Gutchë, Gene, 1907-

Gene Gutchë was born Romeo Maximilian Eugene Ludwig Gutsche on July 3, 1907 in Berlin, Germany (he dropped the “s” from his last name when he began composing because he thought it would be easier for Americans to pronounce). His father, a fruit importer, was French and his mother was Polish. As a boy, Gutchë took piano lessons in Zurich with Marie Magniani and Ferruccio Busoni. His father did not encourage him to pursue his passion for music, however, and instead urged him to study business and economics, which Gutchë did at universities in Heidelberg (Germany), Lausanne (Switzerland), and Padua (Italy). In 1925, at the age of eighteen, Gutchë decided to break all ties with Europe and his family and move to the United States. He arrived in Galveston, Texas with five hundred dollars and without knowing a word of English. He traveled north as a migrant worker, and eventually landed in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 1935, Gutchë met seventeen-year old Marion Buchan and the two were married six weeks later. The couple immediately moved to New York City, where Gutchë’s knowledge of five European languages helped to get him work in the business world. After eight years in New York, Gutchë’s lack of success in the business world, along with the outbreak of World War II, led the Gutchës back to Minnesota, where Gene hoped to pursue his musical aspirations. Marion took a job as a medical secretary in order to support herself and Gene. Her employer, Dr. Frederic Foley, took an interest in Gene’s musical potential, and along with his friend C.O. Kalman, agreed to subsidize Gene’s musical education. A special scholarship was set up at the University of Minnesota, and Gutchë entered a Master’s Program there. He studied under Dr. Donald Ferguson and Dr. James Aliferis and earned his degree in 1950. He went on to the State University of Iowa seeking a Ph.D., which he was awarded in 1953, at the age of 46.

...