Earl Wild
Encyclopedia
Royland Earl Wild
was an American
pianist widely recognized as a leading virtuoso of his generation. Harold C. Schonberg
called him a "super-virtuoso in the Horowitz
class". He was known as well for his transcriptions of classical music
and jazz
. He was also a composer.
, Wild was a musically precocious child and studied under Selmar Janson, Simon Barere
and Egon Petri
, among others. As a teenager, he started making transcriptions of romantic music and composition.
In 1937, Wild was hired as a staff pianist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra
. In 1939, he became the first pianist to perform a recital on U.S. television. Wild later recalled that the small studio became so hot under the bright lights that the ivory piano keys started to warp. In 1997 he was also the first pianist to stream a performance over the Internet.
In 1942, Arturo Toscanini
invited him for a performance of Gershwin
's Rhapsody in Blue
, which was a resounding success and made him a household name. During World War II
, Wild served in the United States Navy
as a musician. He often travelled with Eleanor Roosevelt
while she toured the United States supporting the war effort. Wild's duty was to perform the national anthem on the piano before she spoke. A few years after the war he moved to the newly formed American Broadcasting Company
(ABC) as a staff pianist, conductor and composer until 1968. He performed many times for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston, in 1952, 1968, and 1971 and three concerts of Liszt in 1986 Wild was renowned for his virtuoso recitals and master classes held around the world, from Seoul
, Beijing
, and Tokyo
to Argentina
, England
and throughout the United States.
Earl Wild created numerous virtuoso solo piano transcriptions - 14 songs by Rachmaninoff
, and works on themes by Gershwin
. His Grand Fantasy on Airs from Porgy and Bess
, the first extended piano paraphrase on an American opera, was recorded in 1976 and had its concert premiere in Pasadena
on December 17, 1977. He also wrote Seven Virtuoso Études on Popular Songs, based on Gershwin songs such as "The Man I Love
", "Fascinating Rhythm
" and "I Got Rhythm
".
He also wrote a number of original works. These included a large-scale Easter oratorio, Revelations (1962), the choral work The Turquoise Horse (1976), and the Doo-Dah Variations, on a theme by Stephen Foster
(1992), for piano and orchestra. His Sonata 2000 had its first performance by Bradley Bolen
in 2003 and was recorded by Wild for Ivory Classics
Wild recorded for several labels, including RCA Records
, where he recorded an album of Liszt and a collection of music by George Gershwin
including "Rhapsody in Blue," "Cuban Overure," "Concerto in F," and "I Got Rhythm Variations," all with the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler. Later in his career, Wild recorded for Ivory Classics
.
Wild, who was openly gay, lived in Columbus, Ohio
and Palm Springs, California
with his domestic partner of 38 years, Michael Rolland Davis. He died aged 94 of congestive heart disease at home in Palm Springs.
Wild's memoirs A Walk on the Wild Side, were published posthumously by Ivory Classics.
was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist widely recognized as a leading virtuoso of his generation. Harold C. Schonberg
Harold C. Schonberg
Harold Charles Schonberg was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism...
called him a "super-virtuoso in the Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
class". He was known as well for his transcriptions of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. He was also a composer.
Biography
Born in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Wild was a musically precocious child and studied under Selmar Janson, Simon Barere
Simon Barere
Simon Barere was a renowned Russian pianist. His Russian surname Барер is transliterated Barer, however, as an adult he changed the spelling to Barere in order to reduce the frequency of mispronunciation.-Biography:...
and Egon Petri
Egon Petri
Egon Petri was a classical pianist.-Biography:Petri's family was Dutch and he was born a Dutch citizen, but he was born in Hanover in Germany and was brought up in Dresden. His father was a professional violinist who taught his son that instrument. Petri played in the Dresden Court Orchestra and...
, among others. As a teenager, he started making transcriptions of romantic music and composition.
In 1937, Wild was hired as a staff pianist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo Toscanini...
. In 1939, he became the first pianist to perform a recital on U.S. television. Wild later recalled that the small studio became so hot under the bright lights that the ivory piano keys started to warp. In 1997 he was also the first pianist to stream a performance over the Internet.
In 1942, Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
invited him for a performance of Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects....
, which was a resounding success and made him a household name. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Wild served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as a musician. He often travelled with Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
while she toured the United States supporting the war effort. Wild's duty was to perform the national anthem on the piano before she spoke. A few years after the war he moved to the newly formed American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(ABC) as a staff pianist, conductor and composer until 1968. He performed many times for the Peabody Mason Concert series in Boston, in 1952, 1968, and 1971 and three concerts of Liszt in 1986 Wild was renowned for his virtuoso recitals and master classes held around the world, from Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and throughout the United States.
Earl Wild created numerous virtuoso solo piano transcriptions - 14 songs by Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
, and works on themes by Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
. His Grand Fantasy on Airs from Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
, the first extended piano paraphrase on an American opera, was recorded in 1976 and had its concert premiere in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
on December 17, 1977. He also wrote Seven Virtuoso Études on Popular Songs, based on Gershwin songs such as "The Man I Love
The Man I Love (song)
"The Man I Love" is a popular standard, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira. Originally part of the 1924 score for the Gershwin government satire Lady, Be Good as "The Girl I Love", the song was deleted from the show as well as from both the 1927 anti-war satire Strike Up...
", "Fascinating Rhythm
Fascinating Rhythm
"Fascinating Rhythm" is a popular song written by George Gershwin in 1924 with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.It was first introduced by Cliff Edwards, Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire in the Broadway musical Lady Be Good. The Astaires also recorded the song on April 19, 1926 in London with George Gershwin...
" and "I Got Rhythm
I Got Rhythm
"I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop...
".
He also wrote a number of original works. These included a large-scale Easter oratorio, Revelations (1962), the choral work The Turquoise Horse (1976), and the Doo-Dah Variations, on a theme by Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
(1992), for piano and orchestra. His Sonata 2000 had its first performance by Bradley Bolen
Bradley Bolen
Dr. Bradley Cordell Bolen has appeared as soloist, collaborator, lecturer, writer and recording artist. Following the onset of piano study at age eight, Bolen studied and coached with such notable teachers as David Stokan, Nancy Garrett, Anton Nel, Martin Canin and Menahem Pressler...
in 2003 and was recorded by Wild for Ivory Classics
Ivory Classics
Ivory Classics is an American classical music record label governed by the Ivory Classics Foundation. The purpose of this foundation, which was established in 1998, is to "promote, through charitable and benevolent activities, and appreciation for the art of the piano through its work with the...
Wild recorded for several labels, including RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, where he recorded an album of Liszt and a collection of music by George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
including "Rhapsody in Blue," "Cuban Overure," "Concerto in F," and "I Got Rhythm Variations," all with the Boston Pops and Arthur Fiedler. Later in his career, Wild recorded for Ivory Classics
Ivory Classics
Ivory Classics is an American classical music record label governed by the Ivory Classics Foundation. The purpose of this foundation, which was established in 1998, is to "promote, through charitable and benevolent activities, and appreciation for the art of the piano through its work with the...
.
Wild, who was openly gay, lived in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
with his domestic partner of 38 years, Michael Rolland Davis. He died aged 94 of congestive heart disease at home in Palm Springs.
Wild's memoirs A Walk on the Wild Side, were published posthumously by Ivory Classics.
Discography
- The Virtuosity of Earl Wild
- Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 1–4; Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
- Earl Wild - Chopin: Scherzos & Ballades
- Earl Wild Plays Liszt (The 1985 Sessions)
- Earl Wild at 88
- Earl Wild plays Gershwin
- Earl Wild – The Romantic Master
- Earl Wild at 30 - Live Radio Broadcasts from the 1940's (Ivory ClassicsIvory ClassicsIvory Classics is an American classical music record label governed by the Ivory Classics Foundation. The purpose of this foundation, which was established in 1998, is to "promote, through charitable and benevolent activities, and appreciation for the art of the piano through its work with the...
) - The Virtuoso Piano - Earl Wild (Vanguard Classics)
- The Demonic Liszt - Earl Wild (Vanguard Classics)
- Earl Wild Performs his own Compositions and Transcriptions (Ivory ClassicsIvory ClassicsIvory Classics is an American classical music record label governed by the Ivory Classics Foundation. The purpose of this foundation, which was established in 1998, is to "promote, through charitable and benevolent activities, and appreciation for the art of the piano through its work with the...
)
External links
- Earl Wild's web page
- About the pianist
- Earl Wild's biography
- About the pianist
- Earl Wild - Daily Telegraph obituary