Arnold Maria Walter, OC (August 30, 1902 – October 6, 1973) was a Canadian

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, composer and writer. He founded the

Canadian Opera Company The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and one of the largest producers of opera in North America. The COC performs at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performin ...

, and was Director of Music at

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Early life and education

Arnold Maria Walter was born in

Hanušovice Hanušovice () is a town in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,900 inhabitants. The Holba brewery is located in the town. Administrative division Hanušovice consists of five municipal parts (in brackets ...

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(now in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

). He studied law at the University of Prague, then

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

. In addition, he had private music lessons in piano and composition with Rudolf Breithaupt, Frederic Lamond, and

Franz Schreker Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, librettist, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic pluralit ...

Career

In the early 1930s, Walter wrote the music column for ''Die Weltbühne'', and was

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

for the ''Vorwärts'' magazine. In 1937, he emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and taught at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

. From 1952 to 1968, Walter was music director of the music faculty of the University of Toronto. Among his notable pupils were pianist Howard Brown, Phil Nimmons. He received an Honorary Doctor of Music from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

in 1966. In 1972, Walter was appointed Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Death and legacy

He died in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada. His records were donated to the

National Library of Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

by his stepdaughter.

Works

* ''Sonatina for Cello and Piano'', 1940 * ''Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano'', 1940 * ''Sonata for Violin and Piano'', 1940 * ''Symphony in G minor for large orchestra'', 1942 * ''Suite for Piano'', 1945 * ''For the Fallen for soprano, mixed chorus and orchestra'', 1949 * ''Concerto for Orchestra'', 1958 * ''Sonata for Piano Forte'', 1950 * ''Summer Idyll for tape'', 1960

References

External links

Arnold Maria Walter archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management ServicesArnold Walter collection of lantern slides
held at th
University of Toronto Music Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Arnold 1902 births 1973 deaths People from Šumperk District Moravian-German people Canadian male composers Officers of the Order of Canada Academic staff of the University of Toronto 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian male musicians Canadian musicologists 20th-century Canadian musicologists