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Joseph Bloch By AWOYE TIMPO
Renowned pianist, treasured teacher, and Juilliard professor emeritus, Joseph Bloch has made his mark on the world as an inspired artist. Whether during his solo piano performances, his numerous lectures, or his more than 40-year career as a faculty member at Juilliard, Bloch has displayed his love of music and teaching. A charming man with an elegant sense of humor, he has earned a reputation around the globe as a master teacher, graceful pianist, and phenomenal scholar. He's not a bad cook either.
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| Joseph Bloch (Photo by Peter Schaaf) |
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Bloch was born in Indianapolis on November 6, 1920. While in high school he studied with Bomar Cramer and later earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Chicago Musical College. He then moved on to Harvard University where he received his master's degree in musicology. During this time he commuted into New York City to study piano with the great Olga Samaroff.During the Second World War, Bloch was stationed at Lawry Field in Denver, where he gave informal recitals and occasionally appeared as a soloist with the Civic Symphony. In 1946, after five years of service, he was discharged as a captain.Following his military service, Bloch was appointed head of the piano department at the University of Denver. Two years later, he joined the faculty of The Juilliard School, where he would famously teach piano literature classes for more than 40 years.At a time before Juilliard had a residence hall or a Student Affairs Office, Joseph Bloch's piano classes were a place where students came together. Piano students were introduced to an exciting and complete array of classical music. His class fostered a community—among the students in the class, the piano community at large, and thus the world.Bloch made his debut at Town Hall in New York in 1950 and has since performed with numerous orchestras in the United States, Europe, and East Asia. He has traveled throughout the world, giving lecture-recitals and concerts in countries such as France, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland, and China. His recitals have included works by Scriabin, Honegger, and longtime friend, Benjamin Lees. He has recorded for Composers Recordings, Inc. performing the piano music of Robert Moevs and Jacques de Menasce, among others, and has written a monograph on Charles-Valentin Alkan.Bloch's classes at Juilliard were performance classes in which works from throughout the history of keyboard music were performed, analyzed, and discussed. A great enthusiast for music from around the world, Bloch continuously challenged his students to explore the complete range of piano music. His students include some of the most well-known and respected artists of the latter half of the 20th century.While at Juilliard, some of Bloch's most admired classes were those he taught on Mozart. In the early years of his teaching, when only a select few Mozart concertos were performed in concert halls, Bloch introduced students to the entire Mozart repertory. His insightful and expansive syllabi consequently contributed to the proliferation of the full range of Mozart's music in classical music performance.According to Juilliard alumnus and faculty member Bruce Brubaker, who took Bloch's class while a student and later took over the piano literature classes, Bloch was an extremely important figure in the culture of Juilliard. A charming and elegant man, he had an intellectual perspective on music, constantly relating the significance of music to his students and studying the importance of the art within and beyond itself. Bloch taught at the School until 1996.
Whether helping former students establish schools and music centers abroad or judging piano competitions here in the U.S., Joseph Bloch remains an idealist gentleman with a kind heart.Bloch has also taught at Indiana, Boston, and Temple Universities. An avid traveler, he has been a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong, the Universities of Ontago and Auckland in New Zealand, the University of Singapore, and the Jerusalem Music Center in Israel, among numerous others.Although no longer teaching, Bloch continues to participate actively in the music world. He is the author of books on Alkan, Debussy, and Liszt and co-author (with Peter Coraggio) of The Impromptus and Moments Musicaux for Piano on the work by Franz Schubert. He has also written a variety of scholarly articles. In 1985 he was named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French Government. On May 21 Bloch will receive Juilliard's Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
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