Charles Hambitzer (1878 or 1881 – 1918) was an American composer, pianist and teacher. He is noted for having been a teacher of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

Biography

Hambitzer was born into a musical family in

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit ( ) is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. Beloit is a principal city of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock Co ...

. The year of his birth is variously given as either 1878 or 1881. His great-grandfather was a violinist in the Russian royal court and his father owned a music store in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He studied with Julius Albert Jahn and Hugo Kahn after which he played in the orchestra of the Arthur Friend Stock Company. He taught piano, violin, and cello at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. In 1908, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where he joined the Waldorf–Astoria Orchestra, usually appearing as piano soloist. During that time he lived on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

of Manhattan where he wrote music and opened a music school. Among his most notable pupils was

, who became one of America's leading composers. In 1914, Hambitzer's wife died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and four years later he died of the same disease. George once said that Charles was his first major musical influence in life.

Nathaniel Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director. Early career Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents w ...

, a noted composer and conductor, was a member of the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra during the period that Hambitzer was there. Shilkret's autobiography includes a brief discussion of Hambitzer's life, including the following comments about their common time with the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra: "Hambitzer played viola, oboe, bassoon, cello and organ, but uring this period never piano." Shilkret said that Frank Longo, the then-Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra pianist, dared Hambitzer to show how good he was when an orchestra member told Longo to take piano lessons from Hambitzer. Shilkret writes about Hambitzer's response: "Hambitzer said, 'I have not touched the piano for years, but I'll try.' He sat down and played one classic composition after another. He could play any number we suggested. He was the most natural pianist I ever heard--barring no one--and his memory was phenomenal. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt. . . Pieces just poured out of him flawlessly. . . . Of course, Hambitzer's performance got around, and in a short time he became the busiest teacher in New York. . . . I studied piano with him."Shilkret, Nathaniel, ed. Shell, Niel and Barbara Shilkret, ''Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business'', Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2005. Shilkret, Nathaniel, Barbara Shilkret, and Niel Shell, ''Feast or Famine: Sixty Years in the Music Business'', archival edition of Shilkret autobiography, 2001 (copies deposited in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, The City College of New York Archival Library, The New York Philharmonic Archives, The Victor Archives (SONY)). As an A&R executive at the Victor Talking Machine and a conductor who had conducted for very large number of the finest musicians of his era, Shilkret was eminently qualified to judge a musician's talent.

Compositions

Hambitzer was noted for his prodigious musical talent and feverish compositional skill. He wrote many songs, and his work also included orchestral tone poems and incidental music for plays by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and other playwrights.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hambitzer, Charles American composers Year of birth uncertain 1918 deaths People from Beloit, Wisconsin Musicians from Wisconsin George Gershwin