Gerald Moore (1899-1987)

Gerald Moore was an English pianist who worked as an accompanist for many of the great musicians and singers of the 20th century.  He accompanied such great musicians as Yehudi Menuhin, Pablo Casals, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and Elizabeth Schwartzkopf.  Moore recorded most of the lieder of Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, and Richard Strauss, and is responsible for bringing the art of piano accompaniment to the highest level.  He is the author of “The Unashamed Accompanist,” “Am I too Loud,” and “Furthermoore.”

Here is an LP recording of “The Unashamed Accompanist” with Gerald Moore.  He describes how important the piano accompaniment is in a song, how it paints pictures, helps to set the mood, and the challenges the accompanist faces such as balance with the singer, and transposition (playing in a key other than what is written).  The recording is in two parts.   Gerald Moore describes everything in a way that people can understand (whether they are musicians or not) and he has a good sense of humor.