Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)

Subject: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 09:54 AM

I loved his stories of music, and his performances to illustrate his points.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Musician, broadcaster Karl Haas dies at 91
[Feb. 6, 2005]

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) -- Karl Haas, who brought classical music to millions of daily listeners through his syndicated radio program, Adventures in Good Music, has died.

Haas was 91 when he died Sunday at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. A pianist, conductor and musicologist, Haas settled in Detroit after fleeing Nazi Germany in 1936. He founded the Chamber Music Society of Detroit in 1944.

Haas began doing radio commentary in the 1950s. "Adventures in Good Music," an hour-long program in which Haas blended music and talk aimed at casual listeners, debuted in 1959 on WJR-AM. The program eventually was syndicated to hundreds of stations around the world and still airs in reruns on many stations.

Survivors include two sons and a daughter. A funeral service was scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday at Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield.

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 10:50 AM

Karl Haas. Here's a little more information. This kind of public scholarship is so rare any more; this may have been the last program of it's kind out there. The transmission of lore, along with the music, provides the "back story" that helps listeners engage with the music. It is the kind of thing that music teachers in my past loved. It is also something that connects me to my parent's generation--I think they had more of this kind of scholarship available in their lifetimes.

Karl Haas is the creator and host of the longest running daily classical music program in broadcast history, Adventures in Good Music. Using a new theme each day, he has delivered the classics to listeners around the world for over 40 years.

Karl Haas, a native of Speyer-on-the-Rhine, Germany, began his love affair with music at age six, when he received his first piano lesson from his mother. At age 12, he formed a piano trio with some friends

Fleeing the Nazis, Haas and his family settled in Detroit, where he taught piano and commuted to New York to study with the legendary pianist, Arthur Schnabel.

His broadcast career began at WWJ/Detroit in 1950, where he hosted a weekly preview of concerts performed by the Detroit Symphony. Soon the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation asked him to talk about the music on the air. In 1959, WJR/Detroit proposed a daily time slot for Haas to expand his commentary and, thus, Adventures in Good Music was born.

Since 1970, WCLV/Seaway Productions in Cleveland has syndicated Adventures in Good Music to a worldwide audience. The program has received two coveted George Foster Peabody Awards during its long run, and Karl Haas has received the National Endowment for the Humanities George Frankel Medal.

Karl Haas was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:02 AM

Here's one more article, this time from an Australian radio station.

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:14 AM

I'll stop with this one (there really is a lot out there about Dr. Haas and the search has been interesting)--lifetime achievment award.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur
From: GUEST,maire-aine (cookieless)
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:21 AM

Thank you, SRS. I grew up listening to Karl Haas on the WJR. At the time, I was more interested in Motown than Mozart, but he made classical music come alive. You could just sense how excited he was, and how much he wanted to share that with his listeners. Plus, he had a great sense of humor-- not stuffy at all. RIP, Karl, and thanks.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur
From: M.Ted
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:22 AM

I grew up listening to his program on WJR--in addition to his amazing knowledge of, and love for music, he was a wonderful pianist---he made the music accessible, never talked down to anyone, but at the same time, never pandered to anyone--there was always the sense that he spoke directly to you, and that you were a friend, and he something great to share with you--He was someone I looked up to and admired a lot--

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: Amos
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:40 AM

I was also touched by him in my youth, and am sorry to hear of his passing. He possessed a rare combination of talents -- passion and erudition.

A

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb
From: CarolC
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 11:52 AM

I was a regular listener of his show for a good chunk of my adult life. His shows were very interesting and educational, but his puns were killers ;-)

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 12:45 PM

Garrison Keillor made a remark on PHC this week (unrelated to Karl, but appropriate) that "it isn't a tragedy when an old man dies." I agree--we can look at Haas' life as a long one of acheivement and grace. I'm sorry he's gone, but am pleased he was here as long as he was, and able to produce his program to the end.

The announcer on my local classical station (WRR-FM, in Dallas, Texas) used to work at the station where Karl worked for a few years. This morning he described how the programs always went a couple of minutes over and the editor had to carefully trim remarks (usually aimed at the asides that would appear in the dialog) to keep it down to the appropriate length and leave the music untouched. Think of how many more puns there might have been!

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 12:50 PM

"Hello everyone,"
I too grew up listening to Karl Haas. He made classical music come alive.

Go well, good man.

Allison

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: Padre
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 10:25 PM

Karl Haas really whetted my appetite for classical music. I first heard him when I got back from overseas in 1967 - his show was broadcast on public radio out of Columbus OH. A long life, and one well lived.

Padre

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: cobber
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 01:12 AM

I'll miss him even though the shows we get now in Australia are repeats and will, no doubt keep going. It was the stories behind the music that made the show so interesting and the way he could form a link between totally different pieces to give the show such wonderful variety.

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 04:11 PM

I used to listen to his show all the time, first on WQXR out of New York, and then on public radio stations. The rubato he threw into his opening theme always drove me crazy, but as soon as he said "Hello, everyone," I forgave him and settled down to further my music education. His show was a music appreciation class for all ages, whether you were a beginner or an expert in the subject.

I once got the chance to meet Karl Haas, at a party in New York thrown by the Littons, friends who were very much into the musical establishment. (Their son Andrew Litton has become a conductor you've heard of.) He was a small man, much smaller than I expected from the great voice I was used to hearing from my radio. Well, I found this comment in the Detroit Free Press, remembering him: [The distributor of his AIGM show] said Haas often gave lectures and concerts. When he would walk out on stage, he would pause and then say, "Well, I've often wondered what you look like, too." He had a wicked sense of humor.

It's good to know that his shows are still going to be distributed and shared; it may be a while before a better teacher comes around.

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: van lingle
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 05:56 PM

Yeah Charlie, I went to one of his piano talks in Naples about 15 years ago and that's just what he did ("...I've often wondererd...).
Luckily his show use to run at lunch time around here so I could always give it a good listen.

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 06:46 PM

I think his would be a funeral I'd like to attend. Here in Fort Worth, a friend and I seriously considered crashing Rildia Bee Cliburn's funeral, just because we figured the music would be fabulous (her son is the famous home-town boy Van). Along those same lines, who do you suppose might offer remarks about Karl? And who might sing, and play?

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: JennieG
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 02:20 AM

His program has been on 2MBS-FM here in Sydney for some time now, and I listen even at work. I'll miss him. Thanks for the smiles and the knowledge, Karl.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: Kaleea
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 03:59 AM

I had the good fortune to attend a concert by him back in the 80's. He was terrrrrrrrriffic! The airline had lost his luggage & he had to borrow a suit from a local person--not an easy task for a fellow of his build. I listened to his show every day.   My fav was the mystery composer. I was pretty good at Music History, and he managed to stump me sometimes. One of the more interesting things he said once was that he had a large following of over-the-road-truckers in America. In the past few years, sadly, there has been no radio station near me which carried his show.
    I can hear it still, the 3rd movement of the Beethoven Pathetique Piano Sonata----" Hello Everyone . . ." Karl Haas at his piano in his apartment, wow. There'll never be another.
    Although no one can replace him, one might listen to Schickele Mix with Peter Shickele aka PDQ Bach on some PBS stations.

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: GUEST,bflat
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 10:29 PM

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb 05)
From: GUEST,bfalt
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 10:37 PM

oops! I'm saddened by his death. He had to have been brillant and interesting to have been so successful. I read his obituary in the NYTimes and wished I had known more of him. I'm glad he came to the US when his homeland didn't value him. Here, he had enormous popularity. His family must be proud.

Ellen

Subject: RE: Obit: Karl Haas, classical music raconteur(Feb
From: GUEST,Sheila
Date: 10 Feb 05 - 11:38 AM

I loved his erudition and humor. Each program had a theme such as, "Haydn Go Seek" or "Going for Baroque." He is matchless. What a loss, but how lucky we are to have had him!