Cécile Staub Genhart (1898–1983) was a Swiss American pianist, pedagogue and teacher. Born in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, she played with the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

in 1922. She moved to the United States and joined the faculty of

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

in 1926. She spent over 40 years teaching at Eastman.

Early life in Europe

Cécile Staub was born in December 1898 in

, Switzerland. She was the youngest of three daughters of Fannie (née Häusler) and Gottfried Staub, a piano professor at Basel Conservatory. Her family moved to Zürich when she was 15 years old. At the Zürich Conservatory, she studied with

Volkmar Andreae Volkmar Andreae (5 July 1879 – 18 June 1962) was a Swiss conductor and composer. Life and career Andreae was born in Bern. He received piano instruction as a child and his first lessons in composition with Karl Munzinger. From 1897 to 1900, ...

. She was later educated at the Munich Royal Academy. She studied independently with the Swiss composer

Emil Frey Emil Johann Rudolf Frey (24 October 1838 – 24 December 1922) was a Swiss politician, Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1890–1897). He served as President of the Swiss Confederation in ...

in Zürich, and also studied with

Eugen d'Albert Eugen (originally Eugène) Francis Charles d'Albert (10 April 1864 – 3 March 1932) was a Scottish-born pianist and composer who immigrated to Germany. Educated in Britain, d'Albert showed early musical talent and, at the age of seventeen, h ...

Edwin Fischer Edwin Fischer (6 October 1886 – 24 January 1960) was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. He is regarded as one of the great interpreters of J.S. Bach and Mozart in the twentieth century. Biography Fischer was born in Basel and studied m ...

, and

Tobias Matthay Tobias Augustus Matthay (19 February 185815 December 1945) was an English pianist, teacher, and composer. Biography Matthay was born in Clapham, Surrey, in 1858 to parents who had come from northern Germany and eventually became naturalised Brit ...

. While some sources state that she studied with Italian composer

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

, she only visited him occasionally to discuss composition and music. Genhart's solo debut was in 1922 with the

in 1922. She also made concert debuts in Munich and in Zürich with the

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich is a Swiss symphony orchestra based in Zürich. Its principal residence is the Tonhalle concert hall. Early history prior to the orchestra Precursor music ensembles in Zürich have included the music societies ...

. She met Hermann Genhart, one of her father's students in Zürich. The two married and moved to the United States.

Career in the United States

Genhart's husband joined the

faculty in 1924. She received a full-time appointment as a member of the school's piano faculty in 1926. She gave a recital on February 5, 1927, at

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities suc ...

that was written up in the ''New York Times'', which called it "a program of uncommon taste and a performance of unexpected vigor". She was also responsible for the introduction of

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

' Piano Concerto No. 2 to Rochester, New York. A ''Journal of the American Liszt Society'' review named her as one of the finest pianists in the United States. Genhart taught for over 40 years at Eastman. She headed the faculty for piano at the school from 1954 until her retirement in 1971. Among her students were Robert Silverman, Ernesto Lejano, Anne Koscielny, Aiko Onishi, Barry Snyder, Josef Verba, Bradford Gowen,

Joseph Fennimore Joseph Fennimore (born 16 April 1940) is an American composer, pianist and teacher best known for his works for piano and chamber ensembles, ranked by Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Philip Kennicott as "one of this country's finest composers." His ...

, John Perry,

Janice Weber Janice Weber (born 1950) is an American pianist and author. Music Born in New Jersey, Weber was a precocious musical talent, making her debut at age 12 with the orchestra at New York's Town Hall. She studied with a number of teachers and mus ...

, and Stewart L. Gordon. Gordon wrote his doctoral dissertation, "Cecile Staub Genhart; her biography and her concepts of piano playing" in 1965. In 1974, she donated approximately $50,000 to establish a piano scholarship fund at the Eastman School of Music. Genhart died in 1983. A portrait of her hangs in the Cominsky Promenade of the Eastman School of Music.

Early life in Europe

Career in the United States

References

Further reading