Gerhard Ludwig Albersheim

Born:	11-17-1902
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Gerhard Ludwig ALBERSHEIM, born on November 17^th, 1902 in Cologne/Germany, son of Josef Albersheim, first studied privately music theory, piano and cello in Cologne and continued his studies from 1926 to 1929 in Vienna with Heinrich Schenker (state diploma as a music teacher in 1930). He lived in Vienna 13th district, Elsslergasse 4, and married Erna Eder (born on May 19^th, 1896, in Graz/Austria). In 1933 he started to study physics and musicology at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna while giving private tuition.
Albersheim wasn't enrolled at the Philosophical School any more in 1938, but was preparing for the final exams ('Rigorosen'). He registered for the final exams in Musicology on January 28th, 1938, his dissertation 'Zur Psychologie der Ton- und Klangeigenschaften unter Berücksichtigung der 'Zweikomponenten Theorie' und der Vokalsystematik' was accepted on February 6^th, 1938, and he also passed the two-hour-final-examination ('Rigorosum') on March 14^th, 1938. After the "Anschluss" it took lon months before he was finally allowed to take the laststep, the one-hour-final-examination ('Rigorosum') on July 7^th, 1938. He passed successfully and so he could finish his studies and graduated on July 21^st, 1938, but only with the discriminating ceremony of a 'Nichtarierpromotion', which included at the same time that he was banned from his profession. Gerhard Albersheim emigrated to the United States in 1939, holding teaching positions in Los Angeles, working as a pianist and accompanist to singers, and writing journal articles on music theory (e.g. the theories of Heinrich Schenker) on acoustics, the psychology of hearing, as well as its relationship to musical aesthetics and music education topics. He was naturalized and became a US-cititzen and from 1947 on he taught at the Conservatory of Music and Arts in Los Angeles, from 1953 on at the University of California at Los Angeles before he was appointed as professor of music at the California State University at Los Angeles in 1956 (1970 Prof. emeritus). He frequently served as accompanist to distinguished singers such as Elisabeth Schumann, Pinza and Fischer-Dieskau, and assisted Lotte Lehmann in her art-song courses. After his retirement in 1969 he moved to Basel/Switzerland, where he died on October 19^th, 1996.

Lit.: POSCH 2009, 366; BLUME 1973; Schenker Documents Online; http://www.lexm.uni-hamburg.de/object/lexm_lexmperson_00003292, Saul Novack, Eduard Albersheim, in: Grove Music Online

Katharina Kniefacz and Herbert Posch