Arthur Cohn (born November 6, 1910, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–died Feb. 15, 1998, Manhattan, New York) was a composer, violinist, author, and music publishing executive. Cohn studied violin and composition first at Combs Conservatory of Music and University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, then the Juilliard School of Music, before becoming curator of the Edwin A. Fleischer Music Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia in 1934. Cohn curated the Fleischer Collection until 1952, and during his tenure he was instrumental in engaging the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the United States government to employ musicians to copy the work of contemporary American composers, whose works were then added to the collection. During the 1930s and 1940s, Cohn also held several fellowships for composition at the MacDowell artist colony in New Hampshire, and founded two string quartets, the Dorian Quartet and the Stringart Quartet, dedicated to the performance of new works.

From 1952 to 1956, Cohn served as director the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia, before commencing a career as a classical music executive at the publishing firms Mills Music (1956-1966), MCA Music (1966-1972) and Carl Fischer (from 1972 onward). As a publisher, Cohn continued his advocacy of contemporary music, and also authored important texts on contemporary works, including The Collector's 20th-Century Music in the Western Hemisphere (1961) and 20th-Century Music in Europe (1965). Cohn also wrote two books on chamber music in his later years: The Encyclopedia of Chamber Music (1990), and The Literature of Chamber Music (1997).

Cohn received twenty awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers over the course of his career. Among his noted compositions are: Music for Ancient Instruments (1939), Quotations in Percussion for 103 instruments and six players (1958), and Kaddish (1964); he also composed six string quartets (1928-1945).

References

“Artists: Music Composition: Arthur Cohn.” MacDowell.org. Accessed July 30, 2024. https://www.macdowell.org/artists/arthur-cohn.

Kozinn, Allan. “Arthur Cohn, 87, Versatile Composer, Conductor and Author.” New York Times, February 18, 1998. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/18/arts/arthur-cohn-87-versatile-composer-conductor-and-author.html.

Roy, Jr., James G. “Cohn, Arthur.” Grove Music Online. Last modified January 20, 2001. Accessed July 30, 2024. https://doi-org.libproxy.newschool.edu/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06058.

Shultis, Christopher. “Historian’s Corner: A "New Deal" for American Composers: How the WPA Music Copying Project Added American Music to the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection.” American Music, vol. 27, no. 1 (Spring, 2009), 87-101. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25602255.

Slonimsky, Nicolas, Laura Kuhn and Dennis McIntire. “Arthur Cohn.” Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians via Encyclopedia.com. Accessed July 30, 2024. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/cohn-arthur.