Bass, Warner

Warner Seelig-Bass was born in 1915 in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, the son of Eugen Seelig and Helene Bass. His father was an engineer and founder of the factory Spingal and Seelig, which produced electrical motors. After completing his secondary studies at the Saldernsche Gymnasium (Saldria), he attended the University of Berlin, where he studied music and theater studies, philosophy, and foreign languages. He also took classes at the State Academy for Music ( Staatlich-Akademischen Hochschule für Musik ), also in Berlin. There he majored in conducting, while studying piano and composition.

In 1930 Warner Seelig-Bass became the assistant conductor and composer of stage music for the Kassel State Theater, a position he held until he was dismissed in 1933 for being Jewish. He then became conductor for the Jüdischer Kulturbund Theater, where he conducted both symphonic and operatic performances. In 1938 he emigrated to the United States by way of Cuba, and settled in New York. There he became known as Warner S. (Seeley) Bass.

In 1941 Warner S. Bass married the Polish-born singer Marion Koegel, who performed in the United States under the name of Marion Corda. Marion Koegel was born in Poland in 1909. Like her husband, she had studied music in Berlin and been a member of the Jüdischer Kulturbund, where she performed popular and folk songs.

Warner Bass was called to military service in 1943, eventually heading a military orchestra that performed in Europe for both the armed forces and civilians. After the war he toured Europe as part of the United Service Organization (USO), performing in various areas of the world, including Japan, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Phillipines, and South Africa. Following the war, Bass spent several more years traveling, taking positions as a guest conductor as well as an accompanist to solo performers. His appearances as guest conductor included directing the New York Philharmonic, the NBC Symphony of the Air, and the Detroit Opera. As a pianist, Bass worked with Jan Peerce, Roberta Peters, Grace Moore, Marta Eggerth, and Jan Kiepura, as well as his wife, Marion Corda, among others. In addition to his work as a conductor, he also worked as an orchestrator and arranger for RCA Victor. In 1962, Bass became Associate Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra under Leopold Stowkowski. The American Symphony performed two of Bass's own compositions: his "Adagio (Taps) for String Instruments, Trumpet, and Percussion," written in memorial of John F. Kennedy and directed by Bass in Carnegie Hall, and his "Song of Hope," which was played under Stowkowski's direction.

In the mid-1960s Bass began working as a professor of music. In 1965 he was appointed a visiting professor at Southhampton College on Long Island. Two years later he was an associate professor of music at New York University's College of Music. While teaching he also began working towards a degree in music education, and received his M.A. from New York University in 1969. That same year he became a professor at CUNY Kingsborough College, a position he held until his death.

Warner Bass won recognition for his work both as a professor and a composer. In 1966 he was elected to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He was awarded the title of Outstanding Educator of America twice, in 1971 and 1972. His biography also appeared in various biographical dictionaries.

Warner S. Bass died in 1988. His wife, Marion Corda Bass, died in 2000.

From the guide to the Marion and Warner Bass Collection, 1888-1990, bulk 1960-1985, (Leo Baeck Institute)