Sachs, Curt (1881–1959)

German musicologist who devised, along with the Austrian scholar Eric von Hornbostel, one of the most widely-used systems for classifying musical instruments. He was the director of the Berlin Museum of Musical Instruments from 1919 and also a professor at Berlin University. His many writings extend not only over the field of musical instruments, but also over many others.

Sachs first studied history of art at Berlin University, graduating in 1904. After some years as an art critic, he studied music with Hermann Kretzschmar and Johannes Wolf, specializing in the history of musical instruments. From 1933 to 1937 he lived in Paris, then moved to New York, where he became a university professor. From 1953 he was professor at Columbia University, New York.