Roberto Eyzaguirre (September 10, 1923 – October 19, 2004) was a Peruvian-American classical pianist and famed piano pedagogue. He was a longtime friend and pupil of the legendary 20th-century virtuoso pianist

Claudio Arrau Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque to 20th-century composers, especially Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and Bra ...

, who had studied under a pupil of

Franz 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 ...

. He was noted for his colorful playing and "big tone."

Biography

Eyzaguirre studied piano performance at the National Conservatory of Music in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

before moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in his early twenties to study with

. In New York, he met June Gallaher, who was studying

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

at the Juilliard School of Music. They married in 1948. With Arrau's assistance, Eyzaguirre made his Carnegie Hall debut in the 1960s, receiving favorable reviews from the New York music critics. Despite showing early signs of exceptional promise, Eyzaguirre's career was cut short due to

ulcers An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing o ...

. Unable to return to performing, he received a doctorate in

musicology 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 ...

from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

and turned to teaching. He taught at School of the Holy Child, Sam Houston State University, and

Houston Baptist University Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University, is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). Its Cultural Arts Center hou ...

. His successful students included the acclaimed conductor

John Axelrod John Neal Axelrod (born March 28, 1966, in Houston, Texas) is an American conductor. Axelrod was elected Artistic and musical director of the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville in 2014(ABC de SevillaRetrieved 2014-11-26./ref> and is Principal Co ...

. Eyzaguirre was an esteemed pedagogue in the Houston area. He taught at Sam Houston State University in 1972–1973, and Houston Baptist University in 1973–1981 and perhaps beyond. He collaborated with accomplished accompanist Edith Orloff during the late 1970s. Eyzaguirre gained a loyal following from students at these Texas universities who sought his musical advice decades after. Eyzaguirre was also an accomplished recitalist in the Houston area. One memorable recital was a shared recital at Houston Baptist University where he performed the "Carnival" of Schumann, one of his favorite teaching works. Eyzaguirre was also briefly mentioned in Beryl Singleton Bissell's ''The Scent of God: A Memoir''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyzaguirre, Roberto Peruvian emigrants to the United States American classical pianists Male classical pianists American male pianists 1923 births 2004 deaths Musicians from Houston Houston Christian University faculty 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American musicologists 20th-century American male musicians