Eduard Zuckmayer

Eduard Zuckmayer (3 August 1890 in Nackenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany – 2 July 1972 in Ankara, Turkey) was a German pedagogue, composer, conductor and pianist. He was the older brother of the famous German writer Carl Zuckmayer (1896–1977).

He was born as the first son of the wealthy factory owner Carl Zuckmayer (1864–1947) who produced Tamper-evident caps for whine bottles in Nackenheim which is a whine-growing village on the Rhine front. The parents of his mother Amalie Zuckmayer (1869–1954), née Goldschmidt, were converted from Judaism to Protestantism whereas he was raised as a Catholic. From the age of six he got piano lessons. His talent was recognised early. In the age of twelve he started to compose. However, he started to study jurisprudence but soon quit. In 1909 he took private piano lessons from Robert Kahn (1865–1951) and James Kwast (1852–1927) in Berlin. He also attended the conductor's school of Fritz Steinbach (1855–1916) and became a piano pupil of Lazzaro Uzielli (1861–1943) at Conservatory in Cologne. In 1914 he got concert level as pianist and conductor.

In 1915 he was a conductor at City theatre in Mainz. He and his younger brother volunteered as soldiers in World War I. He got severely wounded and was decorated twice with an Iron cross 2nd class and later with an Iron cross 1st class. Between 1919 and 1925 he lived in Frankfurt where he for instance performed Paul Hindemith's sonata in D for violin and piano op. 11, No. 2. He worked as a music teacher, conductor and pianist. In 1923 he became co-founder of Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (= Society of New Music) in Mainz and Wiesbaden. From 1923 to 1925 he also led a piano class at Mainz conservatory. At that time he was regarded as a brilliant concert pianist with a high chance for a marvellous career. But as an enthusiast of German Jugendmusikbewegung (= Youth Music Movement) he wanted to participate in the education of a new generation as a countermovement to the tattered political situation at Weimar Republic. He wanted music to be a part of many people's life. In contrary to middle-class culture Jugendmusikbewegung enhanced the status of amateur music.

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