Walter Trampler (August 25, 1915 – September 27, 1997) was a German musician and teacher of the

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

and

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The vio ...

. Born in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, he was given his first lessons at age six by his violinist father. While still in his youth, he played well enough to tour Europe as violist of the prestigious Strub Quartet. In the mid-1930s, he recorded with

Max Strub Karl Johannes Max Strub (28 September 1900 – 23 March 1966) was a German violin virtuoso and eminent violin pedagogue. He gained a Europe-wide reputation during his 36 years of activity as primarius of the Strub Quartet. Stations as concertmas ...

and Florizel von Reuter (violins) and

Ludwig Hoelscher Ludwig Hoelscher (23 August 19078 May 1996) was a German cellist. He played internationally as a soloist, and was well known as a chamber musician, first playing from 1932 in Elly Ney's piano trio, then in the Strub Quartet and other formations. ...

(cello) (i.e. the second formation of the Strub Quartet) and

Elly Ney Elly Ney (27 September 1882 – 31 March 1968) was a German romantic pianist who specialized in Beethoven, and was especially popular in Germany. Career She was born in Düsseldorf, where her mother was a music instructor and her father was a re ...

(piano). Later, he was principal violist of the

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has also ...

. He left the quartet and emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1939. After U.S. Army service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he returned to music, teaching, performing, and recording. He was a founding member of

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is an American organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music in New York City. It is the largest organization of its kind in the country for chamber music. CMS's home is ...

, and succeeded David Schwartz as violist of the

Yale Quartet The Yale Quartet was a string quartet based at Yale University composed of musicians in the Yale School of Music and formed and led by violinist Broadus Erle (formerly of the New Music Quartet) from the time he arrived at Yale in 1960. The Yale Qu ...

with Broadus Erle and Syoko Aki (violins) and

Aldo Parisot Aldo Simoes Parisot (September 30, 1918 – December 29, 2018) was a Brazilian-born American cellist and cello teacher. He was first a member of the Juilliard School faculty, and then went on to serve as a music professor at the Yale School of M ...

(cello).See Brahms, Piano Quintet in F minor op 34, with André Previn (piano), HMV LP ASD 2873, issued 1973. His musical interest spanned several centuries, from Baroque to 20th-century works, even inspiring

Luciano Berio Luciano Berio (24 October 1925 – 27 May 2003) was an Italian composer noted for his experimental work (in particular his 1968 composition ''Sinfonia'' and his series of virtuosic solo pieces titled '' Sequenza''), and for his pioneering wo ...

to write a piece for him. He made numerous recordings. In addition to performing extensively in Europe and the United States as a soloist and a

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small num ...

ian, he also taught many students at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most e ...

, the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on ...

, the Yale School of Music
see this
and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...

. He died in

Port Joli, Nova Scotia Port Joli is a small village located along Highway 103 on the southwest coast of Region of Queens Nova Scotia, Canada. It is about 20 miles from Liverpool, Nova Scotia, the nearest significant town, and 120 miles from Halifax, Nova Scotia, t ...

, Canada, in 1997.

References

External links

Walter Trampler papers, 1904-2005
Music Division, The New York Public Library.

another page in memoriam

1915 births 1997 deaths Musicians from Munich German classical violists German classical viola d'amore players American classical violists American classical viola d'amore players Juilliard School faculty 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American musicians 20th-century German musicians 20th-century violists {{violist-stub