Walter Gieseking facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walter Gieseking
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Gieseking on 8 October 1949
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| Born | 5 November 1895 Lyon, France
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| Died | 26 October 1956 (aged 60) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Pianist, composer |
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking (born November 5, 1895 – died October 26, 1956) was a famous German pianist and composer. He was born in France. Walter Gieseking was known for his amazing way of playing the piano. He had a very light touch, used the pedals perfectly, and could control how loud or soft the music was. He was especially famous for playing the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. He recorded all their piano pieces that existed during his life. He also recorded most of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's piano music.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Walter Gieseking was born in Lyon, France. His father was a German doctor and also studied butterflies and moths. Walter started playing the piano when he was only four years old. He learned by himself at first, without a teacher. His family traveled a lot, and he was taught at home.
From 1911 to 1916, Walter studied at the Hanover Conservatory, a music school. His main teacher there was Karl Leimer. Later, they even wrote a book together about how to play the piano.
Becoming a Concert Pianist
Walter Gieseking first performed as a concert pianist in 1915. This means he played for an audience. However, he had to join the army in 1916 during World War I. He spent the rest of the war playing in a regimental band.
After the war, his career took off. His first piano concert in London was in 1923. This performance helped him become very famous and respected.
Learning New Music
Walter Gieseking had a natural talent for playing the piano. He had perfect pitch, which means he could identify any musical note just by hearing it. He also had an amazing memory. These skills helped him learn new music very quickly, often with little practice.
He usually studied new pieces away from the piano. It was well known that he often memorized new works while traveling. He could learn an entire piano concerto by heart in just one day!
His Wide Range of Music
Gieseking played a very wide variety of music. He performed pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. He also played more modern works by composers like Ferruccio Busoni, Paul Hindemith, and Arnold Schoenberg. In 1923, he performed the first-ever concert of Hans Pfitzner's Piano Concerto.
Today, he is best remembered for his recordings of all the piano music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He also recorded almost all the solo piano music by the French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. He made these recordings in the 1950s.
Later Life and Recordings
In December 1955, Walter Gieseking was in a bus accident near Stuttgart. He suffered head injuries, and sadly, his wife was killed in the accident.
His last recording project was to record all of Beethoven's piano sonatas. He became ill in London while recording Beethoven's ”Pastoral” Sonata. He had finished most of it but died a few days later from complications after surgery. The unfinished recording was still released.
Gieseking's best performances, especially in studio recordings, were almost perfect.
Walter Gieseking as a Composer
Besides being a famous pianist, Walter Gieseking was also a composer. He wrote his own music, but his compositions were not very well known during his lifetime. He did not try to make them famous.
His Love for Butterflies
Walter Gieseking was also very interested in butterflies and moths. He spent a lot of time collecting them. His personal collection of butterflies and moths can be seen at the Natural History Collection of the Museum Wiesbaden in Germany.
Recordings
Compositions
- The Music of Walter Gieseking – Karen Hand (flute and piano), Nimbus Records, 2001
Images for kids
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Walter Gieseking (1929)
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Baronia brevicornis of the Coll. Gieseking, Museum Wiesbaden, Germany
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See also
In Spanish: Walter Gieseking para niños
