Gimpel, Jakob

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Gimpel, Jakob

Gimpel, Jakob, esteemed Austrian-born American pianist and pedagogue, brother of Bronislav Gimpel; b. Lemberg, April 16, 1906; d. Los Angeles, March 12, 1989. He studied at the Lemberg Cons, before pursuing his training in Vienna with Steuermann (piano) and Berg (theory). After making his debut in Vienna in 1923, he gave concerts with extraordinary success in Germany until the advent of the Nazi regime forced him to go to Palestine. In 1938 he settled in the U.S. After World War II, he gave concerts on both sides of the Atlantic. He also devoted much time to teaching, and in 1971 he was made Distinguished Professor-in-Residence at Calif. State Univ. at Northridge. Gimpel was especially admired for his interpretations of the Romantic repertory.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire