Frank Glazer
Encyclopedia
Frank Glazer is an American
pianist
, composer, and professor of music.
Glazer was born in Chester, Wisconsin
on February 19, 1915, the sixth child of Benjamin and Clara Glazer, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania
. The family moved to Milwaukee in 1919. His first piano lessons were given by his sister Blanche (1907–1920); later he was taught by several local musicians. Frank Glazer was educated in Milwaukee Public Schools, and graduated the city's North Division High School
in 1932. In his teenage years, he played in his brothers' dance band, his high school band and vaudeville
. Alfred Strelsin, a New York
signage manufacturer and arts patron, provided the funds for Glazer to travel to Berlin
in 1932 to study with Artur Schnabel
; he also studied with Arnold Schoenberg
. Glazer then taught piano in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
Strelsin urged Glazer to make his New York debut, telling him, "If you don't start by time you're 21, forget it". Glazer made his debut at Town Hall in New York City on October 20, 1936, with a program of Bach
, Brahms, Schubert, and Chopin. He played this program again in 2006, to celebrate his seventieth anniversary of public performance.
In 1939 Glazer performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
under Sergei Koussevitzky. Glazer served in the US Army as an interpreter from 1943 to 1945 in Germany and France.
After the war he embarked upon an effort to reinvent piano technique, beginning with a study of anatomy
and analyzing the most efficient way to create sound. Glazer believes this study is why he has remained able to play successfully into his 90s, when hand problems have forced many younger pianists out of the profession. As one fellow pianist commented, "It gets more amazing as Frank gets older, because he has less brute force to put into his playing. Yet he can still play some of the toughest pieces in the repertory, because he has figured out how to get there without wasting any motion".
In the early 1950s, Glazer had his own television show called Playhouse 15 in Milwaukee. On September 6, 1952, he married classical singer Ruth Gevalt (1910–2006). (1) With his wife, Ruth, he founded in the 1970s the Saco River Festival in Maine
, a summer chamber series. From 1965 until 1980 Glazer taught at the Eastman School of Music
; among his students was Myriam Avalos
. In 1980 Glazer left Eastman and became artist in residence at Bates College
in Maine.
As of 2009, he resides in Topsham, Maine.
(1) The Fountain of Youth: The Artistry of Frank Glazer, by Duncan J Cumming (VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2009).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer, and professor of music.
Glazer was born in Chester, Wisconsin
Chester, Wisconsin
Chester is a town in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 960 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Atwater and East Waupun are located in the town.-Geography:...
on February 19, 1915, the sixth child of Benjamin and Clara Glazer, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. The family moved to Milwaukee in 1919. His first piano lessons were given by his sister Blanche (1907–1920); later he was taught by several local musicians. Frank Glazer was educated in Milwaukee Public Schools, and graduated the city's North Division High School
North Division High School (Milwaukee)
North Division High School was one of the major public high schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools...
in 1932. In his teenage years, he played in his brothers' dance band, his high school band and vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
. Alfred Strelsin, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
signage manufacturer and arts patron, provided the funds for Glazer to travel to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1932 to study with Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
; he also studied with Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
. Glazer then taught piano in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Strelsin urged Glazer to make his New York debut, telling him, "If you don't start by time you're 21, forget it". Glazer made his debut at Town Hall in New York City on October 20, 1936, with a program of Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, Brahms, Schubert, and Chopin. He played this program again in 2006, to celebrate his seventieth anniversary of public performance.
In 1939 Glazer performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
under Sergei Koussevitzky. Glazer served in the US Army as an interpreter from 1943 to 1945 in Germany and France.
After the war he embarked upon an effort to reinvent piano technique, beginning with a study of anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
and analyzing the most efficient way to create sound. Glazer believes this study is why he has remained able to play successfully into his 90s, when hand problems have forced many younger pianists out of the profession. As one fellow pianist commented, "It gets more amazing as Frank gets older, because he has less brute force to put into his playing. Yet he can still play some of the toughest pieces in the repertory, because he has figured out how to get there without wasting any motion".
In the early 1950s, Glazer had his own television show called Playhouse 15 in Milwaukee. On September 6, 1952, he married classical singer Ruth Gevalt (1910–2006). (1) With his wife, Ruth, he founded in the 1970s the Saco River Festival in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, a summer chamber series. From 1965 until 1980 Glazer taught at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
; among his students was Myriam Avalos
Myriam Avalos
Myriam Avalos is a classical pianist.-Life:She began to study the piano at age two. She gave her first public performance at age three, and shortly after that was admitted to the National Conservatory of Music in Lima. She studied there with Luisa Negri and Teresa Quesada...
. In 1980 Glazer left Eastman and became artist in residence at Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in Maine.
As of 2009, he resides in Topsham, Maine.
(1) The Fountain of Youth: The Artistry of Frank Glazer, by Duncan J Cumming (VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2009).
External links
- Time in His Hands: Frank Glazer's musical light shines undimmed 70 years after his New York debut", Doug Hubley, Bates Magazine Online, Fall 2006 edition.
- At 95, pianist is still learning, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, published October 9, 2010.