Philharmonic Piano Quartet Advertisment 1948

The Philharmonic Piano Quartet was a New York-based ensemble of four pianists active from 1948 until the mid-1950s. Despite their name, the ensemble had no connection with the

New York Philharmonic Orchestra The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

. They toured throughout the United States and made two recordings for the

Columbia Masterworks Columbia Masterworks was a record label started in 1924 by Columbia Records. In 1980, it was separated from the Columbia label and renamed CBS Masterworks. In 1990, it was revived as Sony Classical after its sale to the Sony Corporation. History ...

label.

History

The quartet was formed in 1948 when they made the first of their several tours of the United States under the sponsorship of

Columbia Artists Management Columbia Artists Management (CAMI) was an international talent management agency. On August 29, 2020, the agency announced plans to shut down amid a disturbance in business caused by the " prolonged pandemic environment". History Based in New Yor ...

. They made their official New York City debut in a concert at

Lewisohn Stadium Lewisohn Stadium was an amphitheater and athletic facility built on the campus of the City College of New York (CCNY). It opened in 1915 and was demolished in 1973. History The Doric-colonnaded amphitheater was built between Amsterdam and Conven ...

on June 25, 1949. The ensemble also appeared in syndicated radio broadcasts of ABC's ''Piano Playhouse'' and made two LP recordings for the

label in 1949 and 1950. All four of the original members, Ada Kopetz, Bertha Melnik, Max Walmer, and John Scales, were trained at the

Juilliard School 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 elit ...

, two of them under Alexander Siloti. By the mid-1950s the original quartet had been replaced by Gisela Richter, Moreland Kortkamp, Emmett Vokes and Herbert Rogers, all of whom were likewise graduates of Juilliard. Although classical music predominated in their repertoire, they also included pieces from musical theatre and folk music in their performances and recordings. Their music was arranged for four pianos by the German-born composer and conductor Moritz von Bomhard.

Members

Founding members

*Ada Kopetz (also known after her marriage as Ada Kopetz-Korf) (1919–2020) was born in New York City. She studied with

James Friskin James Friskin (3 March 1886, in Glasgow – 16 March 1967, in New York City) was a Scottish-born pianist, composer and music teacher who relocated to the United States in 1914. Biography Friskin studied in Glasgow with local organist Alfred ...

at Juilliard and later with

Eduard Steuermann Eduard Steuermann (June 18, 1892 in Sambor, Austro-Hungarian Empire – November 11, 1964 in New York City) was an Austrian (and later American) pianist and composer. Steuermann studied piano with Vilém Kurz at the Lemberg Conservatory and Fe ...

in California. During World War II she gave many hospital concerts sponsored by the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

and after the war appeared as a soloist with the New York City Symphony. In later years she often performed as an accompanist and taught piano at both the Manhattan School of Music and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. *Bertha Melnik (1914–2013) was born in Hartford, Connecticut and attended the Juilliard Graduate School from 1934 to 1939, where she studied piano with Alexander Siloti. She later studied with

Robert Casadesus Robert Marcel Casadesus (7 April 1899 – 19 September 1972) was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a distinguished musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, ...

at the

American Conservatory The Fontainebleau Schools were founded in 1921, and consist of two schools: ''The American Conservatory'', and the ''School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau''. History When the United States entered First World War the commander of its army, Gener ...

in Fontainebleau. In 1968 she was the pianist and assistant conductor for the original New York production of '' Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris''. In her later years Melnik worked primarily as an accompanist and vocal coach and taught at both Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music. She died in 2013 at the age of 99. *Max Walmer (1916–1986) was born in Lucas, Kansas and graduated in music from Bethany College. In 1938 he was awarded a graduate fellowship in piano at Juilliard where he studied under Alexander Siloti and

Rosina Lhévinne Rosina Lhévinne (née Bessie; March 29, 1880 – November 9, 1976) was a Russian pianist and famed pedagogue born in Kyiv, Russian Empire. Early life, education and family Rosina Bessie was the younger of two daughters of Maria (née Katz) and ...

. Prior to joining the quartet, he had an active career as an accompanist in vocal recitals and also toured the United States as the pianist for the Nine O'Clock Opera Company. He continued to work as an accompanist and vocal coach after leaving the quartet. Among the singers he worked with was

Giorgio Tozzi Giorgio Tozzi (January 8, 1923 – May 30, 2011) was an American operatic bass. He was a mainstay for many years with the Metropolitan Opera, and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide. Career Tozzi was born Georg ...

whom he prepared for his role debut as Hans Sachs in '' Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg''. Walmer was also the choral director for the 1963 Broadway premiere of ''

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

'' and composed a '' De Profundis'' for the production. *John Grover Scales (1923–1953), the youngest member of the quartet, was born in

Grove, Oklahoma Grove is a city in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,623 at the 2010 census, an increase of 27.6 percent over the figure of 5,131 recorded in 2000.

, the son of a Baptist minister. After graduating in music from

Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of ...

, he studied at Juilliard and

where he received his master's degree shortly before joining the quartet. Scales died in 1953. The John Grover Scales Memorial Scholarship at Oklahoma Baptist University was established in his honor.

Later members

*Gisela Richter (born 1929) was born in Berlin and began her music studies in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, Switzerland. She studied for her undergraduate degree at De Paul University and then received a scholarship to

Juilliard 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 elit ...

, where she studied piano under Sascha Gorodnitzki. She received her post-graduate degree from Juilliard in 1952 and in September of that year married fellow quartet member Emmett Vokes. At the time of their marriage, her father, , was the Rector of the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

. *Moreland Kortkamp (1916–2006) was born in

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...

, and grew up in California, where she began her musical studies. She won a six-year scholarship to Juilliard, where she studied under Josef and

. After graduating in 1944 she toured Italy and North Africa as a member of the first USO concert group to be sent overseas. She later married the conductor A. Clyde Roller and taught piano at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

. *Emmett Vokes (1928–2019), born Robert Emmett Vokes in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

, studied as a child under Anton Rovinsky. By the time he was 18, he had appeared as a soloist in many local concerts. At Juilliard he studied under

Beveridge Webster Beveridge Webster (May 13, 1908, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – June 30, 1999, in Hanover, New Hampshire) was an American pianist and educator. Beveridge Webster studied with his father, initially, and in 1921, at age 14, he began five years of ...

and Sascha Gorodnitzki. Vokes graduated from Juilliard in 1952, winning the Frank Damrosch Award for distinguished scholastic and music achievement. Vokes made his New York City solo debut in recital at Carnegie Hall on 11 January 1958 and gave a second recital at The Town Hall in 1961. In the course of his career he was a faculty member of Peabody College in Nashville, the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

, and St. Mary's University in San Antonio.Emmett Vokes, Visiting Assistant Professor of Applied Music
St. Mary's University: Faculty. Retrieved 2019-01-25. *Herbert Rogers (1929–1983) was born in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...

. Shortly before arriving at Juilliard he appeared as a soloist with the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

and

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Symphonies. A student of Olga Samaroff,

Rosalyn Tureck Rosalyn Tureck (December 14, 1913 – July 17, 2003) was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. However, she had a wide-ranging repertoire that included works by composers ...

and Sascha Gorodnitzki, he completed his post-graduate studies at Juilliard in 1956. In the 1960s and 70s he made solo recordings for the Whitehall,

CRI CRI or CRi may refer to: Organizations * Canadian Rivers Institute, for river sciences, University of New Brunswick * Cancer Research Institute, New York, US * Centro de Relaciones Internacionales (International Relations Center), Universidad N ...

and Dorian labels. Rogers taught at the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...

and then at Hunter College in New York from 1968 until his death in 1983.

Recordings

*''Music for Four Pianos'' ( Lecuona: ''Andalucia''; Traditional: ''Cradle Song'';

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

: Procession from ''

Peter and the Wolf ''Peter and the Wolf'' ( rus, Петя и Bолк, r="Pétya i volk", p=ˈpʲetʲə i volk, links=no) Op. 67, a "symphonic fairy tale for children", is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The narrator tells a children's s ...

'';

Strauss Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...

: Waltzes from ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

''; Morganstern: ''Toccata Guatemala''). Philharmonic Piano Quartet; arrangements by Moritz von Bomhard. LP, 1949. Label:

*''Popular Classics for Four Pianos'' ( Waldteufel: ''Estudiantina'';

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

: ''Consolation no. 3 in D-flat major'';

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

: ''Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy'', ''Dance of the Reed Pipes'', ''Waltz of the Flowers'';

: ''Perpetuum Mobile''; Offenbach: ''Offenbachiana''). Philharmonic Piano Quartet; arrangements by Moritz von Bomhard. LP, 1950. Label: Columbia Masterworks

References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= Schloss, Edwin H. (16 October 1949)
"Recorded Music: Chopin Recital on a Platter"
p. 212. ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

''. Retrieved 7 March 2018. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (26 March 1950)
"Radio Concerts of the Week"
p. 105. Retrieved 7 March 2018. ''

'' (9 July 1950)
"Radio Concerts"
p. 9. Retrieved 7 March 2018 {{subscription. Dame, Lawrence (21 February 1956)
"Piano Quartet Provides Fine Entertainment"
p. 2. '' Sarasota Herald-Tribune''. Retrieved 7 March 2018. ''

'' (27 June 1949)
"Piano Unit Makes Debut at Stadium"
p. 19. Retrieved 7 March 2018. ''The Gould Blue and Gold'' (28 April 1948)
"Gould Students Attend Philharmonic Piano Quartet"
Vol. 6, No. 7, p. 1. Gould Academy. Retrieved 7 March 2018. '' Billboard'' (23 Dec 1950)
"Album and LP Reviews: ''Popular Classics for Four Pianos''"
p. 70. Retrieved 7 March 2018. '' Joplin Globe'' (26 January 1939)
"Former Commerce Boy in Music Tour"
p. 12. Retrieved 8 March 2018.

(9 May 2013)
"Music Students Receive Awards, Scholarships"
Retrieved 8 March 2018. '' Playbill''
"Playbill Vault: Max Walmer"
Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

Nashua Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', for most of its existence known as the ''Nashua Telegraph'', is a daily newspaper in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was founded as the ''Nashua Daily Telegraph'' in 1869, although a weekly version dates back to 1832. Through the 20 ...

'' (6 April 1949)
"Piano Quartet in Final Community Concert"
p. 7. Retrieved 8 March 2018. Tozzi, Giorgio (10 March 2017)
"Backache, Barber and Bing"
he Jussi Björling Society. Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

'' (8 October 1938)
"Juilliard Awards Go to 64 Musicians"
p. 9. Retrieved 8 March 2018. Berman. Greta (October 2013)
"Bertha Melnik 1914-2013"
''Juilliard Journal''. Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

'' (4 September 195
"Gisela M. Richter is Wed; Graduate of Juilliard is Bride of Robert Emmett Vokes Jr."
p. 31. Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

The Paris News ''The Paris News'' is a newspaper based in Paris, Texas, covering the Northeast Texas counties of Lamar, Delta, Red River and Fannin, plus Choctaw County, Oklahoma. It publishes three days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays). It is owned ...

'' (6 December 1955)
"Community Concert Season to Open Friday"
p. 10. Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

Amarillo Globe-News The ''Amarillo Globe-News'' is a daily newspaper in Amarillo, Texas, owned by Gannett. The newspaper is based at downtown's FirstBank Southwest Tower, but is printed at a facility in Lubbock. History The current-day ''Globe-News'' is a combinat ...

'' (18 October 2005)
"Former symphony conductor Roller dies"
Retrieved 8 March 2018.

(1970)
Liner Notes: ''Herbert Rogers, piano: Cowell, Sessions, Lybbert, Talma''
Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

'' (2 February 1983)
"Herbert Rogers, 53, Pianist"
Retrieved 8 March 2018. Musicians Club of New York (2018)
"Ada Kopetz-Korf"
Retrieved 8 March 2018. Downes, Edward (12 January 1958)
"Vokes Makes Debut in a Piano Recital"
p. 73. ''

''. Retrieved 8 March 2018. Ericson, Raymond (19 March 1961)
"Recital Offered by Emmett Vokes"
p. 85. ''

''. Retrieved 8 March 2018. ''

The Courier-News The ''Courier News'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Somerville, New Jersey, that serves Somerset County and other areas of Central Jersey. The paper has been owned by Gannett since 1927. Notable employees *John Curley, former presid ...

'' (26 May 1952)
"Vokes Wins Top Award In Juilliard Class"
p. 16. Retrieved 8 March 2018. {{OCLC, 56606604 {{OCLC, 11738428