MICHAEL CURSCHMANN, Germanic languages and literatures professor emeritus, died Oct. 7 at his home in Princeton. He was 81. Curschmann joined the faculty in 1963; he served as department chair in 1979-82 and 1986-89 before retiring in 2002. He was regarded as a leading authority on medieval German literature, and his work spanned the fields of literature, visual arts, and music. In 2000, he became one of only three Germanists selected as fellows of the Medieval Academy of America.
