia, Pa., the son of John and
Mary (Gibbons) Huneker and grandson of
James Gibbons, an Irish poet, and of John Hune-
ker, an organist. To these grandparents may per-
haps be traced the bent of his mind. He was
graduated from Roth's Military Academy in
Philadelphia and studied law for a time at the
Philadelphia Law Academy. He also studied for
a time at the Sorbonne in Paris. His musical
education had begun in his native city under
Michael Cross, pianist, and in Paris he became
a pupil of Georges Mathias at the Conservatoire.
At this time he seemed destined to become a
pianist and on returning to New York in 1886
studied under Rafael Joseffy. He became assist-
ant to the latter in the piano department of the
newly founded National Conservatory of Music
in New York and taught there ten years.

Huneker's sensitiveness to impressions, his
swift receptivity and avid interest in all forms of
art were rapidly developed during his stay in
Paris, where he became acquainted with some of
the young literary men and painters and saw and
worshipped at a distance Flaubert, and Victor
Hugo. He read omnivorously and absorbed ideas
with apparently no effort, but the thought of
launching upon a literary career did not occur to
him until several years after his return to Amer-
ica. His first published work was a weekly col-
umn of musical comment and gossip contributed
to the Musical Courier of New York from 1887
to 1902, The vivacity and penetration of his
comments attracted immediate and wide atten-
tion. When the New York Evening Recorder, a
newspaper, was established in 1891, Huneker
was engaged as music critic. This was his entry
into daily journalism, in which he speedily be-
came recognized as a real force. When the Re-
corder died after half a dozen years Huneker be-
came music critic of the Morning Advertiser,
which also lasted only a brief period. In 1900 he
joined the staff of the New York Sun as music

Huneker

critic and in 1902 transferred his activities to the
dramatic department. Subsequently he also wrote
for the columns on art and literature and contrib-
uted some of the articles which earned him dis-
tinction on both sides of the Atlantic. Between
1902 and 1917 he wrote more about art and liter-
ature than music, but in the latter year he as-
sumed the post of music critic of the Philadelphia
Press. When Richard Aldrich, music critic of
the New York Times, went to Washington to
serve in the army during the World War, Hun-
eker occupied his position in New York. On
Aldrich's return he became music critic of the
New York World and held that post at the time
of his death. He was an officer of the Legion of
Honor and a member of the National Institute
of Arts and Letters.

In his early days in New York Huneker was
fonder of a witty saying than of serious thought,
and this feeling never left him; but musical art
slowly grew to grave importance in his mind and
in 1899 he published his first book, Mezzotints in
Modern Music. This collection of essays on
Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, and others revealed the
author as a writer of unusual insight, ardent ad-
mirations, and frequently, passionate expressions.
Although his style was vivid, his writing was not
yet so brilliant as it became later, but it was suf-
ficiently individual and picturesque in quality to
give the author immediate recognition. Between
the time of the publication of this first book and
his death, Huneker made several visits to Europe
where he was received with cordiality by Ibsen,
Maeterlinck, George Brandes, George Bernard
Shaw, and others, of whom he afterward wrote
with the charm of intimacy. Published letters
and articles by various literary celebrities and
distinguished artists showed that he had been ac-
cepted by them as an equal. Some of his critical
works were translated into German, French, and
Italian and gained considerable circulation in
Europe, where also the strong personality of the
man won for him general welcome. He had a
massive head and powerful shoulders and an ag-
gressive face. He worked at white heat and
wrote with incredible rapidity. When his work-
ing hour was over he could relax delightfully
and became as easily a captivating conversation-
alist But his talk flashed from subject to sub-
ject ; his mind traveled too quickly for his speech.
Two of his published works, Old Fogy (1913)
and Steeplejack (1920), which are chiefly auto-
biographical, reflect the vivacity of his thought
and the scintillant character of his conversation.

What will probably be generally accepted as
his most important bode is his Chopin; tht Mm
and His Music (1900), This work consists of a

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