Samuel Chotzinoff
Samuel Chotzinoff was an American pianist, music critic, producer, and writer, born on July 4, 1889, in Vitebsk. He was born into the family of Moishe-Ber Chotzianov, a rabbi and teacher of Hebrew, and Rakhila Traskenova. In 1896 he emigrated to the United States with his parents.
Chotzinoff studied at the Curtis Institute of Music. From 1919 he worked as an accompanist to Jascha Heifetz, whose sister, Pese, he married. He also served as an accompanist to Efrem Zimbalist.
He headed NBC's music department, worked as a consultant for NBC, and provided commentary for symphony orchestras. He was also a conductor of a symphony orchestra and taught music criticism at the Curtis Institute of Music.
Chotzinoff was music critic for the New York World from 1925 to 1930 and for the New York Post in 1935. His books included A Lost Paradise: Early Reminiscences (1956), Toscanini: An Intimate Portrait (1956), and Eroica: A Novel Based on the Life of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was associated with the musicals Honeymoon (1932 and 1933), Wunderkind (1935), and Maria Golovin (1958).
He died in New York City on February 9, 1964.