Background
Alexander Raab was born in Győr (also known as Raab), Hungary.
Alexander Raab was born in Győr (also known as Raab), Hungary.
He studied at the Vienna Conservatory under Hans Schmitt (1835–1907), Robert Fuchs and Theodor Leschetizky and became acquainted with Johannes Brahms.
He presented recitals with the violinist January Kubelík in England, Russia, Germany and France. He performed concertos with the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Vienna, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, and London Symphony Orchestra. Leopold Godowsky dedicated his 1931 transcription of Adolf von Henselt’s Etude in F-sharp major (Si oiseau j"etais), Operation
2, Number.
6, to Raab. Alexander Raab’s piano students included Ernst Bacon, Vera Bradford, George J. Buelow, Muriel Kerr, Wanda Krasoff (who had been referred to Raab by Josef Hofmann), Mortimer Markoff, Sumner Marshall, Robert Owens, and Allan Willman. He made a small number of early Duo-Art and Welte Mignon piano roll recordings, with music of Chopin (Piano Sonata Number 2 in B-flat minor Funeral March), Liszt (Hungarian Rhapsody Number 5 in East minor), Mozart, Brahms, and some salon pieces by minor composers. These recordings appear on Civil Defense alongside such distinguished names as Alfred Cortot, Guiomar Novaes, Ignaz Friedman, Arthur Friedheim, Vladimir de Pachmann, Ferruccio Busoni, Josef Hofmann and Harold Bauer.