Karl Haas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Haas
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Karl Haas at WJR
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| Born | December 6, 1913 |
| Died | February 6, 2005 (aged 91) |
| Occupation | Radio host, musicologist, pianist, conductor |
Karl Haas (born December 6, 1913 – died February 6, 2005) was a German-American classical music radio host. He was famous for his warm, clear speaking voice. He helped many people learn to love and understand classical music.
Haas hosted a popular radio show called Adventures in Good Music. This show was broadcast on many radio stations around the world. He also wrote a book called Inside Music. Karl Haas was a respected musicologist, which means he studied music deeply. He was also a talented pianist and conductor.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to America
Karl Haas was born in Speyer, Germany, in 1913. He studied music at the Mannheim Conservatory. He earned a special degree in music literature from Heidelberg University. He also learned to play the piano from a famous teacher named Artur Schnabel.
In 1936, Karl Haas, who was Jewish, had to leave Germany. This was because a group called the Nazis was in power and made life very difficult for Jewish people. He moved to the United States.
Haas first lived in Detroit, Michigan. Later, he lived in other places before returning to Detroit. He and his wife, Trudie, had two sons and one daughter. Trudie passed away in 1977.
Adventures in Good Music Radio Show
Karl Haas started his radio show, Adventures in Good Music, in 1959. It began on station WJR in Detroit. By 1970, the show started being broadcast across the United States. It became the most listened-to classical music radio program in the world.
The show's special opening music was from Beethoven's famous "Pathétique" Sonata. Karl Haas played this piano piece live for each program. He always started his show with his well-known greeting, "Hello everyone."
Haas received many important awards for his work. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush gave him the Charles Frankel Award. He also won the George Foster Peabody Award twice. This award is for excellent broadcasting. In 1997, he was the first classical music broadcaster to join the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Karl Haas stopped making new episodes of his show in his last two years. Recordings of his old shows continued to be broadcast until June 2007. At that time, fewer stations were carrying the show. This made it too difficult to continue broadcasting it nationally.
Most episodes of Adventures in Good Music are not available to the public. This is because his family holds the copyright. However, a few recordings have been released on cassettes and CDs. These include The Romantic Piano, The Story of the Bells, and Song and Dance.
Later Life and Passing Away
Near the end of his life, Karl Haas moved back to Detroit. He passed away on February 6, 2005, at the age of 91. He died in a hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. He was survived by his sons, Jeffrey and Andrew, and his daughter, Alyce. He also had two grandchildren.
See also
- Bill McGlaughlin
- Exploring Music
