Beveridge Webster
Beveridge Webster (born May 13, 1908 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , † June 30, 1999 in Hanover / New Hampshire ) was an American pianist and music teacher.
Career
Webster received his first piano lessons from his father, who was the founder and director of the Pittsburgh Conservatory. In 1921 the family moved to Paris. Here Webster studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Isidore Philipp and was the first (and only) American to receive the first prize of the Conservatory in the piano subject.
He was also a student of Nadia Boulanger and Robert Casadesus at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau . Here he received a first prize in 1922. In the early 1930s he studied with Artur Schnabel in Berlin.
Webster gave concerts in Paris all over Europe since the 1920s. He was friends with Maurice Ravel and Jacques Durand , the editor of Debussy, and in 1924 played the world premiere of Ravel's Tzigane with the violinist Samuel Dushkin at the age of sixteen . During his time in Paris he also began to teach; among his disciples were Hephzibah and Yaltah Menuhin .
In 1934, Webster made his US debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Edward MacDowell's Second Piano Concerto . A few weeks later he gave his first piano recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In the following years he performed with the most famous orchestras in the USA as well as as a piano soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire comprised classical piano literature from Bach to Beethoven to the avant-garde of the 20th century. In particular, he was considered a specialist in the works of Ravel and Debussy.
He has given premieres and often premieres of works by American composers such as Elliott Carter , Roger Sessions , William Schuman , Louise Talma , Robert Helps and David Diamond and has also made first recordings of compositions by Alban Berg , Arnold Schoenberg and Igor Stravinski . On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Debussy’s death he played his entire piano works in a three-part concert series a. a. in New York and Chicago.
From 1940 to 1946 Webster taught at the New England Conservatory , then until his retirement in 1990 at the Juilliard School of Music . In addition, he worked as a visiting professor at numerous conservatories and universities in the USA and was a performing artist at the Aspen Music Festival from 1961 to 1970 . His students included Paul Jacobs and Michel Block , Thomas Schumacher , Thomas Mastroianni and Raymond Jackson .
Webster was married to the singer Frances Brown since 1940 , with whom he also appeared together. His son Michael Webster became known as a clarinetist, conductor and composer.
Web links
- Allan Kozinn : Beveridge Webster, a Pianist And a Longtime Teacher, 91. Obituary in The New York Times, July 7, 1999 (English)
- Beveridge Webster , biography and written papers in the archives of the University of Maryland (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Webster, Beveridge |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pianist and music teacher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 13, 1908 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 30, 1999 |
| Place of death | Hanover , New Hampshire |