Renowned music critic Michael Steinberg

"I could go on like this for weeks, or for years," he said.

Steinberg, 80, died of colon cancer Sunday at N.C. Little Hospice in Edina, surrounded by family members, including his wife, Jorja Fleezanis. Until his hospitalization a couple of weeks ago, the disease had not kept him from pursuing his passions as a musicologist, writer, lecturer, teacher and narrator.

Fleezanis, who served as concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra for the past 20 years, had stepped down from the position in June to become a professor of music at Indiana University. Kathryn King, a family friend, said the couple had built a new home in Bloomington, Ind.

In a June interview with Star Tribune writer Kim Ode, Steinberg said he had declined an offer to teach two music classes because of the state of his health.

He wrote several books, including a widely lauded trio of "The Symphony: A Listener's Guide," "The Concerto: A Listener's Guide" and "Choral Masterworks: A Listener's Guide." Earlier this year he learned that his latest, "For the Love of Music," would be translated into Chinese. He was a regular speaker at symphonies nationwide and a commentator on National Public Radio.

King said Steinberg revolutionized the way program notes are written for audiences. "He had the ability to do something that previously had been incomprehensible to most people and make it very accessible," she said. "At the same time, his deep understanding of music appealed to sophisticated audiences. It was a real gift."

His works appeared in symphonic program books and recordings, most notably those of John Adams' operas "Nixon in China" and "The Death of Klinghoffer."

He was born Oct. 4, 1928, in Breslau, Germany, and spent much of his youth in England. His family emigrated to St. Louis at the end of World War II. He graduated from Princeton University in New Jersey in 1949 with a degree in musicology. After serving in the U.S. Army, he became head of the Music History Department at the Manhattan School of Music and later taught at Smith College, Hunter College, Brandeis University and the New England Conservatory. He also was a music critic for the Boston Globe.

Steinberg served as director of publications for the Boston Symphony from 1976 to 1979. For the next 10 years he worked as publications director and artistic adviser for the San Francisco Symphony. That is where he met Fleezanis, who at the time was associate concertmaster. They married in 1983.

Steinberg and Fleezanis moved to Minneapolis in 1989 when she was named concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, where he served as an artistic adviser. He became program annotator to the New York Philharmonic in 1995 while continuing as a pre-concert lecturer in San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston, Los Angeles and New York.

Even after announcing his formal retirement in 1999, Steinberg kept working as a writer and coach.

Larry Rothe, publications editor of the San Francisco Symphony and co-author of "For the Love of Music" said: "Michael defined what it means to battle an illness. He continued to hang tough, determined not to let anything keep him from doing what he had always done, which was to put listeners in touch with the music."

In addition to Fleezanis, Steinberg is survived by his first wife, Jane Steinberg, and their sons, Sebastian and Adam, as well as three grandchildren and two nephews.

King said concerts to celebrate Steinberg's life will be presented in San Francisco and Minneapolis at times yet to be announced.

Donations may be sent to The Michael Steinberg & Jorja Fleezanis Fund to Spur Curiousity and Growth through the Performing Arts and the Written Word. /attn. Shelli Chase/CHASE FINANCIAL/7900 Xerxes Avenue South/ Suite 910/ Minneapolis, MN 55431.

Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723