Finkelstein, Sidney, 1909-1974

Noted critic of music, literature, and the arts, as well as a writer and an active member of the Communist Party U.S.A.

From the description of Sidney Finkelstein papers, 1914-1974. (University of Massachusetts Amherst). WorldCat record id: 52075746

Sidney Finkelstein, born in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 1909, received his Bachelor's degree from City College in New York in 1929 and his A.M. from Columbia University in 1932 before he became a renowned critic of music, literature, and the arts. In 1955, he earned a second master's degree from New York University. During the 1930s he served as a book reviewer for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and worked for the United Postal Service. In the 1940s he joined the music staff of the Herald Tribune and also served as a music reviewer for several other publications including New Masses, Masses and Mainstream . Finkelstein became active in the Communist Party U.S.A. (CPUSA) where he served as the party's leading musical and cultural theoretician. Finkelstein applied his interpretation of Socialist Realism in several books on arts and culture, the most famous being Jazz, a People's Music (1948). Between 1951 and 1973 he served on the staff of Vanguard Records, a New York based record label that specialized in jazz and classical recordings. In 1957 he was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee for his Communist party affiliation. Finkelstein died in Brooklyn, New York on January 14, 1974.

• 1909: Born July 4, Brooklyn, NY
• 1929: B.A., City College
• 1930s: Book reviewer, Brooklyn Daily Eagle
• 1932: A.M., Columbia University
• 1940s: Music staff, The Herald Tribune; also music reviewer, New Masses, Masses and Mainstream, and other publications
• 1951 - 1973 : Staff, Vanguard Records
• 1955: M.A., New York University
• 1957: Called to testify before House Un-American Activities Committee
• 1974: Died, January 14, Brooklyn, NY; survived by two brothers

From the guide to the Sidney Finkelstein Papers MS 128., 1914-1974, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries)