Biographical Note
Leopold Damrosch (1832-1885), the family patriarch, was a violinist, conductor, and composer who was educated in Posen, his native city, and in Berlin. In 1857, Franz Liszt appointed him lead violinist in the court orchestra at Weimar. While there, Damrosch married the singer Helene von Heimburg. In 1860, he toured with Hans von Bülow and Karl Tausig and, in 1862, organized the Breslau Philharmonic Society. The Damrosch family immigrated to America from Breslau, Germany, in 1871, and Leopold became conductor of the Arion Society, a men's choral group. In 1873, he founded the Oratorio Society of New York and, in 1878, the Symphony Society of New York. He introduced Wagner's operas, Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, and other large choral works to New York audiences; many of these were American premieres. In 1880, Columbia College conferred on him the Doctor of Music degree. During the 1884-85 season, Damrosch became a manager of the Metropolitan Opera and presented a "German" season which consisted primarily of German operas and some Italian operas sung in German. He died six days before the end of the season, and his son Walter and chorus master John Lund conducted the remaining performances. Walter also conducted the tour of the Damrosch Grand Opera Company that followed the Metropolitan Opera season.
Frank Damrosch (1859-1937), the oldest son of Leopold and Helene, was a conductor and teacher. He began his musical studies as a child in Breslau and continued them in New York City. He moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1879 to see what business opportunities existed there. Eventually abandoning the business world, he devoted himself to music, conducting the Denver Chorus Club, supervising music in the public schools, and serving as organist and choir director for several churches and a synagogue. After his father's death in 1885, Frank returned to New York City and served as conductor of the Newark Harmonic Society and chorus master and assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera until 1891. In 1892, he organized and conducted the People's Choral Union, for which he published A Popular Method of Sight Singing. He founded and conducted the Musical Art Society of New York, a small professional chorus. From 1897 to 1905, he was supervisor of music in the New York City public schools. Frank succeeded his brother Walter as conductor of the Oratorio Society from 1898-1912. In 1904, Frank received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University. In 1905, he founded the Institute of Musical Art and was its director until 1926, when it merged with the Juilliard Graduate School to become the Juilliard School of Music. He continued to serve as dean of the school until 1933.