Ernest Seitz
Encyclopedia
Ernest Joseph Seitz was a Canadian
composer
, songwriter
, pianist
, and music educator. He published some of his work under the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" because he did not wish to be associated with popular music. His most famous work is The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
, which he co-wrote with Gene Lockhart
. Some of his other notable songs include Laddie Boy (1932), When Moonbeams Softly Fall (1935), and The Sky's the Limit (1943). He retired from performance in 1945 and from teaching in 1946. For the rest of his life he served as president his of family's business, an automobile dealership in Toronto. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London
in 1954 and in 1984 Ernest Seitz Park was opened in Toronto.
, Seitz received his first musical training from A. S. Vogt in Toronto from 1903-1910. He went to Germany in 1910 where he was a pupil of Josef Lhévinne
in Berlin for four years. He had initially intended to pursue a career as a concert pianist in Europe, but the outbreak of World War I
made this impossible. He was later a pupil of Ernest Hutcheson
in New York City.
Seitz returned to Toronto in 1914 where he soon acquired a position on the music faculty of the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He continued to teach there through 1946. Among his notable pupils were Naomi Adaskin, André Asselin, Ewart Bartley, Muriel Gidley, Reginald Godden, Scott Malcolm, Adelmo Melecci, Earle Moss, Harold Packer, Charles Peaker, and Lorne Watson.
Seitz was active as a concert pianist from 1914 through 1945, being most active during the 1920s and 1930s. He made a total of 18 appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
at Massey Hall
during his career, performing major works by such composers as Bortkiewicz
, Chopin
, Anton Rubinstein
, and Tchaikovsky
.
With that orchestra he notably performed the North American premiere of Constant Lambert
's The Rio Grande
on 11 February 1930.
He performed in recitals and concerts throughout North America and was frequently heard on Canadian radio. In the United States he made solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic
, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
, and the Philadelphia Orchestra
among others. He also worked frequently as an accompanist, playing in concerts for such artists as Arthur Blight, Ferdinand Fillion, and Luigi von Kunits
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and music educator. He published some of his work under the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" because he did not wish to be associated with popular music. His most famous work is The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise
"The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" is a popular ballad with lyrics by Gene Lockhart and music by the concert pianist Ernest Seitz, who had conceived the refrain when he was 12. Embarrassed about writing popular music, Seitz used the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" when the song was first published...
, which he co-wrote with Gene Lockhart
Gene Lockhart
Eugene "Gene" Lockhart was a Canadian character actor, singer, and playwright. He also wrote the lyrics to a number of popular songs.-Early life:...
. Some of his other notable songs include Laddie Boy (1932), When Moonbeams Softly Fall (1935), and The Sky's the Limit (1943). He retired from performance in 1945 and from teaching in 1946. For the rest of his life he served as president his of family's business, an automobile dealership in Toronto. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1954 and in 1984 Ernest Seitz Park was opened in Toronto.
Life
Born in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Seitz received his first musical training from A. S. Vogt in Toronto from 1903-1910. He went to Germany in 1910 where he was a pupil of Josef Lhévinne
Josef Lhévinne
Josef Lhévinne was a Russian pianist and piano teacher.Joseph Arkadievich Levin was born into a family of musicians in Oryol and studied at the Imperial Conservatory in Moscow under Vasily Safonov...
in Berlin for four years. He had initially intended to pursue a career as a concert pianist in Europe, but the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
made this impossible. He was later a pupil of Ernest Hutcheson
Ernest Hutcheson
Ernest Hutcheson was an Australian pianist, composer and teacher.Hutcheson was born in Melbourne, and toured there as a child prodigy. He later travelled to Leipzig and entered the Leipzig Conservatorium at the age of fourteen to study with Carl Reinecke and Bernhard Stavenhagen, a pupil of Franz...
in New York City.
Seitz returned to Toronto in 1914 where he soon acquired a position on the music faculty of the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He continued to teach there through 1946. Among his notable pupils were Naomi Adaskin, André Asselin, Ewart Bartley, Muriel Gidley, Reginald Godden, Scott Malcolm, Adelmo Melecci, Earle Moss, Harold Packer, Charles Peaker, and Lorne Watson.
Seitz was active as a concert pianist from 1914 through 1945, being most active during the 1920s and 1930s. He made a total of 18 appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
at Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
during his career, performing major works by such composers as Bortkiewicz
Sergei Bortkiewicz
Sergei Bortkiewicz was a Ukrainian-born Russian Romantic composer and pianist.-Early life:Sergei Eduardovich Bortkiewicz was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine on 28 February 1877 in Polish noble family and spent most of his childhood on the family estate of Artëmovka, near Kharkiv...
, Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
, and Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
.
With that orchestra he notably performed the North American premiere of Constant Lambert
Constant Lambert
Leonard Constant Lambert was a British composer and conductor.-Early life:Lambert, the son of Russian-born Australian painter George Lambert, was educated at Christ's Hospital and the Royal College of Music...
's The Rio Grande
The Rio Grande (Lambert)
The Rio Grande is a work by Constant Lambert, for alto, choir, piano, brass, strings and a percussion section of 15 instruments, needing five players. It was written in 1927, and achieved instant and long-lasting popularity on its appearance on the concert stage in 1929...
on 11 February 1930.
He performed in recitals and concerts throughout North America and was frequently heard on Canadian radio. In the United States he made solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, and the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
among others. He also worked frequently as an accompanist, playing in concerts for such artists as Arthur Blight, Ferdinand Fillion, and Luigi von Kunits
Luigi von Kunits
Luigi von Kunits was an Austrian conductor, composer, violinist, and pedagogue. He was the founding conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1922....
.
External Links
- Sheet music for "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise", Chappell-Harms, 1919.