Joseph Levine Gave His All As Pianist, Teacher, Conductor

Joseph Levine, a child prodigy-pianist who studied, performed with or conducted top musicians around the world, could have been nicknamed "the hardest-working man in the music business."

The Philadelphia-born Mr. Levine, described as enthusiastic and energetic, also embodied the show-biz adage, "The show must go on." He could step in prestissimo to rescue a show imperiled by missing instruments or injured dancers.

Whether conducting as many as 100 Seattle Symphony youth concerts a year, teaching piano at Cornish College, going out to lecture or playing for ballet performances, the courtly musician rarely left the limelight.

Mr. Levine died Wednesday of cerebral-vascular arteriosclerosis, which he had for years. He was 83.

Seattle Symphony conductor Milton Katims recruited Mr. Levine in 1969 after the latter had distinguished himself as a pianist with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Leopold Stokowski and Eugene Ormandy, and as a conductor for the American Ballet Theater and the Omaha Symphony and Opera.

"He was very nice to get along with and very capable," Katims said. "He was an all-around musician.

"When we were on tour east of the mountains, the truck with the stands, music and large instruments did not arrive. So we borrowed some stands, and Joe jumped in and played a substitute concerto to take the place of what we were to play. You talk about fast food; this was fast music!"

After leaving this area, Mr. Levine and his wife, Mary, also a devoted musician - they had twin pianos in their Magnolia home - spent three years in Hawaii, where he conducted the Honolulu Symphony.

But they missed their mountains and felt distanced from their loved ones. Returning here, Mr. Levine joined the faculty at Cornish, conducted for First Chamber Dance and for the Bremerton Symphony.

Mr. Levine's career began at Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where as a child he studied under Josef Hofmann, Wanda Landowska and Fritz Reiner. He became the school's youngest faculty member after graduation and toured as accompanist with Hungarian violinist Joseph Szigeti.

Mr. Levine served in the Air Force in World War II and from 1950 until 1958 conducted for the American Ballet Theater. He recorded for Capitol and Columbia Records, and wrote articles for Saturday Evening Post, Musical America and The New York Times.

Besides his wife, he is survived by his sons Stephen Levine, Los Angeles, and David Levine, Seattle, and a granddaughter, Michelle Levine, Denton, Tex.

A memorial service was held yesterday at Temple B'Nai Torah, Mercer Island.