Werba Erik

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Werba Erik

Werba, Erik, eminent Austrian pianist, teacher, composer, and writer on music; b. Baden, near Vienna, May 23, 1918; d. Hinterbrühl, April 9, 1992. He studied piano with Oskar Dachs and composition with Joseph Marx at the Vienna Academy of Music and musicology with Lach, Wellesz, and Schenk at the Univ. of Vienna (1936-40). He was active as a music critic for various newspapers (1945-65); also was on the staff of the Österreichische Musikzeitschrift (from 1952). In 1949 he commenced touring throughout Europe as an accompanist to leading singers of the day; also was a prof. of song and oratorio at the Vienna Academy of Music (from 1949). In addition to numerous articles, he publ. Joseph Marx (Vienna, 1964), Hugo Wolf oder der zornige Romantiker (Vienna, 1971), Erich Marckhl (Vienna, 1972), and Hugo Wolf und seine Lieder (Vienna, 1984). He composed a Singspiel, Trauben für die Kaiserin (Vienna, 1949), several song cycles, and chamber music pieces, among them Sonata notturna for Bassoon and Piano (1972).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire