Role

:

Conductor  

Birth

:

May 5, 1927 in New York City, NY

Death

:

December 9, 2012 in New York City, NY

Genre

:

Keyboard

 

Charles Rosen was an American pianist and musicologist who was born on May 5, 1927, in New York City. He was the son of Irwin Rosen, a businessman, and Anita Gerber, a pianist. Rosen began playing the piano at the age of four and showed exceptional talent from an early age. He studied with Moriz Rosenthal, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and later with Wanda Landowska, a renowned harpsichordist. Rosen made his debut as a pianist at the age of 17, performing with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Artur Rodzinski. He went on to perform with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was particularly noted for his interpretations of the works of Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin. In addition to his career as a performer, Rosen was also a respected musicologist. He earned a bachelor's degree in French literature from Princeton University in 1947 and a master's degree in musicology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1951. He later earned a doctorate in French literature from Princeton in 1951. Rosen's scholarly work focused on the music of the Classical and Romantic periods, particularly the works of Beethoven. He wrote several books on music, including "The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven" (1971), which won the National Book Award for Arts and Letters, and "Sonata Forms" (1980). He also wrote articles for scholarly journals and gave lectures on music around the world. Rosen was known for his intellectual approach to music, and his performances were often characterized by their clarity and precision. He was also known for his ability to improvise, and he often included improvisations in his performances. Throughout his career, Rosen received numerous awards and honors. In 1951, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Paris. In 1961, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He was also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society. Rosen continued to perform and write about music until his death on December 9, 2012, at the age of 85. He was remembered as one of the most important pianists and musicologists of his generation, and his contributions to the field of music continue to be celebrated today.

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