Bernard Krainis

Bernard Krainis
Name	Bernard Krainis
Birth date	1924
Death date	2000
Occupation	Recorder player, conductor, teacher
Instruments	Recorder, baroque flute
Years active	1940s–1990s
Associated acts	New York Pro Musica, Kunst des Feens, New York Consort of Viols

Bernard Krainis was an American recorder player, conductor, and teacher notable for his role in the mid-20th century revival of early music in the United States. He co-founded ensembles, premiered rediscovered repertoire, and influenced generations of performers through conservatory and festival appointments. His work intersected with major institutions, performers, and recordings that shaped historically informed performance practice.

Early life and education

Krainis was born in New York City and grew up in an environment connected to the Metropolitan Opera and the cultural life of Manhattan near institutions like the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. He received early musical exposure through local conservatory programs and youth orchestras associated with Juilliard School preparatory division, and studied in contexts involving teachers linked to the Curtis Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music. His formative years overlapped with major 20th-century figures and institutions including performances at the Carnegie Hall, broadcasts on WNYC, and cultural currents from European émigré musicians connected to the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and the Conservatoire de Paris.

Musical training and influences

Krainis's training encompassed both modern and early instruments, influenced by performers and scholars such as Arnold Dolmetsch, Gustav Leonhardt, Paul Hindemith, Albert Schweitzer, and pedagogues associated with the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He absorbed repertory and technique related to makers and scholars like Jacob van Eyck, Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Claudio Monteverdi. Influences also included early music ensembles and figures such as Alfred Deller, Noël Coward (cultural milieu), Ralph Kirkpatrick, and members of the Early Music Laboratory. He consulted editions and facsimiles produced by publishers like Furnival, Bärenreiter, and Henle Verlag and learned performance practice methods discussed at conferences hosted by the American Musicological Society and the International Musicological Society.

Career and ensembles

Krainis co-founded and performed with several influential organizations, collaborating with groups such as New York Pro Musica, the New York Consort of Viols, and chamber players active at the Musica Reservata performances and festivals like the Cheltenham Festival and Tanglewood Music Center. He appeared on programs organized by the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Guggenheim Foundation. His ensemble work connected him to contemporaries in the early music movement, including performers associated with the Boston Early Music Festival, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra historically informed projects, and soloists who collaborated with institutions like the Academy of Ancient Music and the English Concert. Krainis gave recitals in venues tied to organizations such as the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York and participated in tours with groups linked to the Arts Council of Great Britain and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Repertoire, recordings, and performance style

Krainis specialized in repertoire spanning Renaissance and Baroque composers including William Byrd, Henry Purcell, Orlando Gibbons, Giovanni Gabrieli, Heinrich Schütz, Arcangelo Corelli, Jean-Baptiste Lully, and François Couperin. He made influential recordings on labels that paralleled those of Decca Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and specialist labels akin to Archiv Produktion and Harmonia Mundi. His performance style emphasized articulation and phrasing advocated by scholars connected to the Early Music movement and aligned with approaches championed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Trevor Pinnock. Reviews in outlets referencing critics from publications tied to the New York Times, the Gramophone (magazine), and programming at the BBC Proms contextualized his interpretations alongside peers such as Christopher Hogwood, John Eliot Gardiner, Jordi Savall, and Gustav Leonhardt.

Teaching and mentorship

Krainis held teaching positions and gave masterclasses at institutions including the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and summer programs connected to the Orleans Chamber Music Society and the Garth Newel Music Center. He influenced students who later joined ensembles like the Consort of Musicke, the Tallis Scholars, and faculty at schools such as the Curtis Institute and the Royal Academy of Music. His pedagogy drew on methodologies used at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and published instructional materials in the spirit of tutors associated with Dolmetsch and Ralph Kirkpatrick. He served as a juror for competitions sponsored by organizations like the Early Music America and the International Recorder Festival circuits.

Awards and recognition

Krainis received honors from cultural bodies including awards and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and commendations from municipal arts councils of New York City and state arts agencies tied to the New York State Council on the Arts. His recordings and performances earned citations in critical surveys and listings by institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, and he was acknowledged by peers in organizations like the American Musicological Society and Early Music America for contributions to the revival of historical performance.

Category:American recorder players Category:20th-century American musicians Category:Early music performers