Walter Bricht

Walter Bricht (September 21, 1904 – March 20, 1970) was an Austrian-American pianist, composer and teacher. Early life Born in Vienna, Bricht was exposed to multiple musical influences from his youth. His father, , was a music critic for the , a newspaper in Vienna. His mother, was a concert singer and pianist, and became his first teacher. His talent was recognized early on. Bricht received his first piano lesson at age four and began composing piano pieces and songs by age twelve. He was educated at the Vienna Academy for Music, graduating in 1928 with degrees in composition, conducting and piano. Bricht was a student of famed composer Franz Schmidt. Career and personal life Upon the completion of his education at the Vienna Academy, Bricht taught at the Vienna Volkskonservatorium from 1931 to 1938. From 1934 to 1938, he also taught voice, piano, and composition at the Horak-Schulen in Vienna. As a composer, he was prolific during this period, writing the majority of his works, and hearing many of them publicly performed. In 1938, Bricht was forced to leave Austria, because the Nazi regime had discovered that he had Jewish-born grandparents. He was offered “honorary Aryan status”