Eduard Steuermann (June 18, 1892, Sambor,

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 ...

– November 11, 1964,

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 ...

) was an Austrian-born American pianist and composer. Steuermann studied piano with Vilém Kurz at the Lemberg Conservatory and

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 ...

in Berlin, and studied composition with Engelbert Humperdinck and

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

. He played the piano part in the first performance of Schoenberg's '' Pierrot Lunaire'' and premiered his Piano Concerto. He continued his association with Schoenberg as a pianist for the composer's Society for Private Musical Performances in Vienna, and made an arrangement for piano trio of Schoenberg's '' Verklärte Nacht''. He performed in the radio premiere of Schoenberg's "Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte" with the New York Philharmonic under Artur Rodziński on November 26, 1944. In 1952, he was awarded the Schoenberg Medal by the International Society for Contemporary Music. He taught at the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik at Darmstadt. Steuermann, whose parents were non-practising Jews, emigrated to the United States in 1938 to escape the anti-Semitic policies of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. He was famed for his Beethoven recitals of the 1950s and was a distinguished teacher, teaching at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

from 1952 to 1964 and the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music from 1948 to 1963. In the USA, he was known as Edward Steuermann. Among the prominent performers who studied with Steuermann were Alfred Brendel, Jakob Gimpel, Jerome Lowenthal, Moura Lympany, Menahem Pressler, Stephen Pruslin,

Russell Sherman Russell Sherman (March 25, 1930 – September 30, 2023) was an American classical pianist, educator and author. He performed internationally, known especially for playing the music of Beethoven and Liszt. Driven by a "lifelong battle to recons ...

, Jacob Maxin, and Beatrice Witkin. He also taught philosopher Theodor W. Adorno, composers Gunther Schuller and Paavo Heininen, and theorists Edward T. Cone and David Lewin. In 1964, he died of leukemia in

. In 1989, the University of Nebraska Press published a collection of Steuermann's writings entitled, ''The Not Quite Innocent Bystander: Writings of Edward Steuermann'' (). The book was co-edited by Clara Steuermann, David H. Porter and Gunther Schuller. A major work by Steuermann, ''Variations for Orchestra'', is published by Philharmusica Co., New York. The actress and screenwriter Salka Viertel was his sister. The conductor Michael Gielen was his nephew. The footballer Zygmunt Steuermann was his younger brother. Steuermann married Clara Silvers, a pianist and music librarian, in 1949.Edward and Clara Steuermann collection, 1922-1981

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

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Photographs of Steuermann, his siblings, with Schoenberg and others, and a concert program with Steuermann's and Schoenberg's works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steuermann, Eduard 1892 births 1964 deaths Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) People from Sambir Austrian classical pianists American classical pianists American male classical pianists American male pianists 20th-century male pianists Austrian classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Jewish classical pianists Second Viennese School Lviv Conservatory alumni Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United States Pupils of Arnold Schoenberg 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians

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