Harold Samuel
born London, May 23, 1879; died Hampstead, London, January 15, 1937
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English pianist, pedagogue and composer. He was one of the first pianists of the 20th century to focus purely on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, and known for his academic and cerebral approach.
Career Summary
Samuel studied at the Royal College of Music, piano with Edward Dannreuther and composition with Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Later he was on its faculty as professor of pianoforte. Samuel was particularly distinguished as an interpreter of Bach, whose entire keyboard oeuvre he learned by heart. At his London debut in 1898 he played Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), unknown at that time in London. To make a living Harold Samuel taught, did vocal coaching, and became a sought-after accompanist (performing especially with violinist Isolde Menges). His solo career, however, was at a standstill until 1919 when he played an all-Bach programme in London. He soon found a ready audience for large amounts of Bach's keyboard works in their original form. In 1921 he gave six successive Bach recitals in London and a similar cycle in New York. He toured the USA regularly from 1924. Samuel wrote a musical comedy, Hon'ble Phil, songs and piano pieces.
Samuel and Schenker
There is no known contact between the two men, but Schenker heard him on Radio Wien on October 14, 1928, recording in his diary: "Harold Samuel from London (not using Busoni's arrangement, but the original score); the embellishments in the slow second movement not badly played; otherwise, bad as usual." Hans Weisse wrote to Schenker on March 17, 1933 from New York, referring with irony to: "Harold Samuels[sic], who is regarded here as the 'best performer of Bach'," and recounting how he ridiculed Samuel's playing in class by the standards of Schenker's theory (OJ 15/16, [90]).
Source:
- Wikipedia
Contributor
- Marko Deisinger