Arnold Maria Walter,
OC (August 30, 1902 – October 6, 1973) was a Canadian
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...
,
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. whe ...
, 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 in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Cen ...
, and was Director of Music at
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...
.
Early years
Arnold Maria Walter was born in
Hanušovice
Hanušovice (german: Hannsdorf) is a town in Šumperk District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,000 inhabitants. The Holba brewery is located in the town.
Administrative parts
Villages of Hynčice nad Moravou, Potůč ...
,
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
Th ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(now in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...
). He studied law at the
University of Prague, then
musicology at the
University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin (german: link=no, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany.
The university was established by Frederick Will ...
. 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, conducting, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality ...
.
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 mu ...
for the ''Vorwärts'' magazine.
In 1937, he emigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
and taught at
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, Single-sex education, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious University-prep ...
.
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.
Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not par ...
in 1966.
In 1972, Walter was appointed Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the c ...
.
He died in
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada. His records were donated to the
National Library of Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is ...
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 papersheld at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Arnold
1902 births
1973 deaths
People from Šumperk District
Moravian-German people
Canadian male composers
Officers of the Order of Canada
University of Toronto faculty
20th-century Canadian composers
20th-century Canadian male musicians
Canadian musicologists
20th-century musicologists