Charles Hambitzer Music Manuscripts, circa 1910-1918 Span: 1910-1918 English collection 2 ft. 2 boxes Charles Hambitzer was born in Beloit, Wisconsin (his birth year is variously given as 1878 or 1881) to a musical family. His great-grandfather was a violinist at the Russian court and his father owned a music store in Milwaukee. After studying with Julius Albert Jahn and Hugo Kaun, Hambitzer played in the orchestra of the Arthur Friend Stock Company, and taught piano, violin, and cello at the Wisconsin Conservatory. In 1908, he moved to New York City, where he joined Joseph Knecht's orchestra at the Waldorf-Astoria, frequently appearing as a piano soloist. At the same time, he opened a music studio on the Upper West Side, and among his many pupils was the fourteen-year-old George Gershwin, who began his studies with Hambitzer in 1912. In 1914, Hambitzer's wife died of tuberculosis, and in 1918 he succumbed to the same disease, exacerbated by an emotional breakdown. It has been widely suggested that his death caused the young Gershwin to abandon his own budding career as a concert pianist. Orchestral scores and parts; piano-vocal scores Charles Hambitzer Music Manuscripts, Music Division, Library of Congress Hambitzer, Charles Music manuscripts of Charles Hambitzer Researchers wishing to work with special collections are advised to inquire in advance about availability of material since many special collections are stored off-site. Certain restrictions to use or copying of materials may apply. American Musical Theater Orchestra Hambitzer, Charles ML31.H36 Performing Arts Encyclopedia scdb Music Division, Library of Congress http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu009016 IHAS 121001 loc.natlib.scdb.200033552