August Walter

1821–1896 (BASEL)

August Walter was born in Stuttgart, the son of a confectioner by the name of August Nikolaus. It’s hardly surprising that August Junior followed in his father’s footsteps by embarking on a confectioner’s apprenticeship, though it soon became clear that music was his true calling. He studied the violin and composition in Stuttgart under Bernhard Molique before moving to Vienna to complete his studies with Simon Sechter.

Walter assumed the post of music director in Basel in the spring of1846. Initial scepticism was followed by a bumpy start because he wasn’t satisfied with the string section of the local orchestra, though these difficult beginnings were transformed into a longstanding, deep connection and Walter spent most of the subsequent 50 years of his life in Basel. He was active as a pedagogue and helped to instil a sense of professionalism in the local concert scene. Together with his colleagues Ernst Reiter and Alfred Volkland, Walter played a significant role in establishing Basel as a flourishing city of music.

Walter didn’t just put his own works on his Basel concert programmes, but also championed those of his Swiss colleagues Hans Huber and Friedrich Hegar, and overall cultivated the German Romantic, Baroque and Renaissance repertoires. Walter’s biggest success as a composer was with his Symphony in E-flat major op. 9, which was performed widely, also by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1884, Walter’s adopted city made him a citizen of both Basel and of Switzerland – free of charge – “in recognition of his achievements in the field of music”.