Arthur Adolph Loesser (August 26, 1894 – January 5, 1969) was an American classical pianist,
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
, and writer.
Early life
Born into a musical family in New York City, Loesser received early piano training from his German-born father until he began lessons with
Zygmunt Stojowski
Zygmunt Denis Antoni Jordan de Stojowski (May 4, 1870November 5, 1946) was a Polish pianist and composer.
Life
He was born on May 4, 1870 near the city of Kielce. Stojowski began his musical training with his mother, and with Polish compo ...
at the
Institute of Musical Art, now called the Juilliard School.
[ Arthur Loesser bio at Allmusic/ref>
]
Career
Loesser was the author of the books ''Humor in American Song'' and ''Men, Women, and Pianos: A Social History''. He also wrote program notes
A concert program is a selection and ordering, or programming, of pieces to be performed at an occasion, or concert. Programs may be influenced by the available ensemble of instruments, by performer ability or skill, by theme ( historical, progra ...
for the Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...
and liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
for recordings by Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz; yi, וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ, group=n (November 5, 1989)Schonberg, 1992 was a Russian-born American classical pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all ...
and other musicians.
Loesser served on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music
The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educatio ...
beginning in 1926. From 1953 until his death in 1969, he was head of the piano department.[Arthur Loesser at the Cleveland Arts Prize Website](_blank)
/ref> His pupils included Sergio Calligaris Sergio Calligaris (born January 22, 1941) is a pianist, composer and piano teacher. After living and tutoring in the United States, where he gained his doctorate in music, Calligaris established his residence in Italy in 1974.
The pianist
Callig ...
, Anton Kuerti
Anton Emil Kuerti, OC (born July 21, 1938) is an Austrian-born Canadian pianist, music teacher, composer, and conductor. He has developed international recognition as a solo pianist.[Jane Corner Young
Jane Corner Young (March 25, 1915 – March 9, 2001) was an American composer, music therapist, and pianist. She was born in Athens, Ohio, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Ohio University in 1936. She completed a master of music ...]
.
As a pianist, Loesser gave numerous concerts and recitals, his first during 1913 in Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
.[Arthur Loesser at Bach Cantatas](_blank)
/ref> He often coupled his recitals with lectures which were known for their wit. He was active during the 1920s and 1930s as one half of a piano duo with the famous conductor Wilfrid Pelletier
Joseph Louis Wilfrid Pelletier (sometimes spelled Wilfred), (20 June 1896 – 9 April 1982) was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and arts administrator. He was instrumental in establishing the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, serving ...
. The two made a number of recordings together that were made under the direction of Arthur Bodanzky
Artur Bodanzky (also written as Artur Bodzansky) (16 December 1877 – 23 November 1939) was an Austrian-American conductor particularly associated with the operas of Wagner. He conducted Enrico Caruso's last performance at the Metropolitan Oper ...
. He also made several solo recordings, some of which have been issued on compact disc.
Arthur Loesser wrote Men, Women & Pianos: A Social History which was published by Simon & Schuster in 1954.
Army service
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, from 1943, Loesser served in the US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
where he worked in the Japanese intelligence department. It was during this period that he mastered the Japanese language and after the war ended he gave recitals with lectures in Tokyo. Loesser eventually retired from the army with the rank of major.
Personal life
Arthur Loesser was the half-brother of Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...
. He jokingly described Frank as "the evil of two Loessers".
Loesser was married to Jean Basset; the couple had one daughter, the fashion historian Anne Hollander
Anne Helen Loesser Hollander (October 16, 1930 – July 6, 2014) was an American historian whose original work provided new insights into the history of fashion and costume and their relation to the history of art."Anne Hollander", ''The Times'', ...
.["Anne Hollander", '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', 5 August 2014, p. 52.
Loesser died from a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
at the wheel of his car, outside the Cleveland Institute of Music
The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educatio ...
on January 4, 1969, aged 74.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loesser, Arthur
1894 births
1969 deaths
20th-century classical pianists
American classical pianists
Male classical pianists
American male pianists
American people of German-Jewish descent
Jewish classical pianists
Pupils of Percy Goetschius
20th-century American pianists
Cleveland Institute of Music faculty
Classical musicians from New York (state)
20th-century American male musicians