Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

, a

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. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School campus in Arnhold Hall at 55 W. 13th Street.

History

Originally called The David Mannes Music School, it was founded in 1916 by David Mannes, concertmaster of the

New York Symphony Orchestra The New York Symphony Orchestra was founded as the New York Symphony Society in New York City by Leopold Damrosch in 1878. For many years it was a rival to the older Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was supported by Andrew Carnegie, ...

, and his wife Clara Damrosch, sister of

Walter Damrosch Walter Johannes Damrosch (January 30, 1862December 22, 1950) was a German-born American conductor and composer. He was the director of the New York Symphony Orchestra and conducted the world premiere performances of various works, including Geo ...

, then conductor of that orchestra, and Frank Damrosch. The Damrosch and Mannes families were perhaps the most important music families in America at that time, with David Mannes emerging as one of the first American born violin recitalists to achieve significant status. David Mannes was the director of the Third Street Music School Settlement as well as founder of

Colored Music Settlement School The Music School Settlement for Colored People was a New York City school established and operated to provide music education for African-American children, who were generally excluded from other music schools. The school was founded in the memory ...

, all prior to founding the Mannes School. The school was originally housed on East 70th Street (later occupied by the Dalcroze School). A larger campus was created out of four converted brownstones beginning at 157 East 74th Street, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the we ...

. After 1938, the school was known as the Mannes Music School in recognition of the broader course of study that expanded the school well beyond that of a community music school, including the three-year Artist Diploma. When Clara died in 1948, their son Leopold Mannes became president, endowing the school with his fortune from co-inventing Kodachrome film. In 1953 the school began offering a bachelor of science degree and changed its name to the Mannes College of Music. In 1960 it merged with the Chatham Square Music School. In 1984 the school moved to larger quarters on West 85th Street. In 1989 Mannes joined

. In 2005, the New School administration changed the name to Mannes College: the New School for Music. In 2015, the university renamed it Mannes School of Music, and moved it to Arnhold Hall in the West Village. It is now part of the College of Performing Arts at The New School, which also includes the School of Drama and the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. The College of Performing Arts, including Mannes Prep, has a total of 1,450 students. The students in any of the three schools of the College of Performing Arts can take courses in the three schools (Drama, Jazz, Mannes), no matter which school they are directly enrolled in, expanding the opportunities for self-directed study.

Academics

Two academic divisions constitute the conservatory: * College: the academic spine of the school, conferring undergraduate and graduate degrees and diplomas * Preparatory: pre-college training for children and adolescents The Techniques of Music program is the foundation for academic musical study in the two divisions at Mannes, encompassing the range of elementary to advanced

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the " rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (k ...

and aural skills and analysis classes. Music theory was taught at Mannes from its inception, with David Mannes hiring important figures such as Ernest Bloch and Rosario Scalero to teach theory and composition. in 1931 Hans Weisse was hired, one of the leading students of Heinrich Schenker. Over the following nine years, Weisse promoted not just the study of

Schenkerian analysis Schenkerian analysis is a method of analyzing tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker (1868–1935). The goal is to demonstrate the organic coherence of the work by showing how it relates to an abstracted deep structure, the ''Urs ...

but the incorporation of it into the musical life of the school, including performance and composition. Because of his association with the school, Schenker's publication ''Five Graphic Music Analyses'' (''Fünf Urlinie-Tafeln'') was published jointly by his regular publisher,

Universal Edition Universal Edition (UE) is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, they originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market (which had until then been dominated by Leipzig-bas ...

and the David Mannes School in 1932. In 1940, Weisse died unexpectedly and was replaced by

Felix Salzer Felix Salzer (June 13, 1904 – August 12, 1986) was an Austrian- American music theorist, musicologist and pedagogue. He was one of the principal followers of Heinrich Schenker, and did much to refine and explain Schenkerian analysis after S ...

. Salzer, also a student of Schenker, built upon Weisse's foundation by reorganizing the theory program into the Techniques of Music department. The philosophy behind this move was and is to integrate musicianship, theory, and performance, which was based on Schenker's concept of the role of theory in tonal music. Salzer's leading student, Carl Schachter, as well as his students, continued and strengthened the department. Today the Mannes program is rapidly evolving and expanding in both the study of performance and theory. Mannes has revised its curriculum to include the incorporation of music technology classes, improvisation ensembles, teaching artistry, arts journalism, film music composition, creative entrepreneurship and more, all tied to a new commitment to contemporary music well beyond the tonal-based approach of Schenker. The Mannes of today includes an ever-increasing number of programs in partnership with its sister conservatory, School of Jazz.

Notable people

College faculty

* Michael Bacon – film composition *

Ernest Bloch Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer. Bloch was a preeminent artist in his day, and left a lasting legacy. He is recognized as one of the greatest Swiss composers in history. As well as producing music ...

– composition *

Howard Brockway Howard A. Brockway (November 22, 1870 – February 20, 1951) was an American composer. Brockway was born on November 22, 1870 in Brooklyn, New York. He spent five years in Berlin, studying composition under Otis Bardwell Boise and piano un ...

– piano * William Burden – voice * Semyon Bychkov – conducting * Joseph Colaneri – Director of Opera Program *

Anthony Coleman Anthony Coleman (born August 30, 1955) is an avant-garde jazz pianist. During the 1980s and 1990s he worked with John Zorn on '' Cobra'', '' Kristallnacht'', ''The Big Gundown'', ''Archery'', and '' Spillane'' and helped push modern Jewish music ...

– improvisation * Valerie Coleman – flute, composition *

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poetic ...

– piano * Robert Cuckson – composition, theory, analysis * Mario Davidovsky – composition * Jeremy Denk – piano * Elaine Douvas – oboe * George Enescu – interpretation * Ruth Falcon – voice * Vladimir Feltsman – piano *

Lillian Fuchs Lillian Fuchs (November 18, 1901 – October 5, 1995) was an American violist, teacher and composer. She is considered to be among the finest instrumentalists of her time. She came from a musical family, and her brothers, Joseph Fuchs, a viol ...

– violin, chamber music *

Felix Galimir Felix Galimir (May 20, 1910, Vienna – November 10, 1999, New York) was an Austrian-born American violinist and music teacher. Born in a Sephardic Jewish family Vienna; his first language was Ladino. Allan Kozinn,"Felix Galimir, 89, a Vi ...

– violin, chamber music *

Richard Goode Richard Goode (born June 1, 1943) is an American classical pianist who is especially known for his interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven. Early life Goode was born in the East Bronx, New York. He studied piano with Elvira Szigeti, Claude Fra ...

– piano * David Hayes – conducting (present Director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies) * Anna Jacobs – Art of Engagement * Charles Kaufman – history, theory, President * Yakov Kreizberg – conducting * William Kroll – violin * Lowell Liebermann – composition, director of the Mannes American Composers Ensemble * Clara Mannes – chamber music * David Mannes – conducting, violin * Leopold Mannes – theory *

Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He be ...

– composition * Missy Mazzoli – composition * Frank Miller – cello * Mitch Miller – oboe, English horn * Jessie Montgomery – violinist and composer *

David Nadien David Nadien (March 12, 1926 – May 28, 2014) was an American virtuoso violinist and violin teacher. He was the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic from 1966 to 1970. His playing style, characterized by fast vibrato, audible shifting noi ...

– violinist * Charles Neidich – clarinet * Paul Neubauer – viola * Orin O'Brien – double bass *

Cynthia Phelps Cynthia Phelps (born 1961 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California) is an American violist whose versatile career involves work as a chamber musician, solo artist, and orchestral musician. Phelps is currently the Principal Violist of the New York P ...

– viola * Erik Ralske – horn *

Nadia Reisenberg Nadia Reisenberg Sherman (14 July 1904 – 10 June 1983) was an American pianist of Lithuanian birth. Biography Nadia Reisenberg was born in Vilnius to a Jewish family. Her parents were Aaron and Rachel Reisenberg., adapted from Dr. Anne K. Gray' ...

– piano * Lucie Robert – violin *

Jerome Rose JEROME ROSE, hailed as "the Last Romantic of our own age" is an American pianist and educator, (born 12 August 1938 in Los Angeles). JEROME ROSE is one of America's most distinguished pianists, has been heard in major concert halls across five co ...

– piano * Jerome Rothenberg – visual art * Richard Rychtarik – stagecraft *

– theory * Rosario Scalero – solfege, theory, composition * Carl Schachter – theory * George Szell – composition, instrumentation, theory * Terry Teachout – arts journalism * Ronald Thomas – cello, chamber music * Sally Thomas – violin * Roman Totenberg – violin * Rosalyn Tureck – piano * Ronald Turini – piano * William Vacchiano – trumpet * Vladimir Valjarevic – piano * David Van Tieghem – sound design, experimental music * Glen Velez – percussion *

Isabelle Vengerova Isabelle Vengerova ( be, Ізабэла Венгерава; 7 February 1956) was a Russian, later American, pianist and music teacher. She was born Izabella Afanasyevna Vengerova (Изабелла Афанасьевна Венгерова) in M ...

– piano *

Stefan Wolpe Stefan Wolpe (25 August 1902, Berlin – 4 April 1972, New York City) was a German-Jewish-American composer. He was associated with interdisciplinary modernism, with affiliations ranging from the Bauhaus, Berlin agitprop theater and the kibbutz mo ...

– composition * Jeffrey Zeigler – cello, chamber music *

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of j ...

– Curator, The Stone and The Stone Workshops at The New School

Alumni

* Nomi Abadi – composer * Edward Aldwell – pianist and theorist * Burt Bacharach – composer and pianist *

Robert Bass Robert Muse Bass (born 19 March 1948) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He was the chairman of Aerion Corporation, an American aerospace firm in Reno, Nevada. In 2018 he had a net worth of $5 billion. Bass has served o ...

– conductor *

Jeremy Beck Jeremy Beck (born 1960) is an American composer who "knows the importance of embracing the past while also going his own way." The critic Mark Sebastian Jordan has said that "Beck was committed to tonality and a recognizable musical vernacular l ...

– composer * Johanna Beyer – composer * Semyon Bychkov – conductor * Michel Camilo – pianist and composer * Myung-whun Chung – conductor and pianist * Kvitka Cisyk – opera singer, coloratura soprano * Valerie Coleman – flutist and composer, Imani Winds *

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He ...

– guitarist * Lee Curreri – film and television composer *

Danielle de Niese Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to w ...

– lyric soprano * Ezinma – violinist *

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

– pianist and composer *

JoAnn Falletta JoAnn Falletta (born February 27, 1954 in Queens, New York) is an American conductor. Biography Falletta was raised in the borough of Queens in an Italian-American household. She was educated at the Mannes College of Music and The Juilliard S ...

– conductor *

– pianist * Mary Rodgers Guettel – composer and philanthropist *

Rebekah Harkness Rebekah West Harkness (née Semple West; April 17, 1915June 17, 1982) also known as Betty Harkness, was an American composer, socialite, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist who founded the Harkness Ballet. In 1947, she married William Hal ...

– founder of the Harkness Ballet * Eugene Istomin – pianist *

Marta Casals Istomin Marta Casals Istomin (born November 2, 1936), who uses the surnames of her first husband, Pablo Casals, and her second husband, Eugene Istomin, is a musician from Puerto Rico, and the former president of the Manhattan School of Music. She served ...

– arts administrator *

Jeannette Knoll Alicia Jeannette Theriot Knoll (born January 23, 1943) is a former member of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Knoll announced that she would retire at the end of 2016 rather than seek re-election. She was succeeded by James T. Genovese (born August ...

– opera singer * Yakov Kreizberg – conductor * Gail Kubik – composer * Yonghoon Lee – tenor *

Ursula Mamlok Ursula Mamlok (February 1, 1923 – May 4, 2016) was a German-born American composer and teacher. Education and influences Mamlok was born as Ursula Meyer in Berlin, Germany, into a Jewish family, and studied piano and composition with Professo ...

– composer * Douglas McLennan – arts journalist, founder of Artsjournal.com *

Peter Mendelsund Peter Mendelsund is a novelist, graphic designer known for his book and magazine covers, and the creative director of ''The Atlantic''. Mendelsund has been described by the ''New York Times'' as "one of the top designers at work today" and "the be ...

– graphic designer * Charlie Morrow – composer and sound artist *

– violinist * Hafez Nazeri – composer * Patricia Neway – operatic soprano and musical theatre actress * Anthony Newman – keyboardist * Tim Page – music critic * Charlemagne Palestine – composer *

Murray Perahia Murray David Perahia () (born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. Kn ...

– pianist * Maurice Peress – conductor * Eve Queler – conductor * Shulamit Ran – composer * Kevin Riepl – composer * Michael Riesman – conductor, composer, keyboardist, Music Director of Philip Glass Ensemble *

George Rochberg George Rochberg (July 5, 1918May 29, 2005) was an American composer of contemporary classical music. Long a serial composer, Rochberg abandoned the practice following the death of his teenage son in 1964; he claimed this compositional technique ...

– composer * Adam Rogers – jazz guitarist *

– piano * Alexandros Kapelis – piano * Donald Rosenberg – arts journalist * Julius Rudel – conductor * Carl Schachter – musicologist and theorist *

Nadine Sierra Nadine Sierra (born May 14, 1988) is an American soprano. She is most well known for her interpretation of Gilda in Verdi's ''Rigoletto,'' and Lucia in Donizetti's ''Lucia di Lammermoor.'' Currently performing in leading roles in the top opera hou ...

– soprano *

Lawrence Leighton Smith Lawrence Leighton Smith (April 8, 1936 - October 25, 2013), was an American conductor and pianist. Smith was born in Portland, Oregon. He studied piano with Ariel Rubstein in Portland and Leonard Shure in New York. He earned bachelor's degrees fr ...

– conductor * Lara St. John – violinist * Jonathan Tetelman – tenor * Jory Vinikour – harpsichordist * Frederica von Stade – mezzo-soprano * Craig Walsh – composer * Ivan Yanakov – pianist * Jennifer Zetlan – soprano

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mannes College of Music Educational institutions established in 1916 Music schools in New York City The New School 1916 establishments in New York City