Reginald Gerig Collection

Summary: Reginald R. Gerig (1919--) is Professor of Piano Emeritus at Wheaton College and a music researcher, perhaps best known for writing Famous Pianists and Their Techniques. Gerig also taught piano at both Wheaton College and Eastman School of Music and gave many lectures on piano technique at places such as Brigham Young University Summer Piano Festival, Peabody Conservatory, and the National Conference on Piano Pedagogy.

Full History: Reginald R. Gerig is Professor Emeritus of Piano at Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL), where he served on the faculty from 1952 to 1987 and was chairman of the college's piano department for fourteen years. He is past president of Wheaton College Scholastic Honor Society and a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, the Illinois State Music Teachers Association, and the Music Teachers National Association.

Born in Fort Wayne, IN, Mr. Gerig won the state piano competition at Indiana University at the age of fifteen. He was granted a Bachelor of Music degree with highest honors from Wheaton College, and went on to The Juilliard School where he earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in piano. Before returning to Wheaton in 1952, he taught for two years on the piano faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He has appeared frequently as both pianist and lecturer.

Mr. Gerig has been widely praised for his 1974 book, Famous Pianists and Their Techniques, originally published by Robert B. Luce and now available in an expanded edition from Indiana University Press. This exhaustive study describes the history of various approaches to piano technique, from the era of C.P.E. Bach to present-day theorists and practitioners. The book has long been regarded as the standard reference on the topic and it continues to serve as a unique resource for students, teachers, and performers.