Biography

 

Ernst Levy (born 18 November 1895 in Basel, Switzerland, died 19 April 1981 in Morges, Switzerland) was a distinguished Swiss pianist, pedagogue, and composer.

At the age of 6 Levy gave his very first public performance with the D major Concert by Haydn. He studied in Basel with Hans Huber and Egon Petri, and later in Paris with the French virtuoso Raoul Pugno. By 1917 Ernst Levy was already teaching at the Basel Conservatory alongside Huber, and from 1917 to 1921 he was head of the piano master-class at this institute. Four years later, he set up residence in Paris, working first primarily as a pianist and teacher, he became the founder-conductor of the Choeur Philharmonique in Paris (1928).

1941 he came to the United States, where he taught at colleges such as the New England Conservatory Boston, the Bennington College in Vermont, the University of Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Brooklyn College.

He became a United States citizen but after his retirement in 1966 he returned to his native Switzerland where he spent the rest of his life. Levy died in 1981 at the age of 86.

As a composer, Ernst Levy's style is not identifiable with any school or tradition. He was a firm believer in the viability of tonality (as opposed to dodecaphony), and he constantly sought new ways of expression. Ernst Levy composed 15 symphonies (1920-1967); many choral works; chamber music; various pieces for solo instruments; etc. He was also the author of several publications about music.