Stöhr, Richard

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Stöhr, Richard

Stöhr, Richard, Austrian-American pedagogue and composer; b. Vienna, June 11, 1874; d. Montpelier, Vt, Dec. 11, 1967. He studied medicine in Vienna (M.D., 1898), but then turned to music and studied with Robert Fuchs and others at the Vienna Cons. In 1903 he was appointed instructor in theory there, and during his long tenure had many pupils who later became celebrated (Artur Rodzinski, Erich Leinsdorf et al.). In 1938 he was compelled to leave Vienna and settled in the U.S., where he taught at the Curtis Inst. of Music in Philadelphia (1939–42); then taught music and German at St. Michael’s Coll. in Winooski, Vt. (1943–50). He wrote 4 operas, 4 syms., Vermont Suite for Orch. (1954), much chamber music, and piano pieces. He publ. a popular manual, Praktischer Leitfaden der Harmonielehre (Vienna, 1909; 21st ed., 1963); also Praktischer Leitfaden des Kontrapunkts (Hamburg, 1911) and Musikalische Formenlehre (Leipzig, 1911; rev. 1933, as Formenlehre der Musik); Modulationslehre (1932).

Biblography

H. Sittner, R. S., Mensch, Musiker, Lehrer (Vienna, 1965).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire