Jakob Gimpel
Illustration — Gimpel performing Franz Liszt's Concert Etude No. 3 (Un sospiro) Jakob Gimpel (April 16, 1906March 12, 1989) was a Polish-American concert pianist and educator. Jakob Gimpel was born in Lwów (then in Polish Galicia, part of Austria Hungary, and now Lviv, Ukraine) to a Jewish family.
Jakob Gimpel
- Born
- 1906 · Lviv.
- Died
- 1989 · Los Angeles.
- Nationality
- Poland
- Occupation
- music educator · pianist · musician
- Fields
- classical music
- Languages
- English
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Illustration — Gimpel performing Franz Liszt's Concert Etude No. 3 (Un sospiro) Jakob Gimpel (April 16, 1906March 12, 1989) was a Polish-American concert pianist and educator. Jakob Gimpel was born in Lwów (then in Polish Galicia, part of Austria Hungary, and now Lviv, Ukraine) to a Jewish family.
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Jakob Gimpel (1906–1989) was a music educator, musician and pianist, of Polish nationality. The music educator was born in Lviv and died in Los Angeles. Jakob Gimpel worked for California State University.
The work spans classical music. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q2896463 · wikipedia · Jakob Gimpel
In this article
Performing career
Performing career
Gimpel's younger brother, Bronislav Gimpel, was a noted concert violinist, and his older brother, Karol Gimpel, was a pianist and conductor.
Gimpel began his piano studies with his father, Adolph, and later studied piano with Cornelia Tarnowska and Eduard Steuermann, and music theory with Alban Berg. Gimpel made his debut in Vienna, Austria, in 1923, with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Monteux, performing Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto. The concert launched an extensive European tour which saw Gimpel perform as many as 80 concerts in a single country. Gimpel toured with violinists Bronisław Huberman, Erika Morini, Nathan Milstein, and his brother, Bronislav Gimpel. In 1937, Gimpel helped Huberman found the Palestine Symphony Orchestra, now the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Gimpel migrated to New York City in 1938 and later moved to Los Angeles.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1944 — Gaslight — Pianist • 1947 — Possessed — Pianist • 1952 — Strange Fascination — Pianist • 1953 — Johann Mouse (short) — Pianist • 1955 — The Big Combo — Pianist — Uncredited, (final film role)| • 1965 — Harlow — Pianist • 1971 — The Mephisto Waltz — Pianist
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Lviv.
Birth place
Los Angeles.
Death place
Film credits
Gimpel played frequently with the MGM orchestra. With the exception of a performance of Liszt's E-Flat Concerto in the 1943 thriller Above Suspicion, he was not specifically credited for most of his performances. Among Gimpel's noted film credits are recorded appearances in Gaslight, Possessed, Letter from an Unknown Woman, Strange Fascination, Harlow, The Big Combo, The Story of Three Loves, Planet of the Apes, and The Mephisto Waltz. Gimpel also recorded music for two classic cartoons: the Bugs Bunny short Rhapsody Rabbit and the academy-Award-winning Tom and Jerry short Johann Mouse.
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reference work
- “Jakob Gimpel”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2896463: Jakob Gimpel
General reference · Wikidata
Later years and honors
Gimpel was one of the first European-American artists to return to Europe after World War II; he played hundreds of concerts in West Germany in 1954. From 1971 to 1986, Gimpel was professor in residence at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He was awarded the West German Order of Merit, First Class, and, in 1975, the Ben-Gurion Award from the State of Israel. On May 9, 1979, Gimpel was scheduled to give a joint recital in Los Angeles with his brother Bronislav Gimpel. Bronislav died unexpectedly several days before the performance and Jakob played a solo recital in memory of his brother.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Slonimsky, Nicolas. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Schirmer Books. 1992.
- 2.Schonberg, Harold C. Jakob Gimpel. 1998.
- 3.Jakob Gimpel, a Concert Pianist, Dies at 82. The New York Times. 1989-03-15.
- 4.Gimpel, Peter. Jakob Gimpel: A Biographical Essay. Jakob & Bronislaw Gimpel Archives. 2004.
- 5.Folkart, Burt A. Jakob Gimpel, Renowned L.A. Pianist, Dies at 82. The Los Angeles Times. March 14, 1989.
- 6.Bernheimer, Martin. A Tribute to Bransislaw Gimpel. The Los Angeles Times, Page 105. June 15, 1979.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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