L. Michael Griffel
Music History and Graduate Studies Faculty

A Juilliard faculty member since 1997, L. Michael Griffel has chaired the music history department since 2005. He holds a B.A. in music theory from Yale, an M.S. in piano from Juilliard, and an M.A. in music theory and Ph.D. in historical musicology from Columbia University. He has also been on the faculties of Hunter College, CUNY Graduate School, and Mannes College of Music, and is vice president of the New York chapter of the American Beethoven Society.

Griffel, age 11, performing Moonlight Bay at a dance school in Passaic, N.J.

When did you first know you wanted to be in the field of music, and how did you come to know it?

I took my first piano lesson and my first tap-dance class when I was 6. I enjoyed tap dancing, but I was immediately passionate about the piano. My mother had to pry me away from the keyboard at dinner time.



Who was the teacher or mentor who most inspired you when you were growing up, and what did you learn from that person?

Between the ages of 9 and 16, I studied piano privately with Angela Weschler, who had headed the piano department of the Vienna Conservatory of Music before World War II and had come to New York and joined the faculty of the New York College of Music. I remember her as a woman of great beauty who taught me how magical music is and how important it is for a musician to be elegant and charming.



What was the first recording that you remember hearing or buying? What was its significance to you?

I must have been about 10 when I saw an offer in The New York Times for an LP recording of the Beethoven Fifth and the Schubert "Unfinished" for only 10 cents. I asked my father for permission to purchase it, he agreed, and this recording arrived shortly thereafter. I must have played it a hundred times, and—perhaps not coincidentally—I have spent more time on Beethoven and Schubert than on any other composers ever since.



What's the most embarrassing moment you've had as a performer or teacher?

In my sophomore recital at Yale, the first half consisted of the Bach Partita in C Minor and the Beethoven Sonata in F-sharp Major. Everything had gone splendidly, and I was one beat away from a "perfect" first half, when my left hand came crashing down on an F-natural for the final F-sharp tonic chord. The audience was palpably uncomfortable, and I turned beet red as I took my bows.



What are your non-music related interests or hobbies?

I love the theater and films, but my favorite pastime is rooting for the New York Yankees. I got hooked during the World Series of 1950: Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies. Between then and now, there haven't been many Yankee games that I didn't follow either on radio or television if I possibly could. Fortunately for me, my wife and son are equally avid fans, and so we never disagreed about what channel to watch.



If your students could only remember one thing from your teaching, what would you want it to be?

I have always stressed that, for those of us who make music or are passionately involved listeners, there is no need for any other "escape" from everyday life, no need for other palliatives. Music gives purpose to our lives and makes us eager to live another day, to get up in the morning and take advantage of life.



What is your favorite thing about New York City?

Lincoln Center and Yankee Stadium are both in my hometown. Museums, libraries, and institutions of higher learning abound.



If you weren't in the career you are in, what would you be doing?

The only other professions I ever considered were medicine and the clergy. I am very grateful, however, to Donald Currier, my piano teacher at Yale, who told me that I had at least a small chance of succeeding as a musician, which encouraged me to try my luck. And it was Martin Canin, my piano teacher at Juilliard, who suggested that I get a Ph.D. and use my talent as a pianist to enrich my academic work. I am glad I took his advice.



What CD are you listening to now?

A colleague of mine gave me a CD of the soundtrack from the film Aria. On it Leontyne Price sings two of my favorite off-the-beaten-path arias: Marietta's Lied from Korngold's Die tote Stadt and Depuis le jour from Charpentier's Louise. What an amazing voice, no matter what she sings!