When Princeton geology graduate Archibald MacMartin ’1865 passed away in 1881, he bequeathed 2,500 minerals to his alma mater.  His donation formed a principal component of Geosciences’ teaching collection and successive museum displays in Nassau and Guyot Halls.

However, less known is MacMartin’s fascinating role as the founder of The Musical Review, one of the first independent music periodicals in New York City, part of an early wave of professional music journalism in the United States. 

In 1845, MacMartin was born to a wealthy Jersey City family. After attending Phillips Academy Andover, MacMartin studied geology under Arnold Guyot at Princeton.  After his 1865 graduation, MacMartin continued his studies at the Columbia School of Mines, earning a master’s degree in 1866 and a mining engineering degree in 1868. 

MacMartin spent the next few years traveling Europe, where he probably began collecting minerals, an interest he maintained throughout his life.  Upon his return to the U.S., he pursued industries related to mining, establishing a Siemens-Martin Steel Works and zinc furnace in Providence, Rhode Island. 

But MacMartin retained a passion for journalism and music. After writing a series of articles on steel processing for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, MacMartin became the chief music critic for the popular newspaper.  His writing was said to be respected by leading conductors of the day, including Theodore Thomas, a major proponent of classical orchestral music in the U.S.

In October 1879 MacMartin started his own music journalism venture, cofounding The Musical Review with budding music critic Gustav Kobbé, who went on to write the definitive volume on operas of the period. According to the Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals, The Musical Review was a weekly publication of 18 pages; its issues featured articles on music history, reviews of contemporary performances and profiles of musicians. 

The Musical Review was groundbreaking in that it was among the first American music periodicals to be financially independent of music publishers and instrument manufacturers.  This was possible because MacMartin largely self-funded the venture, without requesting a salary as editor.

Ironically, the independence that distinguished The Musical Review led to its premature demise.  With cost outpacing revenue, The Musical Review was forced to merge with The Studio, a publication which focused on the fine arts.  In April 1881, MacMartin stepped down, and The Studio and Musical Review ended its 67-issue run shortly thereafter.  Tragically, MacMartin died a month later of peritonitis at the age of 36. 

Doubly-terminated quartz crystals on specular hematite, with hematite coating from West Cumberland, England.  One of Macmartin’s donations to the Department’s Gem and Mineral Collection.

At the time, an editorial in a rival journal opined: “The Musical Review has expired, and I mourn its death.  Not because it was such a good musical paper but because it was a step in the right direction.”

However, MacMartin’s mineral collection lives on as a valuable teaching and display collection in Guyot Hall, representative of several classic localities in Europe and North America.  As Jesse Chadwick ’08 wrote in a 2009 issue of The Smilodon, “The volume of displayed and display-worthy pieces that came from his gift constitutes the strongest evidence for the quality and preparation of these specimens.”