UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #756
KARP, HOWARD

KARP, Howard (1929-2014)
Emeritus Professor of Music 
At UW: 1972-2000

Interviewed: 2006	
Interviewer: Robert Lange
Length: 3 hours, 33 minutes

Background. Introduction of music in his life, first piano teacher. The Depression.  Influential performances in his life: Horowitz, Rachmoninoff, etc. Influential teachers, Jack Radunsky and Rosina Lhevinne. Oberlin conservatory of music and Juilliard School of Music. Various concerts and competitions Karp performed in. His repertoire. Teaching at the Universities of Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Working with his son Parry. Fulbright to Vienna. Karp family annual concert. His favorite composers. 

First Interview Session (April 11, 2006): Tapes 1-3

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:40	Born in Chicago, October 12, 1929. First child to a very young mother. Happy home, music in the home through his mother with the piano. Piano lessons with the same teacher who taught his mother. 

00:02:39	Visiting his grandparents and introduced to the violin, most fantastic thing he had seen. Despite enthusiasm for violin at age 4 or 5, his mother did not get lessons for him for violin.

00:04:05	The Depression's affect on his family. His father was in private business, bakery supply, all their money went into the business. They did not suffer from the depression and the success of the business increased over the years. HK was relatively untouched. Parents cautious in spending.

00:05:05	HK knew it was the depression because they were the only house on the block, nothing but prairie around them, building had just stopped. Remained that way until after the war was  over. 

00:06:02	A working farm across the street, completely unmechanized. Plow pulled by a horse. WPA men came to cut weeds with their tool and paid in cash. HK heard all of their different language. Remembers the caps that they war.  

00:07:42	Ball playing in the streets. HK had a very normal childhood. 

00:08:31	Describes piano lessons, his teacher was very strict and "hard boiled". His teachers name was Isadore Buchhalter. HK did not make rapid progress on the piano, studied for an entire year without a piece of music. 

00:11:01	Piano teacher had a class every month- very great piano players. This inspired HK and helped to motivate him. Some of them went on to study with some of the great pianists. Overnight HK developed an interest in what music could do for him. 

00:12:32	HK did not play anything until he was 10 years old, piece was called a “Little Piece of Nothing” in French. Played it very well and stunned his teacher. 

00:13:50	HK was sent to summer camp in northern Wisconsin, very competitive. Everything was harnessed to competition. Decided he could play a piece for the effort of his team at a talent night. No time to practice. He won first prize for his playing. Gave renewed vigor.

00:17:25	HK had the same piano teacher from the time he began until he went away to college. Feels the teacher never forgave him when he went away to school, a very possessive and domineering teacher. 

00:18:35	A few years into his piano lessons, HK began to go to concerts. Most memorable was going to hear Vladimir Horowitz in 1941. HK talks about the record player his parents bought while he was away at camp. After he heard the great artists he fell in love with music. Exposure to music was the effort of his mother.

00:20:33	HK has a younger sister, not musical but artistic. She never took art lessons, regrets it. Describes sister's playing ability, the lessons were so negative that she never had a piano in her house. 

00:22:10	In the early 1940s HK moved into high school. Attended public school. Reunion of the grade school. 

00:23:52	Influences in high school. HK studied theory privately with composer Felix Borowski. He was the music critic for the Chicago Sun. Had HK compose music and then would transform it into something better. HK feels privileged that Borowski gave him lessons. Prepared him well for college. 

00:25:40	The best thing was getting into practice of going to hear music.

00:26:05	HK's chemistry teacher, had a Ph.D., really enjoyed studying chemistry. Also enjoyed History and German. 

00:26:49	HK was chosen to learn the double bass in a training orchestra in high school. Enjoyed learning it but feels he was chosen only because he was tall. Never performed it in public; under the influence of his piano teacher who only wanted him to participate in musically activities in which he was in charge. 

00:27:55	Competition to play at the high school graduation ceremony. Auditions and HK was chosen to play. Double bass teacher was angry that HK could play the piano but never volunteered or did anything musically at the school. HK had no time for extra activities, always practicing. Did not leave a good impression on the teacher. 

00:29:40	End of side. 

Tape 1/Side 2

00:30:10	HK, in high school, was hoping that he would be able to achieve a career in music, but knew it would be difficult and he was not guaranteed to succeed. After he heard Horowitz perform he knew he wanted to be a pianist from then on. 

00:31:05	HK knew very little about college level teaching of piano as neither of his parents had gone to college. 

00:32:15	Hearing the giants inspired him to keep motivated and keep playing. HK attended Oberlin, which had a concert series and he would go to Cleveland. 

00:33:10	His parents did not have tickets to the Chicago Symphony, he would just go with his mother.

00:33:28	HK's father was always late picking him up. After hearing Rachmaninoff, waiting for his father to come, Rachmaninoff came up from the artist's room, nothing on his face to express exuberance from his performance, looked very sad. Could tell he was a very sick man.

00:35:05	History of Rachmaninoff. Physical description and how he would get into a cab. HK lists the pieces that Rachmaninoff played during the concert. 

00:39:57	HK describes the movement from high school to Oberlin. Time of doubt about his abilities. His father wanted him to join him in the family business. A family friend suggested Oberlin. May before the fall semester began, HK went for an audition. 

00:42:13	Major professor was very influential, graduate of University of Wisconsin in philosophy, Jack Radunsky. HK was supposed to study with the director, a feather in one's cap. In 1947, accepted into the Conservatory of Music and took some liberal arts courses. 

00:43:50	The director was ill and all of his students were given to Radunsky. HK knew of him, his mother went to high school with him. HK gives some background on Radunsky. Background on Radunsky. 

00:47:52	HK gives a definition of a true musician. 

00:49:10	Talks about how Radunsky helped to correct his bad habits. Describes how bad habits form in young musicians. HK had to be taught to correct his bad habits of technique. 

00:50:52	HK talks about the fund that he set up in Radunsky’s name here at Wisconsin. Radunsky did teach at UW for a semester at a time when others were ill and in the summers, after his retirement from Oberlin. 

00:53:05	Radunsky asked HK to play for the class after all year he had not played. Told him he was going to play with someone else, Frances. HK played first and she played far better than him.  The story of how he met his wife. Married 54 years. 

00:56:05	Describes the progression of the career of a music major: high school teaching or recitalist. At Oberlin, if you had a major in an instrument you had to have a minor in another instrument. Most pianist chose organ, HK envied the string instrument players. Decided to try the cello. HK’s son, Parry, is a cellist and worked here at Madison. His younger son, Christopher, was trained as a violinist, but the piano is a great need in his life.

00:59:56	End of tape. 

Tape 2/Side 1

01:00:25	HK describes more about his experience with the cello, has not kept up with it but did help his son. 

01:00:50	HK explains how the cello and piano are different in terms of playing experience. 

01:01:20	Helping his son as much as he could until his son had advanced past his own experience. Passing down of the cello.

01:02:20	Building his repertoire at Oberlin, but worked more on the physical aspects of playing the piano at first. Korean War: fear of being drafted. 

01:03:23	Competition, one requirement was an American piece. In New York at the Naumburg competition, he made it to the finals but he did not win. Good learning experience. 

01:06:57	Entered the same competition again as a grad student at Julliard; he did not make it past the first round. Tried once more but only made it to the semi-finals, retired from competition after this. 

01:09:15	Decision to study at Julliard after graduating from Oberlin. One pianist that had come to Oberlin, HK loved his playing and found out he had studied with Joseph Lhevinne. Background on Lhevinne. 

01:11:15	David Stimer, the pianist he admired that had come to Oberlin to play. HK wanted to study with Lhevinne’s wife. Mrs. Rosina Lhevinne taught and was equally as talented as her husband. HK, very naive, did not even write a letter asking to be her student, just assumed it would be okay. 

01:13:50	More information on Julliard, HK was there 2 years. Explains getting a degree. After graduation both he and his wife got jobs teaching at a music school in Yakima, Washington.

01:15:00	Marriage, wife was a year ahead of HK in school, was taking courses at Julliard. Married before his second year at Juilliard.

01:15:55	HK evaluates his experience at Juilliard. Talks more about Mrs. Lhevinne. Van Cliburn, fellow student, partnership with Mrs. Lhevinne. Confidence from Juilliard. 

01:18:05	Discussion of Van Cliburn. HK talks about the Tchaikovsky competition from 1958, relationship between the US and USSR as it pertains to Cliburn winning the competition.  

01:22:40	HK was able to hear other students play in the studio, invaluable to him. Importance and challenge of gaining the approval of one’s peers. 

01:23:30	Finishing at Juilliard in the spring of 1953, looking for a college position. Really wanted to be a performer but also wanted to teach. 

01:24:30	University of Kentucky had a position available but HK had already signed a contract in Washington. HK taught in a small music school in Yakima, Washington. 

01:26:05	When he eventually went to the University of Kentucky, they brought both of their pianos and have had 2 ever since.

01:26:50	HK really enjoyed working with smaller children but not what he wanted to do all his life. Learned a lot about teaching. Career of 47 years teaching. 

01:27:55	End of side. 

Tape 2/Side 2

01:28:25	HK decided to leave Yakima and tried to find a college level position in the west. If he had not found a position he would have gone to get his doctorate. 

01:30:05	HK discusses the reputation of Eastman. HK contacted University of Kentucky to see if they still had a position open. Flew down for an interview. More discussion on his life in Yakima.

 01:31:52	Description of colleagues, one from Berlin, a Russian violinist from the University of Washington. Not isolated while there from the music world. Concert series they put on, scenery, they do not consider it a waste of a year.

01:33:50	HK and his wife move to Kentucky. The audition at Kentucky. What they wanted to know, repertoire, past, chamber experience, etc. Lexington a great place to be, playing music with local doctors that loved to play music. 

01:37:00	Kentucky hired HK for a 100% teaching job. Sometimes would teach in the summer others not. There for 8 years with one year on sabbatical. Library on campus.

01:39:10	Always enjoyed working as a pianist, satisfaction of learning music. 

01:39:40	Discusses the talent of the students on campus. HK can only think of one student who took his talent to the professional level. 

01:42:00	It was not difficult for HK to work with students who were not the most talented because he never had taught the top students. 

01:42:35	Started his family in Kentucky, both sons are natives of Kentucky. 

01:43:00	Story about a student from Brooklyn at the University of Illinois. 

01:43:50	HK discusses his colleague Marvin Rabin. Rabin had a lot to do with HK’s career. Rabin’s background and career. 

01:46:38	HK played regularly while in Kentucky, faculty recitals and played around the state. 

01:47:14	Bach, Mozart, Schubert were his favorite composers at that time. Schubert is his favorite overall. Explains why he likes Schubert. HK really enjoyed expanding his repertoire.

01:48:47	Playing chamber music was very enjoyable for HK, did not play much growing up. He and his wife practiced a lot of chamber music, duets and duos.  

01:50:10	Describes the repertoire of four hand playing. History of size. More about Schubert and his four hand pieces. 

01:53:15	Race issues of living in Kentucky, southern aspects of community. HK did not really experience or witness anything, a peaceful community. Activities of the black students on campus, university was integrated. 

01:55:40	Valued his time in Kentucky. Never had a position in a big city such as Chicago. Sabbatical in Vienna: lived like kings because the dollar was so high. 

01:56:40	Transition from professor to Fulbright student. Difference in European studying from American, difference in lesson style. Story about professor in Vienna. 

01:58:20	Applied for sabbatical while at Kentucky. 

01:58:35	End of tape. 

Tape 3/Side 1

00:00:15	HK describes applying for Fulbright. The same year he went, a colleague also in the music department received a Fulbright to Vienna. 

00:01:00	Had always dreamed of going to Vienna, all of the great things that have come from there and seeing the houses of the great artists. Beethoven’s house specifically full of impact as well as those of Mozart, Schubert, and Haydn. 

00:03:00	HK went to Vienna in 1961, with wife and young children. 

00:03:30	Younger son’s experience a Catholic kindergarten. Afraid of the nuns. Tells about his teacher and that she became a cloistered nun after they left. 

00:04:05	HK talks about the cloistered convent at Dachau that is on the former sight of a concentration camp. Describes going to see her in 1982, and performing, with Frances, a concert for the cloistered community there. 

00:06:02	When HK was in Vienna the first time, he mainly studied and went to concerts. Describes the people in Vienna. 

00:07:20	HK’s children introduced many of their classmates to opera, the natives thought it was just for foreigners. 

00:08:30	At this time, Vienna was very culturally rich. HK discusses what it would have been a decade earlier, boss’s story about ruins from bombs. The reconstruction of the opera house. 

00:10:35	HK enjoyed the life in Vienna, goes into more detail. 

00:11:05	At the end of the year, HK had to write about his experience. Received half of his salary but had a very comfortable life there. Talks about his gardener neighbor. 

00:12:05	Treatment of foreigners in Vienna. Idea of domain, and keeping one’s domain. 

00:13:37	Return to Kentucky in 1961. HK describes the friend he met in Vienna, Hungarian violinist Paul Rolland, who worked at the University of Illinois. Told him about piano positions at Illinois. 

00:16:20	Auditioned for Illinois a year in advance. Kentucky was a bottom ranked school generally and Illinois was much higher. More opportunities at Illinois. Knew he would have to prove himself at Illinois.

00:18:15	HK was advanced very fast at Illinois for tenure and full professor status. 

00:19:17	Illinois years were very crucial, high standards of colleagues. No one had a doctorate. Colleagues passed judgment very ruthlessly. Hard to secure a doctorate at Illinois. 

00:20:35	Most distinguished piano colleague, Malcolm Bilson, had just received his master’s. HK and Bilson very close friends. Bilson left Illinois to go to Cornell. Developed Ph.D. program in musicology and brought in many talented musicians from all over. HK talks about Bilson’s retirement celebration. 

00:23:52	Colleagues set a very high bar, very critical but HK was comfortable with this. Had given no thought to pursuing a doctorate at this point. After Malcolm left, the campus was less stimulating. HK received a call from Wisconsin, felt he was needed here. 

00:25:40	HK gives some background on the music, specifically piano, program at Wisconsin. Changes on the Illinois campus made it less interesting. In 1972, the program at Wisconsin was not as developed as the one at Illinois 10 years earlier.

00:27:25	The less developed program at UW was a bit difficult for HK at first and he had doubts about whether he wants to leave. Felt there was a need for him at UW. 

00:28:32	Fear of having students not as talented as those he had at Illinois.

00:28:53	Influx of Asian students to UW greatly changed the face of HK’s classes. More Asian students than Caucasian students. 

00:30:05	Discusses the education of his cellist son, Parry, the universities and programs he participated with. Hungarian quartet. 

00:31:20	End of side. 

Tape 3/Side 2

00:31:35	HK’s son being his colleague at UW made the transition seamless, son taught him many things. 

00:32:20	UW’s reason for hiring HK, school had lost a distinguished pianist and felt the need for a replacement. At first he was disappointed in the talent level but it got better year after year. Colleagues more low key. 

00:34:49	Gunnar Johansen was at the end of his tenure here when HK came to UW. HK had a great respect for him. Reserved time to go to his class to hear Gunnar play. Background on Gunnar. 

00:37:52	HK, still expanding his repertoire, met a composer through younger son, Joel Hoffman, who has written 2 trios for them. Played during the labor day program. Now Hoffman is writing a piece for the whole family, “Karptet”. 

00:39:05	HK was very ill in 2004-2005, grateful to be able to play again. Devotion of wife and doctor son helped tremendously. 

00:40:32	Development and expansion of the Karp family annual concert. Talks about son Parry joining string quartet and receiving master’s degree. Discusses faculty concert tradition at Oberlin. Inspired him to develop a concert similar to the ones at Oberlin, was not meant to be annual but became so. HK felt Labor Day was the perfect time. This year will make number 30. 

00:43:35	The concert are all different, no repetition. Try to have a variety of music, granddaughters have taken a part, pieces of Shakespeare performed by them. Publicity came with number 10. Very proud of the concerts. 

00:47:04	HK has no regrets about moving from Illinois to Wisconsin.

00:47:30	HK has had no students who went on to a worldwide career, but has had many that went on to do what he does, performing and teaching. 

00:48:16	Most of his Asian students went on to full time or part time positions mainly in Korea. Talks about difficulty of getting a job in Korea for piano teachers. 

00:49:45	Change in quality of students, gotten only better over the years. HK attributes this to more graduate scholarship money, yet little funding for undergraduates exists.  Distinguished pianist Christopher Taylor is a definite draw. 

00:50:30	Second sabbatical to Vienna, enjoyed it so much the first time that he could not wait to go back. Did not study officially with a teacher, had a tour in Europe instead. Received wonderful reviews which lead to more performances in Europe. 

00:52:25	HK describes the concert series, pieces played, etc. 

00:53:20	When HK retired, a former student produced a 2 record album of his soloist playing over the years. 

00:53:45	HK was nervous before the concert series, people gave out tickets so he basically payed for the tour. Did not have a true manager. Because of the concerts HK was asked to play with the Amsterdam philharmonic orchestra and the Hagus Residencie Orchestra. 

00:56:50	HK describes the playing experiences that came about because of his concert series in Europe. Invited to play in Asia. Thankful he can still play. 

00:57:36	End of tape. 

Second Interview Session (April 18, 2006): Tape 4

Tape 4/Side 1

00:00:20	Observations of the music school in 1972, was called a music school but did not have its own administration. It was more of a department. School was improving. 

00:02:05	Feeling of inferiority among the faculty. Some faculty did not encourage students to pursue the new applied music doctorate.  HK was encouraging toward this.

00:03:25	Director of the school when HK came, Bruce Benward. Discusses the previous director and the tragic situation surrounding him. 

00:05:10	John Schaffer is the director now, HK generally praises the directors of the school and all they have done to improve the school of music. 

00:06:00	HK talks about being retired and looking back at their relationship to the school. 

00:06:52	The school means a great deal to HK today and tries to participate as much as possible by going to concerts, etc. Others do not have anything to do with the school after retirement. 

00:07:42	HK has always been impressed by the dedication of the small ensembles here. An exciting aspect of coming here was the fact that Wisconsin had a string quartet in residence, made the transition easier. All doubts disappeared. 

00:09:30	Most ensembles here received credit for their work, somewhat unusual. 

00:10:10	Able to expand his repertoire at UW because of being asked to play with the University Orchestra, did not happen at other schools. Last performance as faculty member was with this orchestra.

00:11:30	HK discusses the decline of quality in training music teachers. Piano’s contribution to music curricula in the recent years, Jessica Johnson. Distinguished teaching award. 

00:13:55	Discusses having more applied music majors than music education. Building of the doctorate program within the school. 

00:15:05	The school of music as a conservatory. The difficult period for the school, 1980s. Led by someone with an attitude that they were not use to. Felt that they were not treated with the respect they deserved, treated like school children. 

00:17:30	Awarding of the directorship, always someone with a full-time job. The school cannot afford someone from outside. Always had a core of wonderful students.

00:19:12	Outreach to the alumni by the school of music, concerts. HK experience with this through the quartet. 

00:20:50	HK being on faculty with his son, Parry. Learned so much from each other, together for 24 years. Parry’s job at the University of British Columbia. Irving Shain saved the quartet, school of music feels indebted to him. Chancellor Wiley has only encouraged the school. 

00:24:13	Interviewer Robert Lange shares a story about HK’s son Parry. His laugh.

00:26:17	Observations on his love of music. Chopin’s music has meant so much to him, beauty of pieces. Goes into detail about various composers, Tchaikovsky: brought him to music, but does not need the music as much as he did before. 

00:29:10	Continuously studies. George Enescu, Romanian composer: knew the complete works of Bach except for one volume. Never forgot a piece he learned. 

00:30:38	HK describes Leon Kirchner an American favorite he enjoys. HK likes to explore new music, byways in music. Joel Hoffman. 

00:31:16	End of side. 

 Tape 4/Side 2

00:31:29	Horowitz recordings, told HK that as he got older he did not love his music as he had when he was younger. Talks of some people speculating that some music is for younger ages. 

00:32:37	HK regrets not hearing Bartok perform but did not. Story about an old man practicing in the basement of the Chicago Orchestra. HK feels very privileged to have heard so many musicians and growing up in Chicago. 

00:34:25	Speculates on what he would play if he had the chance to perform at Carnegie hall: Bach, Schubert, Liszt and something contemporary. 

00:35:30	Wants to continue being a practicing musician. 

00:36:50	Interview will continue with HK performing a piece of music.

00:37:00	End of interview.

END