David Saperton

David Saperton was an American pianist and music educator. He studied under August Spanuth in the United States and later followed him to Germany, where he also studied with Ferruccio Busoni. He made his debut in New York at the age of fifteen, performing Frédéric Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1.

In the years 1908–1909, Saperton performed in Europe, appearing with singer Geraldine Farrar among others. Upon returning to the United States, he concertized from 1912 to 1918 before interrupting his performing career. From 1919 to 1921, he worked in New York before moving with his family to Chicago.

Saperton's musical career received a new impulse in 1924 when he married Vanita Godowsky, the eldest daughter of the renowned pianist and composer Leopold Godowsky. Saperton mastered a significant portion of Godowsky's compositions and transcriptions, becoming arguably their sole interpreter and promoter for many years. He recorded two albums of this music (1940 and 1952), as well as a recording of Chopin's Études.

Additionally, Godowsky recommended Saperton to Josef Hofmann, who invited him to teach at the Curtis Institute of Music. Saperton worked there for over 10 years, counting Jorge Bolet, Abbey Simon, Sidney Foster, Shura Cherkassky, and Eleanor Sokoloff among his students. In 1938, Saperton was forced to leave the Curtis Institute following its director Hofmann, and he subsequently taught privately.

Connections

This figure has 1 connection in the art history graph.