Roger Kamien received his B.A. in Musicology from Columbia and his M.A. and PhD. from Princeton. Kamien taught for 2 years at Hunter College and for 20 years at Queens College, where he coordinated the music appreciation courses. In 1983, he was appointed to the Zubin Mehta Chair in Musicology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In addition to Music: An Appreciation, Prof. Kamien has written numerous articles and reviews, co-wrote A New Approach to Keyboard Harmony, and edited the Norton Scores. He is an accomplished pianist and, in recent years, has formed a two-piano team with his wife, Anita.