Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Country

:

United Kingdom

Birth

:

July 30, 1899 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England

Death

:

March 13, 1987 in Penn, Buckinghamshire, England

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Vocal

 

Gerald Moore was a renowned British pianist and accompanist who was born on July 30, 1899, in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. He was the youngest of three children born to William Moore, a civil servant, and his wife, Alice. From a young age, Moore showed a keen interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of four. He received his early musical education from his mother, who was a talented amateur pianist. Moore's formal musical education began at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied under Tobias Matthay. He made his professional debut as a solo pianist in 1920, but it was as an accompanist that he would make his mark on the world of classical music. In 1924, he was appointed as an official accompanist at the Royal Academy of Music, a position he held for the next 25 years. Moore's reputation as an accompanist grew rapidly, and he soon became one of the most sought-after accompanists in the world. He worked with many of the leading singers of his time, including Kathleen Ferrier, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He also collaborated with instrumentalists such as Yehudi Menuhin and Pablo Casals. One of the highlights of Moore's career was his long-standing partnership with the legendary contralto Kathleen Ferrier. The two first worked together in 1947, and their collaboration lasted until Ferrier's untimely death from cancer in 1953. Their recordings of songs by Gustav Mahler and Johannes Brahms are still considered to be among the finest interpretations of these works. Moore was also a prolific recording artist in his own right, and his recordings of piano music by composers such as Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms are still highly regarded. He was particularly noted for his ability to bring out the subtleties and nuances of the music he played, and his recordings are characterized by their clarity and precision. In addition to his work as an accompanist and recording artist, Moore was also a respected teacher and author. He wrote several books on the art of accompaniment, including "The Unashamed Accompanist" and "Am I Too Loud?". He also taught at the Royal Academy of Music and gave masterclasses around the world. Moore's contributions to the world of classical music were recognized with numerous awards and honors. In 1954, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to music. He was also awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1967 and the Queen's Medal for Music in 1971. Moore continued to perform and record well into his seventies, and he remained an active and influential figure in the world of classical music until his death on March 13, 1987, at the age of 87. His legacy as one of the greatest accompanists of all time lives on, and his recordings and writings continue to inspire and educate musicians around the world.

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