Barry Ulanov
Encyclopedia
Barry Ulanov was an American writer.
Ulanov's father was Nathan Ulanov, concertmaster
in Arturo Toscanini
's NBC Philharmonic. His father taught him violin, but after a car crash in which he broke both wrists, he ceased studying the instrument. He studied at Columbia University
, taking his BA there in 1939, and wrote about jazz as a student. Soon after graduating he edited several magazines and journals on music. He edited the journal Metronome from 1943 to 1955, and shifted its focus from Western art music to cover more jazz music, especially black musicians, who had heretofore received little notice in the journal.
Ulanov was an early advocate of bebop
, especially Dizzy Gillespie
, Charlie Parker
, and Lennie Tristano
(who wrote a composition, Coolin' Off With Ulanov). He organized several concerts of bop stars for WOR
radio in 1947. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia in the 1950s. From 1955-58 he wrote for Down Beat
, and published several biographies of jazz musicians in the 1940s and 1950s. In his autobiography Miles Davis referred to Ulanov as the only white critic who ever understood him or Charlie Parker. He taught at Juilliard
(1946), Princeton
(1950–51), and Barnard College
(1951–1988) as well as at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. In 1962 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Ulanov converted to Catholicism
in 1951, and began to write more on the subjects of religion
and psychology
from the 1960s. He was the president of the Catholic Renascence Society and founder of the St. Thomas More Society; he and his wife, Joan, translated many essays and books on Catholicism. He served on the council for Vatican II, advocating for use of the vernacular in the Mass
. He advocated the use of amplified music in church, including rock music
.
In the last twenty years of his life, Ulanov concentrated on explorations of religion and psychology, and published over 10 books with his second wife Ann Belford Ulanov
, Professor of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary
in New York and psychoanalyst in private practice. The Annual Barry Ulanov Memorial Lecture Series is held each year at Union.
, the noted poet, author, and activist, was a student of Ulanov's at Barnard College. In an essay that appeared in her book Civil Wars, Jordan described with nostalgic admiration a surprise in-class exam administered by Ulanov. Ulanov told the students to write about anything they wanted without using any form of the verbs to be or to have. Jordan went on to say how difficult yet worthwhile the exam was.
with Joan Bel Geddes
with Ann Belford Ulanov
other
Ulanov's father was Nathan Ulanov, concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
in Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
's NBC Philharmonic. His father taught him violin, but after a car crash in which he broke both wrists, he ceased studying the instrument. He studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, taking his BA there in 1939, and wrote about jazz as a student. Soon after graduating he edited several magazines and journals on music. He edited the journal Metronome from 1943 to 1955, and shifted its focus from Western art music to cover more jazz music, especially black musicians, who had heretofore received little notice in the journal.
Ulanov was an early advocate of bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
, especially Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, and Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
Leonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
(who wrote a composition, Coolin' Off With Ulanov). He organized several concerts of bop stars for WOR
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
radio in 1947. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia in the 1950s. From 1955-58 he wrote for Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
, and published several biographies of jazz musicians in the 1940s and 1950s. In his autobiography Miles Davis referred to Ulanov as the only white critic who ever understood him or Charlie Parker. He taught at Juilliard
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
(1946), Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(1950–51), and Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
(1951–1988) as well as at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. In 1962 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Ulanov converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
in 1951, and began to write more on the subjects of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from the 1960s. He was the president of the Catholic Renascence Society and founder of the St. Thomas More Society; he and his wife, Joan, translated many essays and books on Catholicism. He served on the council for Vatican II, advocating for use of the vernacular in the Mass
Mass (music)
The Mass, a form of sacred musical composition, is a choral composition that sets the invariable portions of the Eucharistic liturgy to music...
. He advocated the use of amplified music in church, including rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
In the last twenty years of his life, Ulanov concentrated on explorations of religion and psychology, and published over 10 books with his second wife Ann Belford Ulanov
Ann Belford Ulanov
Ann Belford Ulanov is the Christiane Brooks Johnson Memorial Professor of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and a Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice.-Biography:...
, Professor of Psychiatry and Religion at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York and psychoanalyst in private practice. The Annual Barry Ulanov Memorial Lecture Series is held each year at Union.
Teaching style
June JordanJune Jordan
June Millicent Jordan was a Caribbean American poet, novelist, journalist, biographer, dramatist, teacher and committed activist...
, the noted poet, author, and activist, was a student of Ulanov's at Barnard College. In an essay that appeared in her book Civil Wars, Jordan described with nostalgic admiration a surprise in-class exam administered by Ulanov. Ulanov told the students to write about anything they wanted without using any form of the verbs to be or to have. Jordan went on to say how difficult yet worthwhile the exam was.
Books
(incomplete)- Duke Ellington (1946)
- The Incredible Crosby (1948)
- A History of Jazz in America (1955)
- A Handbook of Jazz (1957)
- The Making of a Modern Saint: A Biographical Study of Thèrése of Liseux
- Death: A Book of Preparation and Consolation (1959)
- Sources & Resources: The Literary Traditions of Christian Humanism (1960)
- The Bridge: A Judeo-Christian Journal (?) with Msgr. John Oesterreicher
- The Way of Saint Alphonsus of Liguori (1960)
- Makers of the Modern Theater (1961)
- Seeds of Hope in the Modern World 1962)
- Contemporary Catholic Thought (1963)
- The Two World of American Art: The Private and the Popular (1965)
- Modern Culture and the Arts (1972) (with James B. Hall)
- The Prayers of St. Augustine (1983)
- Creative Dissent: Psychoanalysis in Evolution (1983) (with Alan Roland, Claude Barbre)
- Men and Women: Sexual Ethics in Turbulent Times (1989)
- Jung and the Outside World (1992)
- On Death: Wisdom and Consolation from the World's Great Writers (1996)
with Joan Bel Geddes
- George Bernanos translation of novel (?)
with Ann Belford Ulanov
- Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer (1975)
- Cinderella and Her Sisters: The Envied and the Envying (1978)
- Religion and the Unconscious (1985)
- The Witch and the Clown: Two Archetypes of Human Sexuality (1987)
- The Healing Imagination: The Meeting of Psyche and Soul (1991)
- Transforming Sexuality: The Archetypal World of Anima and Animus (1994)
other
- Groovin' High by Barry Ulanov & His Metronome All-Stars (Music Download)