Emanuel Bay

Emanuel Bay (January 20, 1891 [O.S. January 8] – December 2, 1967) was a Russian‑American pianist. He was a personal friend and accompanist to violinist Jascha Heifetz for more than 20 years, touring widely across the United States and Europe. Bay was born in Simferopol, Russian Empire, on the Crimean Peninsula to a Russian‑Jewish family in 1891. His younger brother Victor Bay was born in 1896 and became a violinist and conductor. Emanuel studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Vladimir Drozdov, winning first prize in piano in 1913. He later continued his studies at the Imperial Master School in Vienna, where he took a master class with Leopold Godowsky. Bay became a professor of piano at the Moscow Conservatory and later at the Odesa Conservatory. While in Russia, he met violinist Efrem Zimbalist, who invited him to tour the United States together. Between 1914 and 1922, Bay performed widely across Europe and the U.S. with Zimbalist. Their last performance together was in winter of 1930. During World War II, Bay was unable to perform in the United States, performing throughout the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia instead. After the war, Bay immigrated to the United States. He had known violinist Jascha Heifetz and toured with him for about two decades, frequently performing Heifetz’s arrangements of classical works. He also helped facilitate new commissions, notably the Violin Concerto by Miklós Rózsa, which Heifetz premiered in 1956. Bay signed with Decca Records in the mid‑1940s, as did Heifetz. During his career, he performed with celebrated artists such as Mischa Elman, David Oistrakh, Zino Francescatti, Joseph Szigeti, Gregor Piatigorsky, Jan Peerce, and Richard Traubel. In 1954, he retired from concert performance and turned to teaching. He became a professor of music at the University of Southern California and also taught piano at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. He died in Jerusalem, Israel on December 2, 1967. Stern 1932, p. 59. Dennis 2011, p. 1004. University of Michigan Musical Society 1924, p. 122. Hulme 2002, pp. 9, 118. Discogs. Malan 2004, p. 235. Malan 2004, p. 207. Grand Baton 1975, pp. 33, 42. Strad 1975, p. 18. Axelrod 1981, p. 189. Rosza. Encyclopedia. New School. Axelrod, Herbert R. (1981). Heifetz. Paganiniana Publications. p. 189. ISBN 9780876665787. Dennis, Pamela Richardson (2011). An Index to Articles Published in The Etude Magazine, 1883–1957: Title index; Subject index. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 1004. Victor Bay discography at Discogs "Emanuel Bay". Encyclopedia.com. "[placeholder]". Le Grand Baton. Vol. 12–16. Sir Thomas Beecham Society. 1975. [title missing] Hulme, Derek C. (2002). Dmitri Shostakovich: The First Hundred Years and Beyond (4th ed.). Scarecrow Press. Malan, Roy (May 1, 2004). Efrem Zimbalist: A Life (1st ed.). Amadeus. ISBN 978-1574670912. Retrieved November 20, 2025. "Emanuel Bay". The New School Archives. "Miklós Rózsa: Violin Concerto". americanmusicpreservation.com. Stern, Mark Alexander (1932). Almanac of Russian Artists in America. "Quarterly". The Strad: 18. 1975. University of Michigan Musical Society (1924). Thirty‑First Annual May Festival of the University of Michigan, 1924. University of Michigan. p. 122. Emanuel Bay at IMDb Portals: Biography Classical music