Harald 'Harry' Neuwirth (born 2 February 1939) is an Austrian

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

and

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 ...

Life and career

Born in Vienna, Neuwirth comes from a musical family; the composer

Gösta Neuwirth Gösta Neuwirth (; born 6 January 1937) is an Austrian musicologist, composer and academic teacher. He studied in Vienna and Berlin, where he wrote a dissertation on harmony in Franz Schreker's ''Der ferne Klang''. He has taught at universities ...

is his brother, the composer

Olga Neuwirth Olga Neuwirth (born 4 August 1968 in Graz) is an Austrian classical composer, visual artist and author. She gained fame mainly through her operas and music theater works, which often deal with topical and decidedly political themes of identity, ...

his daughter. At the age of twelve he was already performing piano concertos by Mozart; he remained faithful to classical music until the age of 18, when he turned to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and became a jazz pianist.Die Ö1 Jazznacht
16 November 2014 He initially studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

(until graduation). He also studied classical piano at the Salzburg

Mozarteum Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Moz ...

and the Graz Conservatory.And the conductor is Harald Neuwirth
/ref> Since its foundation in 1965, Neuwirth has taught at the Institute for Jazz at the then

University of Music and Performing Arts Graz The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, also known as Kunstuniversität Graz (KUG) is an Austrian university. Its roots can be traced back to the music school of the '' Akademischer Musikverein'' founded in 1816, making it the oldest u ...

, (now University of Music), where he was department head from 1975 to 1983. He is regarded as the "architect" of the Graz jazz education. In 1981 he was appointed full professor. He was a founding member of the sextet of

Erich Kleinschuster Erich Kleinschuster (23 January 1930 – 12 September 2018) was an Austrian trombonist and bandleader. Biography Kleinschuster was born in Graz, and learned to play piano before learning how to play the trombone; his first major engagement ...

, led his own ensembles and composed or arranged film and theatre music.

Discography

* ''Grazer Messen im Jazzstil'' (1980) * ''Jazz Piano Austria vol. 1'' (2013, with Martin Reiter, Erwin Schmidt, Oliver Kent,

Gerald Schuller Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iri ...

, Sava Miletic and Philippine Duchateau)

External links

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuwirth, Harald Austrian jazz pianists Austrian jazz composers Austrian film score composers 1939 births Living people Musicians from Vienna Eurovision Song Contest conductors

Life and career

Discography

Further reading

External links

References