Earl Wild

The Brilliant Career of an American Pianist

Ian Hominick

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2026
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9798216460084
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

The diverse and storied musical career of Earl Wild, one of the most prodigious and virtuosic pianists of the 20th century.

The unique trajectory of Wild's career stands out in comparison with other classical pianists. Drawing on meticulous research, Ian Hominick highlights the progress of a musician forced to diversify his skills from an early age for the sake of subsistence, to one who fully embraced the variety of musical life, pursuing collaborations across genres, mediums, and spheres of influence.

Having been hired as the youngest pianist at NBC in 1938, Wild would take full advantage of all the opportunities presented in the roles of performer, composer, arranger and conductor. Through public exposure over the airwaves, his career outside the studio began to blossom: his tours with bandleader Paul Whiteman helped introduce his virtuoso style to audiences across the country, forever linking his name to the music of George Gershwin. The only classical pianist to have performed for 6 consecutive U.S. Presidents, Wild embraced his role as a diverse musician, breaking new ground with a variety of musical projects, while gaining acceptance and recognition in the classical music world.

This book aims to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of Wild's unconventional journey to success and acceptance in the world of music. Forging his own path, he used his innate talent to explore, diversify, and eventually create a career that, to this day, remains unparalleled.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Childhood: [1915–1932]
• 2 Carnegie Tech: [1933–1937]
• 3 Welcome to NBC: [1938–1942]
• 4 World War II—Washington, D.C.: [1942–1944]
• 5 ABC and Paul Whiteman: [1944–1947]
• 6 Radio, Television, and Debuts: [1947–1950]
• 7 Premieres: [1951–1954]
• 8 The Caesar Years: [1955–1958]
• 9 JFK and Santa Fe: [1958–1961]
• 10 Reader’s Digest, Boston Pops, and New Directions: [1961–1967]
• 11 Penn State and Musical Rarities: [1968–1972]
• 12 Palm Springs: [1973–1978]
• 13 “The Musical Fireman” and Wolf Trap: [1978–1981]
• 14 Transcriptions and the Liszt Centennial: [1981–1986]
• 15 Ohio State University: [1987–1993]
• 16 The Last of the Great Romantics: [1993–2000]
• 17 Final Touring Years: [2001–2010]
• Epilogue
• Select Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright