Harold Bauer
Harold Bauer (28 April 1873 – 12 March 1951) was a noted pianist who began his musical career as a violinist.
Harold Bauer was born in London; his father was a German violinist and his mother was English. He took up the study of the violin under the direction of his father and Adolf Pollitzer. He made his debut as a violinist in London in 1883, and for nine years toured England. In 1892, however, he went to Paris and studied the piano under Ignacy Jan Paderewski for a year, though still maintaining his interest in the violin. An anecdote reports that Paderewski jokingly told Bauer to concentrate on the piano because "You have such beautiful hair". In 1893, in Paris, he and Achille Rivarde premiered Frederick Delius's Violin Sonata in B minor.[1][2]
During 1893-94 he travelled all through Russia, giving piano recitals and concerts, after which he returned to Paris. Further recitals in the French capital brought him renown, and he almost immediately received engagements in France, Germany and Spain. His reputation was rapidly enhanced by these performances, and his field of operation extended through the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Scandinavia and the United States.
On 18 December 1908, he gave the world premiere performance of Claude Debussy's piano suite Children's Corner in Paris.
Bauer settled in the United States, and was a founder of the Beethoven Association.
In later life, he became the principal piano teacher at the well known Manhattan School of Music, and was known for his master classes. Today, the Harold Bauer Award is given to promising pianists at the school. From 1941 until his death, Bauer taught winter master classes at the University of Miami.
This article is based on a text from the Etude magazine, prior to 1923, that is in the public domain.
[edit] External links
- Free scores by Harold Bauer at the International Music Score Library Project
- Harold Bauer at Find a Grave
