Marx, Walter Burle

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Marx, Walter Burle

Marx, Walter Burle, Brazilian-American conductor, teacher, and composer; b. Sāo Paulo, July 23, 1902; d. Akron, Ohio, Dec. 29, 1990. He first studied piano with his mother, then pursued training in Rio de Janeiro with Enrique Oswald; in 1921, went to Berlin and studied piano with Kwast and composition with Rezniček. After touring as a pianist, he returned to Rio de Janeiro and was founder-conductor of its Phil. (1931–33); later appeared as a guest conductorin Europe and the U.S., conducting the N.Y. Phil, at the World’s Fair in 1939; in 1947 he was conductor of the Rio de Janeiro Opera. In 1952 he settled in Philadelphia, where he taught piano and composition at the Settlement Music School until 1977. Among his works were 4 syms., concertos, chamber music, and vocal pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire