Walter Morse Rummel

Walter Morse Rummel(July 19, 1887 – May 2, 1953) was a prominentpianist,especially associated withClaude Debussy's works, as well as a composer and music editor. He was ofGerman-Englishdescent and active mainly inFrance.

Rummel was born inBerlintoFranz Rummeland Cornelia "Leila" Morse Rummel. His father was from a prominent family of German musicians, and his mother was a daughter of telegraph inventorSamuel Morse.He studied piano withLeopold Godowskyand composition withHugo Kaun,before moving toParisin 1908. On his way to Paris he metIgnacy Jan Paderewskiin Switzerland, who called some of his piano compositions "not far from masterpieces" and invited him to stay for a year as a pupil; Rummel however turned down the invitation and continued to Paris. While in Paris he metClaude Debussyand became a leading interpreter and proponent of Debussy's piano compositions. He died inBordeauxin 1953.

In addition to his own performances and compositions, Rummel had an interest in preserving and arranging earlier music. He edited several volumes of early music, and published pianoarrangementsoforganworks byBachandVivaldi,as well as four books of piano arrangements ofcantatamovements of Bach.

References

• Nicolas Slonimsky,ed. (1958)."Rummel, Walter Morse".Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians(5th ed.). p. 1390.
• Omar PoundandRobert Spoo(1988). "Appendix 1: Walter Morse Rummel".Ezra Pound and Margaret Cravens: A Tragic Friendship, 1910-1912.Duke University Press. pp. 151–158.ISBN0-8223-0862-2.

Further reading

• Timbrell, Charles (2005).Prince of virtuosos: a life of Walter Rummel, American pianist.Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press.ISBN0-8108-5139-3.OCLC54907022.
• Timbrell, Charles (2015). "Walter Rummel, an American Pianist in Wartime Belgium".Revue belge de Musicologie / Belgisch Tijdschrift voor Muziekwetenschap.69.Societe Belge de Musicologie: 257–268.JSTOR24752455.

External links

• Free scores by Walter Morse Rummelat theInternational Music Score Library Project(IMSLP)
• "Walter Rummel plays Liszt Liebestraum no. 3 (1942 rec.)".YouTube.pianopera. August 12, 2011.
• "Walter Rummel plays Liszt Legend No.2 St. Francis of Paolo Walking on the Waves".YouTube.hotuttoio69. April 28, 2012.(Radio Suisse Romande,1948)
• "Walter Rummel plays Brahms Waltz in A flat op.39 n.15".YouTube.hotuttoio69. July 3, 2012.(Rec.: 1931)