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3 unusual facts about Walter Damrosch


United States Coast Guard Band

In March 1925, the Coast Guard Band was organized with the assistance of Lt. Charles Benter, leader of the U.S. Navy Band, Dr. Walter Damrosch, conductor of the New York Philharmonic, and "American March King" John Philip Sousa, former director of the U.S. Marine Band.

Walter Damrosch

During his visit to Europe in the summer of 1886, he was invited by the Deutsche Tonkünstler-Verein, of which Franz Liszt was president, to conduct some of his father's compositions at Sondershausen, Thuringia.

Will Earhart

Earhart chaired a committee of prominent musicians consisting also of Walter Damrosch, Arnold J. Gantvoort, Oscar Sonneck and John Philip Sousa tasked with developing a singular, standard version of the Star Spangled Banner.


Antonio Pini-Corsi

He remained with the Met until 1914, appearing in numerous world premieres, including those of the Monk in Walter Damrosch's Cyrano, Happy in La fanciulla del West, the Innkeeper in Engelbert Humperdinck's Königskinder, and Mauprat in Victor Herbert's Madeline.

Ernst Victor Wolff

As a harpsichordist, on February 20, 1938 he participated in the Carnegie Hall premiere of J.S. Bach's Coffee Cantata under the direction of Walter Damrosch; the other performers on that occasion included singers Charles Kullman, Helen Jepson, and Lawrence Tibbett; flutist Frances Blaisdell; violinists Jascha Heifetz and Sascha Jacobsen; violist Leon Barzin; cellist Gaspar Cassadó; and double bassist Anselme Fortier.

George Rasely

He remained at the Met for the next 8 year, notably creating the role of Blenner Hassett in the world premiere of Walter Damrosch's The Man Without a Country on May 12, 1937 and portraying Gherardi in the United States premiere of Richard Hageman's Caponsacchi on February 4, 1937.

Johanna Gadski

In 1896 she created the role of Hester Prynne in the fully staged premiere of Walter Damrosch's opera The Scarlet Letter in Boston.


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