Felix Salzer (June 13, 1904 – August 12, 1986) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

music theorist 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 ( ...

musicologist 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 m ...

and pedagogue. He was one of the principal followers of Heinrich Schenker, and did much to refine and explain

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 ...

after Schenker's death. He was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to Max Salzer (a doctor) and Helene Wittgenstein (a daughter of Karl Wittgenstein). He studied musicology with Guido Adler at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich hi ...

, finishing his Ph.D. in 1926 with a dissertation on

sonata form Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...

in the works of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

. At the same time he studied music theory and analysis with Heinrich Schenker and Hans Weisse. In 1939 Salzer emigrated to the United States, and became a citizen in 1945. While in the US he taught at several schools, including the

Mannes School of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. 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 c ...

where he was the long-time Dean and Queens College of the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pro ...

. At Mannes, Salzer was the teacher of

Carl Schachter Carl E. Schachter (born June 1, 1932"Carl E. Schachter," in "New Jersey, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1956-1964" on ''Ancestry.com'') is an American music theorist noted for his expertise in Schenkerian analysis. Born in Chicago, he attended Austin H ...

and Adele T. Weiss. While teaching at Mannes, Salzer and Schacter went on to co-author the seminal music theory book: "Counterpoint in Composition." His contributions to Schenkerian theory were twofold: first, he brought Schenker's ideas to the attention of American music theorists and musicologists, and second, he applied the analytical technique to music outside of the common-practice era music in which Schenker had exclusively worked, particularly to the music of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

, the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, and to some music of the 20th century. Later theorists applied Schenkerian techniques to

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

as well. Some of the specific refinements Salzer made to Schenkerian theory involve aspects of voice leading, and the differentiation of chords into structural versus contrapuntal categories. Salzer's works include ''Structural Hearing'' (1952 and 1962), ''Counterpoint in Composition: The Study of Voice Leading'' (with

, 1969), and the periodical ''The Music Forum'' (initiated 1967). Salzer married Hedwig Lindtberg (the sister of

Leopold Lindtberg Leopold Lindtberg (born in Vienna on 1 June 1902; died in Sils im Engadin/Segl on 18 April 1984) was an Austrian Swiss film and theatre director. He fled Austria due to the Machtergreifung in Germany and ultimately settled in Switzerland. His ...

) in 1939. She died on February 29, 2000. They had no children.

References and further reading

* *

Allen Forte Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univ ...

. "Schenker, Heinrich" in ibid., xvi, 627-628. * ''The Concise Edition of Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', 8th ed. Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky. New York, Schirmer Books, 1993. * David Carson Berry, "Hans Weisse and the Dawn of American Schenkerism," ''Journal of Musicology'' 20/1 (2003): 104-156. * David Carson Berry, "Schenkerian Theory in the United States: A Review of Its Establishment and a Survey of Current Research Topics," ''Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie'' 2/2-3 (2005): 101-137 (online version at http://www.gmth.de/zeitschrift/artikel/206.aspx).

External links

Felix Salzer papers
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Music Division
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Salzer, Felix American music theorists Austrian music theorists Austrian musicologists Pupils of Heinrich Schenker Jewish emigrants from Austria to the United States after the Anschluss Writers from Vienna 1904 births 1986 deaths Schenkerian analysis 20th-century American musicologists