Richard Stöhr

Richard Stöhr (11 June 1874 – 11 December 1967) was an Austrian composer, music author and teacher.

Born in Vienna, he studied composition with Robert Fuchs at the Vienna Conservatory.

After working there as a repetiteur and choral instructor from 1900, he taught music (theory of harmony, counterpoint, form) from 1903 to 1938, being professor from 1915. Among his students were Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Serkin, Erich Leinsdorf, Samuel Barber, Erich Zeisl, Louis Horst, Marlene Dietrich, Alois Hába and Hellmut Federhofer.

He was fired from the Vienna Academy due to his Jewish heritage in 1938, emigrated to the US in 1939 and taught at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. His students there included Leonard Bernstein and Eugene Bossart. From 1941 to 1950 he taught at St. Michael's College in Vermont, where he maintained emeritus status until 1960.

He died in Montpelier, Vermont in the United States.

Richard Stöhr was born in Vienna in the same year as Arnold Schoenberg. His Jewish parents had come from Hungary. His father, Samuel Stern, was a professor of medicine at the University of Vienna. His mother, Mathilde, was a member of the Porges family (her brother was Heinrich Porges, a close associate of Richard Wagner). Stöhr had one sibling, a sister named Hedwig (birth date unknown) who died in Modliborzyce in the custody of the Nazis on January 2, 1942. He began composing at the age of six and kept a daily diary from the age of 15. He first obtained an M.D. degree (1898) but immediately entered the Vienna Academy of Music as a composition student of Robert Fuchs. At this time he also changed his name from Stern to Stöhr and converted to Christianity. In the annual summary of his diary from 1898 he wrote "This was the year the big change occurred. Herewith I have sealed the fate of my future life. Now I am a musician and I carry this responsibility seriously, consciously and without regret. At the same time came the actual change of my name to “Stöhr”, on which I had decided already in the summer. It was just the right time for this and I am glad I didn’t miss it. I am certain that in the future advantages will come from this for me." He was also helped and encouraged in his musical studies by Heinrich Porges, of whom he wrote the following in the annual diary summary of 1899: "Uncle Heinrich stayed with us as guest in the middle of September. His brief presence gave me enormous advantages, especially the ability of getting free tickets, even orchestra seats at the opera. He even introduced me to Mahler and in general did everything for me that I wished and what could only be an advantage for me. His opinion about my musical ability surprised me particularly. He emphasized my ability in counterpoint, where he is probably right."

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