Harold von Mickwitz (''né'' Paul Harald von Mickwitz; 22 May 1859 — 12 February 1938) was an American concert pianist and composer who had been head the piano departments of conservatories in Germany and the United States.

Education

Mickwitz was born in Helsinki and studied music at the

Saint Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...

from 1870 to 1877, initially studying piano with

Louis Brassin Louis Brassin (24 June 184017 May 1884) was a Belgian pianist, composer and music educator. He is best known now for his piano transcription of the ''Magic Fire Music'' from Wagner's ''Die Walküre''. Career Louis Brassin was born in Aix-la-Chap ...

and composition with

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

. He eventually began studying piano with Theodor Leschetizky, who, in 1862, had been one of the founders of the conservatory. In 1877, Leschetizky moved to Vienna. Mickwitz followed him there and continued to study with him for three more years. In 1880, von Mickwitz began concertizing, mostly in Germany.Kidd-Key College and Conservatory records, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Career

In 1886, he began teaching piano at the Karlsruhe Conservatory of Music, and from 1893 to 1895, he taught piano at the Wiesbaden Conservatory of Music. Von Mickwitz immigrated to the United States from Wiesbaden, arriving by ship from

Antwerp, Belgium Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, August 19, 1897. That same year, he was appointed to head the newly established music conservatory at

Kidd-Key College Kidd-Key College was a college and music conservatory for women located in Sherman, Texas. The college was established in 1877 as the North Texas Female College, although its origins were in a private high school, the Sherman Male and Female High Sc ...

in Sherman, Texas. On October 22, 1902, von Mickwitz became a

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

U.S. citizen during a ceremony in Federal Court in Sherman, Texas. From 1906 to 1908, he was head of the piano department at the

Bush Conservatory of Music The Bush Temple Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art was an American conservatory of music based in Chicago with branches in Dallas and Memphis. History The Conservatory was founded in 1901 by William Lincoln Bush (1861–1941), of the Chicago ...

in Chicago. From 1912 to 1916, he again became head of the piano department at the

in Chicago. From 1916 to 1918, he was Dean of Music at Southern Methodist University.''Mickwitz Circle to Honor Master at Annual Party,''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

, October 18, 1931, Sec. III, pg. 6 He left SMU in 1918 to accept a position as a principal piano teacher at the

Institute of Musical Art The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most e ...

( Juilliard). In 1932, he taught in Helsinki. In 1934, while teaching in Dallas, von Mickwitz accepted an offer to return to

to replace Frank Pettis Handy Pipes (1877–1933), who had died. Von Mickwitz died, aged 78, in his native city of Helsinki.

Notable students

Chicago *

Elsie Barge Elsie Barge (October 12, 1898 – December 16, 1962) was an American pianist, music educator, and clubwoman. Early life Elsie Thomas Barge was born in Cordele, Georgia and raised in Brookhaven, Mississippi, the daughter of Thomas Cicero Bar ...

Germany *

Jeanette Tillett Jeanette Laura Tillett (August 8, 1888 – July 22, 1965) was an American composer and music educator based in Texas. Tillett was born in Abilene to Henry Augustus and Mary Benjamin Smith Tillett. Her father was an attorney who represented his dis ...

Kidd-Key College *

Wynne Pyle Wynne Pyle ''(née'' Wynne Belle Pyle 24 October 1881 Ladonia, Texas — 24 April 1971 Miami, Florida) was an American concert pianist. Early education She studied piano at the North Texas College of Music at Kidd-Key College in Sherman, Texas, ...

*Blanche Haynes Hill

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mickwitz, Harold 1856 births 1938 deaths American classical pianists American male pianists Finnish emigrants to the United States (1809–1917) Male classical pianists Texas classical music