Jan Chiapusso facts for kids

Jan Chiapusso (born February 2, 1890 – died August 21, 1969) was a talented classical pianist and teacher. He was born in the Netherlands but later became an American citizen. He learned from famous pianists like Frederic Lamond and Raoul Pugno. One of his most well-known students was Rosalyn Tureck, who became a very important musician herself.

About Jan Chiapusso

Jan Joseph Chiapusso was born in a place called Gemou, near Semarang, in Java. This area is now part of Indonesia, but back then it was known as the Dutch East Indies. His parents were Dutch, even though his last name, Chiapusso, sounds Italian. When he was just six months old, his family moved to Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

In 1907, Jan started studying music at the Cologne Conservatory. He finished his studies there in 1911. After that, he continued to learn from top piano teachers, including Frederic Lamond and Raoul Pugno.

His Life in America and Teaching

Jan Chiapusso came to the United States in 1916. He started giving concerts and also taught piano at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia, for a year. From 1921 to 1931, he taught at the Bush Conservatory of Music in Chicago. In 1927, he took a break to perform in Europe.

When he returned to the U.S., he taught at the University of Chicago from 1932 to 1934. Then, from 1934 until he retired in 1960, he was a professor at the University of Kansas. After retiring, he went back to performing. He gave special "Tone Picture Recitals" where he would talk about how gamelan and other types of Javanese music influenced European composers. He shared stories from his own life and what his family knew about this music.

Teaching Rosalyn Tureck

While Chiapusso was teaching at the Bush Conservatory, he had a student named Rosalyn Tureck. He taught her from 1929 to 1931. He was the first teacher to notice how incredibly talented she was at playing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He also introduced her to the unique sounds of instruments from Indonesia, Asia, and Africa.

His Love for Bach's Music

Jan Chiapusso really loved Bach's music. He even wrote a book called Bach's World. This book was published in 1968, just a year before he passed away.

He died in 1969 in Lawrence, Kansas, when he was 79 years old. His wife, Beulah C. Hollingsworth, who was a singer and music teacher, had passed away before him. They did not have any children.

Recordings and Arrangements

Jan Chiapusso made a few recordings during his career. Some of these were on special Ampico piano rolls. You can still find some of his recordings on CDs today, including:

• Frédéric Chopin, Étude in E minor, Op. 25, No. 5
• Franz Liszt, Transcendental Étude No. 8 in C minor, "Wilde Jagd"

The Liszt recording was part of a collection called "The Golden Age of Piano Virtuosi." He also created his own piano versions of some of Bach's organ and solo cello pieces.