Artur Schnabel (April 17, 1882 – August 15, 1951) was a classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was renowned for his seriousness as a musician, avoiding anything resembling pure technical bravura. He was said to have tended to disregard his own technical limitations in pursuit of his musical ideals. However, Schnabel is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, whose vitality, profundity and spiritual penetration in his playing of works by Beethoven and Schubert, in particular, have seldom if ever been surpassed. April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828), was an Austrian composer, considered the last master of the Viennese Classical school and one of the earliest proponents of musical Romanticism. ...

Arthur Schnabel

photo of Artur Schnabel. ... photo of Artur Schnabel. ...

Biography

Born in Lipnik, Poland, Schnabel studied piano from the age of seven in Vienna under Theodor Leschetizky who said to him "You will never be a pianist. You are a musician." Schnabel took these words to heart, and rather than playing the showy virtuoso pieces by composers like Franz Liszt which were popular in the late 19th century, he chose to concentrate on Germanic classics by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Later, Schnabel also studied composition under Eusebius Mandyczewski who was a friend of Johannes Brahms. Lipník(Leipnik), Moravia A town in Poland Lipnik is a town in Poland. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya; Croatian and Serbian: Beč) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Theodor Leschetizky Teodor Leszetycki (sometimes also referred to by a germanised name Theodor Leschetizky, June 22, 1830 - November 14, 1915) was a Polish pianist, teacher and composer. ... Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc) (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Mozart drawing by Doris Stock 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Theophilus Mozart) (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the greatest and most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 – November 19, 1828), was an Austrian composer, considered the last master of the Viennese Classical school and one of the earliest proponents of musical Romanticism. ... Eusebius Mandyczewski, musicologist and composer, was born in Czernowitz, Romania on 18 August 1857, the son of a Greek Orthodox priest. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of Romantic music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. ...

In 1900, Schnabel moved to Berlin where he began his career as a professional pianist. He gained some fame thanks to orchestral concerts he gave under the conductor Artur Nikisch as well as playing in chamber music and accompanying his future wife, the contralto Therese Behr, in lieder. It seems that Behr had some influence over Schnabel's repertoire, encouraging him to explore the sonatas of Schubert and the works of Brahms. 1900 (MCM) is a common year starting on Monday. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. Typically, Lieder are arranged for a single singer and piano. ... A piano sonata is a sonata written for unaccompanied piano. ...

Following World War I, Schnabel toured widely, visiting the United States, Russia and England. From 1925 he taught at the Berlin State Academy where his masterclasses brought him great renown. World War I, also known as the First World War, and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, and the War to End All Wars, was a world conflict lasting from August 1914 to the final Armistice (cessation of hostilities) on November 11, 1918. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK...

Schnabel was known for championing the then-neglected sonatas of Schubert and, even more so, Beethoven. At that time, Beethoven's piano music was little played and largely unappreciated by the public. While on a tour of Spain, Schnabel wrote to his wife saying that during a performance of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations he had begun to feel sorry for the audience. "I am the only person here who is enjoying this, and I get the money; they pay and have to suffer," he wrote. Schnabel did much to popularize Beethoven's music, giving the first complete cycle of his piano sonatas (that is, he played every piano sonata by Beethoven in a series of concerts) and also making the first recording of them all, completing the set in 1935. This set of recordings has never been out of print, and is considered by many to be the touchstone of Beethoven sonata interpretations, though occasional shortcomings in finger technique mar his performances of fast movements (Rachmaninoff is supposed to have referred to him, slightingly, as "an adagio pianist"). He also recorded all the Beethoven piano concertos. Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... The Variations for piano in C major on a waltz by Diabelli Op. ... A piano sonata is a sonata written for unaccompanied piano. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff, also Sergey Rachmaninov or Serge Rakhmaninov (Серге́й Васи́льевич Рахма́нинов), (April 1, 1873 – March 28, 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. ... In musical notation, Adagio is a tempo marking indicating that the music is to be played slowly. ... A piano concerto is a concerto for solo piano and orchestra. ...

Despite his playing repertoire almost never leaving the works of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart and Brahms, almost all of his compositions (none of which are in the active repertoire) are atonal. Atonality describes music that does not conform to the system of tonal hierarchies, which characterizes the sound of classical European music between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. ...

Schnabel played with a number of famous musicians in chamber works, including the violinists Carl Flesch and Joseph Szigeti, the violist Paul Hindemith, and the cellists Pablo Casals and Pierre Fournier. Among his piano pupils were Leon Fleisher, Alan Bush, Eunice Norton and radio personality Karl Haas. Carl Flesch (October 9, 1873 - November 14, 1944) was a violinist and teacher. ... Joseph Szigeti (September 5, 1892 – February 19, 1973) was a Hungarian violinist. ... Paul Hindemith (first name pronounced pah-ool)(November 16, 1895 – December 28, 1963) was a German composer, violist, teacher, theorist and conductor. ... Pau Carlos Salvador Casals i Defilló (December 29, 1876 – October 22, 1973), commonly known as Pablo Casals, was a virtuoso Catalan cello player (and later conductor). ... Pierre Fournier (June 24, 1906 – January 8, 1986) was a French cellist who was called the aristocrat of cellists, on account of his elegant musicianship and majestic sound. ... Leon Fleisher Leon Fleisher (born July 23, 1928) is an American pianist and conductor. ... Alan Bush (December 22, 1900 – October 31, 1995) was a British composer and pianist. ... Eunice Norton (born 1908) is an American pianist. ... Karl Haas (1913 - February 6, 2005) was a classical music radio show host. ...

Schnabel, a Jew, left Berlin in 1933 after the Nazi Party took control. He lived in England for a time while giving masterclasses at Tremezzo on Lake Como in Italy, before moving to America in 1939. In 1944, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. There he took a teaching post at the University of Michigan, returning to Europe at the end of World War II. He continued to give concerts on both sides of the Atlantic until the end of his life; his list of compositions eventually included symphonies, a piano concerto and five string quartets amongst various smaller works. And he continued to make records, though he was never very fond of the whole studio process. He died in Axenstein, Switzerland. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: (help· info)), better known as the NSDAP or the Nazi Party was a political party that was led to power in Germany by Adolf Hitler in 1933. ... Lake Como (Lago di Como in Italian, also known as Lario) is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Naturalization is the act whereby a person voluntarily and actively acquires a nationality which is not his or her nationality at birth. ... This article is about the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 8 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. ... A symphony is an extended piece of music usually for orchestra and comprising several movements. ... A piano concerto is a concerto for solo piano and orchestra. ... The resident string quartet of the Library of Congress in 1963 A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string instruments—usually two violins, a viola and cello—or a piece written to be performed by such a group. ...

His son Karl Ulrich Schnabel was also a classical pianist. Karl Ulrich Schnabel (born August 6, 1909 in Berlin) was a German classical pianist. ...

Book

Schnabel's book My Life and Music (reprinted 1988; Mineola, NY: Dover Publications; ISBN 0486255719), is a mixture of autobiography and commentary on a variety of musical subjects.