Richard Robert (25 March 1861 – 1 February 1924 in Kaltenleutgeben)
Retrieved 28 August 2013 was an Austrian pianist, composer, music critic, and music administrator, but he is most notable as a pedagogue in piano, composition and conducting. As a Viennese piano teacher, Richard Robert was discussed in the same breath as Emil von Sauer and Theodor Leschetizky. His notable students included Kurt Adler,

Hans Gál Hans Gál Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (5 August 1890 – 3 October 1987) was an Austrian composer, pedagogue, musicologist, and author, who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1938. Life Gál was born to a Jewish family in ...

, Clara Haskil,

Rudolf Serkin Rudolf Serkin (28 March 1903 – 8 May 1991) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Beethoven interpreters of the 20th century. Early life, childhood debut, and education Serkin was born in ...

and

George Szell George Szell (; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor, composer and pianist. Considered one of the twentieth century's greatest conductors ...

Career

He was born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1861 as Robert Spitzer.Lehmann & Faber, p. 20Karl Weigl Foundation
Retrieved 28 August 2013 (He apparently returned to his birth name in 1920.)musiclexikon
Retrieved 28 August 2013 He was of Jewish descent. He studied music at the Vienna Conservatory, under Julius Epstein (

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

's teacher), Franz Krenn (teacher of Mahler and

Leoš Janáček Leoš Janáček (, 3 July 1854 – 12 August 1928) was a Czech composer, Music theory, music theorist, Folkloristics, folklorist, publicist, and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian folk music, Moravian and other Slavs, Slavic music, includin ...

) and

Anton Bruckner Joseph Anton Bruckner (; ; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer and organist best known for his Symphonies by Anton Bruckner, symphonies and sacred music, which includes List of masses by Anton Bruckner, Masses, Te Deum (Br ...

,Henry-Louis de La Grange, ''Gustav Mahler'': Volume 3. "Vienna: Triumph and Disillusion" (1904-1907), footnote 66, p. 486
Retrieved 28 August 2013 then worked as a theatre conductor (Kapellmeister) and pianist. He was a friend 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 ...

, with whom he once discussed Bruckner's

String Quintet A string quintet is a musical composition for five string players. As an extension to the string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello), a string quintet includes a fifth string instrument, usually a second viola (a so-called "viola quintet ...

. From 1885 to 1891 he edited the journal ''Neue Musikalische Rundschau''. He also wrote music criticism for newspapers such as the ''Wiener Sonn- und Montags-Zeitung'' and ''Illustriertes Wiener Extrablatt''. He taught at the Neues Wiener Konservatorium (New Vienna Conservatory), and in 1909 for a short time became its director. One of his students there was the 15-year-old

, who gained his music-teaching certificate in 1909.hansgal.com
; Retrieved 28 August 2013 It was through Robert that Gál found his ideal mentor Eusebius Mandyczewski. The conductor

's first study was the piano, under Richard Robert.Talk Classical
Retrieved 28 August 2013 Szell's first wife Olga Band was a fellow student of Robert's. They married in 1920 but divorced in 1926. Szell wrote a testimonial for Richard Robert's 60th birthday, stressing his kindness, integrity, modesty and readiness to help, aside from his musical skills.Lehmann & Faber, p. 21

started his studies with Richard Robert in 1912, when he was aged 9. This came about when he auditioned in Pilsen for Alfred Grünfeld, who was so impressed that he recommended Serkin study with Robert in Vienna. Serkin made his debut with the

Vienna Symphony The Vienna Symphony (Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ) is an Austrian orchestra based in Vienna. Its primary concert venue is the Vienna Konzerthaus. In Vienna, the orchestra also performs at the Musikverein and at the Theater an der Wien. History ...

at age 12, playing the

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include symphonie ...

's G minor Concerto, but his family refused invitations for him to tour, in favour of continuing his studies with Robert. He had at least one more lesson with Robert long after he had become an established concert pianist. The conductor Kurt Adler was initially a piano student of Robert's, and he dedicated his book ''The Art of Accompanying and Coaching'' to all the great musical influences of his life, including Professor Richard Robert. His assistants included Anka Bernstein-Landau and his former student Vally Weigl. Richard Robert also composed himself. His works include lieder, chamber music, and the opera ''Rhampsinit''. He became president of the

Wiener Tonkünstler-Verein Wiener (from German: "Viennese") may refer to: Food * A Vienna sausage of German origin, in German ''Wiener'', named after the capital of Austria * A hot dog, a cooked sausage, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a sliced bun * A P ...

(Vienna Composers' Association). He and his wife Laura had no children of their own, but acted

in loco parentis The term ''in loco parentis'', Contemporary Latin, Latin for "in the place of a parent", refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent. Originally derived from ...

to many of his young students. Richard Robert died in Kaltenleutgeben in 1924, aged 62. During the Nazi regime, Rudolf Serkin helped many people escape deportation by the Nazis; these included Robert's widow Laura Robert, but she died in Vienna before she could be brought to safety in the United States.Lehmann & Faber, p. 93

List of students

Sources

Stephen Lehmann and Marion Faber, ''Rudolf Serkin: A Life''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert, Richard 1861 births 1924 deaths 19th-century Austrian classical pianists 19th-century Austrian male musicians Austrian male classical pianists Austrian male conductors (music) Austrian music educators Piano educators Austrian music critics 20th-century Austrian conductors (music) 20th-century Austrian male musicians Austrian people of Jewish descent University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni Musicians from Vienna Austrian magazine editors 19th-century Austrian conductors (music) 19th-century Austrian composers 20th-century Austrian composers Musicians from Austria-Hungary Music critics from Austria-Hungary