Karl Haas Passes Away

[filkertom]

Terribly sad.  Karl Haas, musicologist and broadcaster who introduced entire generations to classical music, has passed away at the age of 91.

For more information about his great show, Adventures In Good Music, including a few archived shows in MP3 and Real Audio format, click here.

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Karl Haas didn't just introduce me to good music, he introduced me to public radio.

It was the winter of 1977; I'd flown up to Traverse City from Detroit to interview for a job and visit a friend who lived in a wee cabin out near Interlochen. A huge snowstorm hit and we were snowbound for three days before the roads got cleared, with nothing to entertain us but each other's company, a chess board and the radio. When I first heard him, I figured he must be somebody local - maybe on the faculty at the Interlochen music school. When I finally got home, I mentioned the show to somebody and they told me it was available on the local public radio station, thus launching a lifetime addiction to NPR.

I remained a fan until Oregon Public Radio stopped airing the program several years back, but I can still hear the Beethoven sonata that introduced the show in my mind's ear...

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Damn.

[mrlogic.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh no. I love listening to his programs. Besides his stellar knowledge of music and his inimitable ability to make it accessible to a wide audience, he had such a great accent and delivery.

But, wow -- I had no idea he was that old. I thought he might be 55, 60 at most.

He will certainly be missed.

[gypsy1969.livejournal.com]

Wow, I also had no idea that he was so old. His expertise and interesting programming will be sorely missed by my family. His accent brought a feeling of comfort and familiarity to the radio.

Filkertom, I would not have had any idea that the people you have announced had passed away. I salute you for your service. It is hard to pass on bad news, but we need to know somehow.

[jss]

That's really depressing. :-(

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

I first heard him during my First Great Time With Radio. I listened to WJR when I was a kid, for two reasons at first: my mom, a local nightclub singer, was on the Jack Harris Open House Show a few times (I was on with her once :) and, during the summer of 1968, because everyone in Detroit was following the Tigers, and WJR broadcast their games.

Thing is, the rest of the line-up was great:

J. P. McCarthy (http://www.radiohof.org/newstalk/jpmccarthy.html), one of the gentlest and most knowledgable radio personalities I have ever heard. He did work for innumerable local charities. He gave a lot of airplay to oddball singles, like Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" and Larry Groce's "Junk Food Junkie". He gave us Fat Bob The Singing Plumber, which sounds like a novelty act until you hear the guy -- Bob Taylor ended up changing careers. JP played the theme from Jaws; he played Meat Loaf's "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad". This was incredible for a morning show like his, and it opened a lot of doors. And he was an excellent interviewer, eventually getting a midday magazine show as well.

Jimmie Launce, the afternoon guy. Warm, friendly, the confident voice to get everyone through the afternoon and home after work.

Mike Whorf and Kaleidoscope (http://www.xstarnet.com/html/body_kaleidoscope.html).

Jay Roberts, host of Night Flight 760 (later Night Flight 76, after the bicentennial), the imaginary all-night plane trip that played everything from light jazz classics to old Bickersons (http://www.radiolovers.com/pages/bickersons.htm) routines.

Ernie Harwell (http://www.radiohof.org/sportscasters/ernieharwell.html) and Ray Lane.

And Karl Haas. In later years, he used to say "Hello, everyone", which I thought sounded rather detached, if not downright cold, compared to the jaunty "Good morning, everyone!" he used to start with. Literally, from the first words of his broadcast, he came across as adoring his subject eager to share it with all of us. And through him, I was properly introduced to Beethoven, and Mozart, and Bach, and Chopin, and Schubert, and Dvorak, and so many more.

[mrlogic.livejournal.com]

I liked the "Hello, everyone!" It was also more appropriate to a recorded program that might be broadcast at any time of day.

I completely agree with you about his clearly boundless enthusiasm for and love for his subject.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

Oh, God ... I used to listen to him religiously on WGTE-FM Toledo ... this is profoundly depressing. Dr. Haas made classical music *fun*.

I feel the need for the 2d movement of the 'Pathetique'.