William Browning

In Memory of William Browning (1924- 1997): Beloved master pianist, teacher and friend.

William Browning's life and career was like a bridge, spanning an enormous gulf between Europe's great cultural achievements, particularly in music culminating in the great tradition of Romantic piano playing and our present day, so full of technological and material wealth, yet so culturally dissipated.

Born into a musical family (his father was a concert singer), his musical training was entrusted to the great Carl Friedberg, one of his father's many professional friends.

Young Bill was one of the youngest and last pupils of Friedberg, himself a student of Clara Schumann and a protege of Brahms, having premiered many of the Master's works in Vienna. Thus, Browning was raised as a musical thoroughbred with a technical foundation and repertoire unheard of today.

This training was the culmination of over 100 years of development of the instrument itself and the technique of how to play it, barely beginning with Mozart (whose instrument was soon to undergo radical changes), continuing with Clementi and Beethoven, then through Czerny and others, forward to Chopin, and Liszt and toward the composers and pianists who followed i.e., Strauss, Godowsky, Backhaus, and Horowitz to name a few.

Browning always liked to point out that piano technique was particularly advanced as opposed to violin technique, for instance, because so many composers were pianists themselves and, perhaps unconsciously, continually revolutionized the state of the art of playing within their compositions. Like many Romantic pianists, Friedberg always stressed producing a beautiful, singing tone as a foundation. Treble and bass were analyzed and the model of excellent balance was the German choir. This perfectly meshed with the vocal milieu in which Browning grew up.

So, this young American (born in Lawrence, Kansas) living and studying in Europe, had the opportunity to meet or work with many pianists and composers: Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Joseph Marx, Hofmann and Rubinstein, for example.

Of course, the terror and destruction of World War 2 interrupted activities and young Browning served with Army Special Services in General George Patton's 3rd Army division.

Having won many awards and prizes, Browning, like Friedberg, worked as a pianist and accompanist from an early age on. This included much strenuous touring.

A desire to study with Hans Heniot led William Browning to Chicago and the American Conservatory where he received a master's degree in performance and where he settled, taught and performed both in Chicago and around the world.

As Dick Jones indicates, William Browning was the official accompanist for WGN's Illinois Opera Guild Auditions of the Air, a competition that propelled the careers of Kathleen Battle, Sherrill Milnes and Vinson Cole and many others. Mr. Browning's knowledge and skill made him the ultimate vocal accompanist and coach; his vocal colleagues were too numerous to mention, however, in Chicago, he often enjoyed performing exquisite recitals with fellow Chicagoan and teacher, soprano Eileen Deneen. The many years of taping and broadcasts at WGN studios provided Browning a special affinity for and insight into the recording process itself, which is amply evident here. Perhaps even more than Stokowski, he had an uncanny ability to project a fully analyzed performance into a microphone.

He was much loved as a teacher as well as revered for his virtuosity by his students. With boundless energy, unending kindness, and a sincere joie de vivre, he not only taught his students how to play, but remarkably, always made them play better and more beautifully, all the while imparting some of his vast knowledge about the history and personalities of music and its' performance. He was never an authoritarian. He always projected himself as a fellow musician or performer. He was never aloof; he always shared a spiritual common ground with his students and friends.

A few years ago, before his untimely death, he had asked me to put together a retrospective of several of his recordings, mostly to share with family and friends. These were mostly live concert performances taped over a span of 30 years. I had, over the years, frequently enjoyed assisting him by taping many programs for him. It was a tricky project as some of the open reel tapes had deteriorated because they were manufactured at a time when whale oil (which was used as a lubricant in tape formulas) was no longer available and the synthetic substitute broke down and became sticky. I was able to preserve these wonderful performances by hand-washing hundreds of feet of tape and transferring it to a safer digital medium while holding swabs dipped in silicone lubricant against the moving tape! I thought that someday, I would set this cassette collection to CDs, but, unfortunately that day arrived all too soon.

The tapes here are from sources ranging from tapes of FM broadcasts and school cassettes to studio and home tapes. It is important to note how superb Browning's performances are being taped live. Compare this to our woeful present state when one well-known recording producer boasted that she made over 200 "digital splices" in one movement of a Beethoven violin sonata recording by a famous violinist! No doubt, this kind of manipulation along with tampering with sonics and balances (all of which William Browning abhorred) has eroded the art.

Therefore, l have only used digital mastering with modest analog EQ to put the collection on CD in its best possible light based on decades of hearing him play. Hybrid-tube preamps were used to present the recordings in a more analog way which Browning always loved. In order to preserve as much of his original tone as possible, l have not attempted to digitally remove the flaws that can occur in live recordings; there are some clicks, background noises and even an early 2-way radio conversation that finds its way to a recorder's electronics. But, no matter, after a few moments, one's ear adjusts and forgets the difference in recordings when the completeness and power of Browning's playing captivates our attention.

The order of the musical selections are exactly as Mr. Browning presented them to me; the "poetic" retrospective is his creation, beginning gently with the wonderful voicings and tonal shadings of the Brahms-Busoni, moving through the determined and passionate architecture of the Brahms Variations to the solo and chamber works, then leading to the introspective spiritual works. Always having an eye on a fine performance, William Browning would never leave his audience on a desolate note; he closes with the light hearted and absolutely life affirming St. Saens Valse Caprice.

A few final comments on the music: The Brahms Variations not only shows Browning as a true virtuoso, (perhaps only the Backhaus recording can come close to this), but shows an important side of William Browning`s playing, namely his deeply passionate side. He was always able and willing to let his emotional self transcend the fastidious technique which was the cornerstone of his work. In our age, only Horowitz also accomplished this. The Hamilton Forrest and Mompou show Browning as a composer's dream: a musician who is comfortable enough with contemporary music to be able to discover the poetry in new music while bringing passion and elegance. The Debussy Preludes are wonderfully shaped and colored in a way that no longer seems possible in our age. The Chopin is, of course, truly great from bottom to top. His Mozart is great piano playing and great music making stemming from an age that didn't feel the need to sterilize Mozart under the banner of "historically correct" The Weber Trio receives brilliant treatment from Browning's Flancel Quartette with outstanding blending of Bennett's flute and the piano. Will we ever again hear such consummate technique and joyful, dedicated music making as in the Godowski-Strauss? I think not.

Because of his performance, l found the Edward Collins Waltzes a revelation. Once again, Browning shows a blend of commitment, technical brilliance and perfect mood and pacing to give us a delightful, great work that should be in the repertoire. Browning also provides a masterful premiere for William Ferris' Sonata, propelling the work with an unending palette of colors toward the beautiful slow movement and soaring fugue.

Browning's Beethoven Adagio is perfectly sculpted playing with a profound emotional depth that can no longer be found today.

Another aspect of William Browning's playing is how it inspires musicians around him and propels them to new heights: We hear a very special performance by cellist Joel Levin.

The most intriguing work in the set, to me, is Boganowski's "Light Piercing Gradually" composed to poetry of Pope John Paul. The work was recorded here and promptly sent to the Vatican to honor the Pope's birthday. I feel this work has many levels of meaning and reveals something also about William Browning. We hear of an awakening to a spiritual calling and a sense of a profound responsibility. Those that knew him, loved him, or simply shared his music making are eternally grateful to him.

-Barry Rifkin