Bruce Hungerford facts for kids

Bruce Hungerford (born November 24, 1922 – died January 26, 1977) was a talented Australian pianist. For most of his career, he was known as Leonard Hungerford.

Early Life and Name Change

Bruce Hungerford was born in Korumburra, Victoria, Australia. His birth name was actually Leonard Sinclair Hungerford. He later shared that his parents thought about naming him Bruce. However, because he was a very small baby, they felt he didn't quite fit the strong name of "Bruce," which was linked to a famous Scottish king. His grandfather, who was Scottish, also agreed that he wasn't a "Bruce" at birth. So, he was named Leonard. It wasn't until 1958, when he was 35 years old, that he officially changed his professional name to Bruce Hungerford.

Musical Journey

Bruce started playing piano at a young age. When he was 12, he began studying at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium. His teacher was Roy Shepherd, who had learned from a famous pianist named Alfred Cortot.

At 17, Bruce won a special scholarship to continue his studies. By the time he was 20, he made his first big performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 1940, he even played on the radio station 3UL, performing pieces by Brahms and Liszt. A newspaper called The Argus praised his playing in 1944, saying he had made great progress and showed deep understanding of the music.

Learning from Masters

Bruce Hungerford continued to learn from many great musicians. He studied briefly with Ignaz Friedman in Sydney. The conductor Eugene Ormandy was very impressed by Bruce's playing and suggested he study with Olga Samaroff in Philadelphia.

He also received advice from the famous pianist Myra Hess. She suggested he learn from Carl Friedberg, who Bruce felt was the perfect teacher for him. Following advice from Olga Samaroff (who had passed away), Bruce moved to Germany in 1958. He wanted to become a well-known concert pianist in Europe. This is when he decided to change his name to Bruce Hungerford for his career. In 1960, he was credited as Bruce Hungerford for recording the piano works of Richard Wagner.

Recording and Legacy

In 1967, Bruce Hungerford was asked by Maynard and Seymour Solomon, who started Vanguard Records, to record all the piano music by Beethoven. Bruce then moved to the United States. He balanced a busy concert schedule with teaching at the Mannes College of Music.

Sadly, Bruce Hungerford's recording project was never finished. On January 26, 1977, in New York City, he died at the age of 54 in a car accident. His mother, niece, and her husband also passed away in the same accident.

Even though he died young, Bruce Hungerford left behind many recordings. He recorded nine albums of Beethoven's music. He also recorded music by Brahms, Chopin, and Schubert for Vanguard Records. Additionally, he recorded Wagner's piano works for the Eterna label.

Other Interests

Beyond music, Bruce Hungerford had other fascinating hobbies. He was very interested in palaeontology, which is the study of ancient life through fossils. He studied this at Columbia University and the Museum of Natural History in New York.

He also loved Egyptology, the study of ancient Egypt. Bruce was a skilled photographer, and his interest in Egypt led him to make six research trips there. His first trip was in 1961, when he worked as a photographer for an NBC expedition along the Nile River.