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Ernest Richard Kroeger Archive

 Collection
Identifier: WUDL-GML-007

Biographical Information

Ernest Richard Kroeger was born in St. Louis on August 10th, 1862 and died on April 7th 1934. His early studies were carried out in his native city studying piano under his father, Egmont Froehlich, Waldemar Malmene, Charles Kunkel; harmony under W. Goldner and P.G. Anton; violin under Ernst Spiering; and instrumentation under Louis Mayer.

Kroeger was appointed “Master of Programs” on the Bureau of Music of the St. Louis World’s Fair (1904) giving him complete supervision of the musical programming at the fair. He organized brass bands and band contests which were the popular form of concerts. But he also invited the world’s greatest organists to give recitals, planned a series of great orchestral and choral concerts and arranged for competitions in all forms for musical composition. The music at the 1904 fair was considered by many to be one of the outstanding attractions of the event and for his work in that capacity Kroeger was elected an Officer of the French Academy. He was a member of the National Institute of Arts of Letters, and a Founder Member of the American Guild of Organists.

Kroger held organist positions at several St. Louis area churches including Grace Episcopal, Trinity Episcopal, Church of the Messiah (Unitarian), First Congregational, St. George’s Episcopal and Delmar Baptist.

Kroeger was Director of the Kroeger School of Music from December, 1904 until his death. His daughter, Louise Kroeger succeeded him at the Kroeger School teaching at the Musical Art Building located at Olive Street and Boyle Avenue until she retired at 84 in 1975. Ernest Kroeger was also Director of the Department of Music Extension at Washington University from 1924-1930 and the Director of the Music Department at Forest Park College for many years as well.

Kroeger’s piano, organ and vocal compositions were published in the United States and Europe. His orchestral suite “Lalla Rookh” and symphonic poem “The Mississippi” were widely performed during the first decades of the 20th century.

Title
Ernest Richard Kroeger Archive
Description rules
dacs
Language of description
eng

Revision Statements

  • 2020 October 26: Resource record updated in ArchiveSpace by Sarah Schnuriger.

Collecting Area Details

Part of the WU Distributed Libraries Collecting Area

Contact:
MSC 1061-141-B
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis MO 63130 US