Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Legend by Abram Chasins The Van Cliburn Legend by Abram Chasins. The multi-talented American pianist, teacher, musicologist, writer on music, broadcaster and composer, Abram Chasins, studied at the , the Curtis Institute and . His major teachers included such legendary musicians as and . He later studied analysis with Tovey in London (1931). From 1926 to 1935 (or 1936), he taught at the Curtis Institute in , and later privately. For a decade beginning in 1935, he was an outstanding pianist throughout the world, appearing in solo recitals and with leading orchestras everywhere. In 1949 he married his pupil , with whom he subsequently played and recorded duo-piano works. Abram Chasins became famous for many other aspects of his musical career as well. More than one hundred of his compositions have been published, performed and recorded. As fortune would have it, he made his professional debut playing the solo part in his own Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Minor (1928) with the under Ossip Gabrilowitsch at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and, later, Carnegie Hall in . He also played his second Piano Concerto in F Sharp Minor , dating from 1931, with the Philadelphia Orchestra under . He attained an international reputation in his early 20s as a protege of Josef Hofmann. Subsequently, he became the first American composer of the younger generation to be performed by ; the great maestro chose his Parade and Flirtation in a Chinese Garden for a concert with the Orchestra. Chasins retired from the concert stage in 1946 to devote himself entirely to the musical directorship of radio station WQXR, the radio network of with which he had been affiliated since 1943. His tenure established a nationwide standard for classical music programming which has never been surpassed. Speaking of Pianists (Alfred Knopf, 1957) was Abram Chasins' first published book; it has become an international source book. Other volumes from his hand, among them The Van Cliburn Legend (Doubleday, 1959), The Appreciation of Music (Crown, 1966), Music at the Crossroads (MacMillan, 1972) and Leopold Stokowski, A Profile (Hawthorne, 1979), also won wide attention. As an adjudicator, Abram Chasins served on jury panels for the Van Cliburn and National Federation of Music Clubs Competitions, the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera auditions, the Chopin Prize and the Rachmaninoff and Leventritt Foundation awards. Abram Chasins was invited to become Musician-in-Residence at the University of Southern California, a post created specifically for him. In the course of his stay, he was honored by the City of Los Angeles for "distinguished service in transforming USC's campus 'rock station' into a strong cultural force and a nationally prominent broacasting entity" Previously, as a juror for the Cliburn Competition, he had been named an "Honorary Citizen of the State of Texas." The Van Cliburn Legend by Abram Chasins. Pianist (12-Jul-1934 — 27-Feb-2013) SUBJECT OF BOOKS. Abram Chasins; with Villa Stiles . The Van Cliburn Legend . Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co.. 1959 . 238pp. Howard Reich . Van Cliburn . Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 1993 . 428pp. AUTHORITIES. Below are references indicating presence of this name in another database or other reference material. Most of the sources listed are encyclopedic in nature but might be limited to a specific field, such as musicians or film directors. A lack of listings here does not indicate unimportance -- we are nowhere near finished with this portion of the project -- though if many are shown it does indicate a wide recognition of this individual. Abram Chasins. Abram Chasins (1903-1987) was a musical virtuoso whose talents ranged from performing to writing and whose professional relationships involved the greatest artists of this century. Born in , New York, he attended the Ethical Culture schools and undertook additional studies through the Columbia University Extension School. He studied piano with Ernest Hutcheson and composition with at the Juilliard School of Music before proceeding to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. There, he undertook further piano studies with Józef Hofmann. He became a protege of Hofmann, then dean of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, who made him a member of the Curtis faculty when Chasins was only 23. In 1931, he studied music analysis with Sir in London. Chasins' career as a pianist lasted from 1927 until 1947. He gave many solo recitals and performed with major orchestras in the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. On January 1, 1929, he made his debut playing his Piano Concerto No 1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch. From 1926 to 1935, Chasins taught piano as a member of the faculty of the Curtis Institute. He was associated with the radio station WQXR from 1941 to 1965, becoming the music director in 1946. His radio series, "Piano Pointers,” ran from 1932 to 1939, for which he used his own E flat minor Prelude as the program's theme. Judges for his school contests - in which young musicians competed against musical criteria rather than each other - included such giants as Vladimir Horowitz, Rudolf Serkin, Jascha Heifetz and a young Van Cliburn. Most of those chosen for the shows never went on to professional music careers, Chasins liked to say, but their experiences made music a lasting part of their lives. He also was exceptionally proud when the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Chicago became the Van Cliburn Fan Club in the 1950s because of those performances. "They (the broadcasts) made the music students as glamorous as the school athletes," he said, calling it one of his major accomplishments. He was the first American composer to have his works premiered by Arturo Toscanini ("Flirtation in a Chinese Garden" and "Parade" in 1931); achieved an even earlier success with "Three Chinese Pieces" in the 1920s (a piano piece de resistance used as encore material by such keyboard giants as Josef Hofmann and Josef Lhevinne) and became a teacher of such aspiring pianists as Jorge Bolet and Constance Keene (whom he married in 1949). He played four-handed piano with George Gershwin, performed for Leopold Stokowski, studied with Hofmann, and numbered Sergei Rachmaninoff among the admirers of his music. His books included "The Van Cliburn Legend," which described the young pianist's extraordinary claiming of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow; "The Appreciation of Music," "Music at the Crossroads" and "Leopold Stokowski: A Profile." He wrote for Saturday Review and the New York Times Magazine in recent years and wrote of his celebrated friends in "Speaking of Pianists" in earlier ones. His "Three Chinese Pieces," which he described as "written with all the expertise of one who had never been near the Orient," brought him acclaim from his peers, and he moved from performing to teaching - at Berkshire Center in Tanglewood at the invitation of Serge Koussevitzky. Among those listening to his lectures on Bach's "B Minor Mass" was future composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein. Chasins was honored twice by the National Federation of Music Clubs for "outstanding service to American music," in 1976 and 1951. Abram Chasins Collection. When the most versatile musicians in the history of American music are considered, Abram Chasins will surely find a prominent place on the roster. He has excelled as a composer, pianist, musicologist, author, teacher (in the both the studio and the classroom) and media administrator. Abram Chasins was born in New York City on August 17, 1903, and studied at the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute, and Columbia University. His major teachers included Ernest Hutcheson and Josef Hofmann. From 1926 to 1935, he taught at Curtis and, for a decade beginning in 1935, he was an outstanding pianist throughout the world, appearing in solo recitals and with leading orchestras everywhere. Besides his solo engagements and recordings, he also played and recorded duo-piano works with his wife, the pianist Constance Keene. Chasins became famous for many other aspects of his musical career as well. More than one hundred of his compositions have been published, performed and recorded. As fortune would have it, he made his professional debut playing the solo part in his own Piano Concerto No. 1 in F Minor (1928) with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ossip Gabrilowitsch at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and, later, Carnegie Hall in New York. He also played his second Piano Concerto in F Sharp Minor, dating from 1931, with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski. He attained an international reputation in his early 20s as a protege of Josef Hofmann. Subsequently, he became the first American composer of the younger generation to be performed by Arturo Toscanini; the great maestro chose his "Parade" and "Flirtation in a Chinese Garden" for a concert with the New York Philharmonic. Chasins retired from the concert stage in 1946 to devote himself entirely to the musical directorship of radio station WQXR, the radio network of the New York Times with which he had been affiliated since 1943. His tenure established a nationwide standard for classical music programming which has never been surpassed. "Speaking of Pianists" (Alfred Knopf, 1957; revised versions, 1961 and 1981) was Chasins' first published book; it has become an international source book. Other volumes from his hand, among them "The Van Cliburn Legend" (Doubleday, 1959), "The Appreciation of Music" (Crown, 1966), "Music at the Crossroads" (MacMillan, 1972) and "Leopold Stokowski, A Profile" (Hawthorne, 1979), also won wide attention. As an adjudicator, Chasins served on jury panels for the Van Cliburn and National Federation of Music Clubs Competitions, the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera auditions, the Chopin Prize and the Rachmaninoff and Leventritt Foundation awards. Chasins was invited to become Musician-in-Residence at the University of Southern California, a post created specifically for him. In the course of his stay, he was honored by the City of Los Angeles for "distinguished service in transforming USC's campus 'rock station' into a strong cultural force and a nationally prominent broacasting entity" Previously, as a juror for the Cliburn Competition, he had been named an "Honorary Citizen of the State of Texas." Chasins became especially well-known for his "Three Chinese Pieces" (A Shanghai Tragedy, Flirtation in a Chinese Garden, and Rush Hour in Hong Kong), originally published in 1926. A revised edition of these pieces was published by IPAM in 1990 with a preface by Constance Keene. Copies are available directly from IPAM; contact the Curator for details. Abram Chasins died in New York City on June 21, 1987. SERIES DESCRIPTION. SERIES I - MUSIC MANUSCRIPTS 1. Orchestra Piano Concertos Piano Solo Two Pianos, Four Hands Solo Voice and Piano Works Arranged by Other Persons Miscellaneous. SERIES II - PUBLISHED SCORES. Orchestra Piano Solo Two Pianos, Four Hands Solo Voice and Piano Works Arranged by Other Persons. SERIES III - SOUND RECORDINGS. Music (Discs, Tapes, and Piano Rolls) Radio Shows/Interviews (Tapes) Others. SERIES IV - WRITINGS. Books Unpublished Memoirs Radio Scripts Lecture Notes. SERIES VI - SCRAPBOOKS. SERIES VII - CORRESPONDENCE. General CorrespondenceFan Letters Condolence Letters Tribute Letters Letters to Constance Keene. SERIES IX - PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK. A.C. Formal Portraits Professional Life Family Friends & Colleagues Candid Snapshots Travel Miscellaneous. SERIES X - MISCELLANEOUS. Oversized Materials Address/Appointment Books Awards & Honors Books Referring to Chasins. 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