The story of Dr. Ejnar Krantz is more than the biography of a concert pianist and composer. It is the story of the American Midwest, immigrant perseverance, classical music education in the twentieth century, church music traditions, and a lifelong devotion to artistry and discipline. Born on a rural Michigan farm to Swedish immigrant parents, Krantz would go on to become a respected concert pianist, organist, teacher, adjudicator, and composer whose works continue to serve pianists, singers, choirs, and churches today.
For musicians interested in American classical music, sacred choral repertoire, organ music, piano literature, and the history of church musicians in America, Ejnar Krantz represents a remarkable and often overlooked musical life.
Readers interested in exploring more of Ejnar Krantz’s compositions for piano, choir, organ, and vocal solo can visit the official composer page at Alliance Publications – Ejnar Krantz Composer Page.
Growing Up in Rural Michigan
Ejnar Krantz was born on August 3, 1915, near the small rural community of Mears, Michigan. Located in Oceana County north of Muskegon and not far from the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, Mears was—and still is—a deeply agricultural region. The area is known for farms, orchards, forests, and sandy landscapes shaped by nearby dunes and lake weather patterns.
In the early twentieth century, communities like Mears and Hart were quiet farming settlements where families often lived miles apart and hard physical labor defined daily life. Roads were rough, winters were severe, and entertainment was limited. Yet these rural communities also cultivated strong family bonds, church life, and local cultural traditions.
Krantz was the second-born son of Swedish immigrants Sam and Hannah Krantz. His upbringing reflects a larger story of Scandinavian immigration to the American Midwest during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Swedish immigrants settled heavily throughout Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, bringing with them traditions of Lutheran church music, folk melodies, craftsmanship, discipline, and a deep respect for education.
Music held an important place in many Scandinavian immigrant homes. Singing hymns, playing instruments, and participating in church choirs were common parts of family life. In many ways, Ejnar Krantz’s later career as a church musician, pianist, and composer grew naturally from this cultural heritage.
The Mouth Organ and the Sears Roebuck Accordion
Krantz’s musical journey began modestly. As a child, he learned to play the “mouth-organ,” an older term for the harmonica. The harmonica was one of the most accessible instruments available in rural America during the early twentieth century. Small, portable, and inexpensive, it was commonly sold through catalogs such as Sears & Roebuck and became especially popular in farming communities.
Soon after, Krantz began playing accordion. The accordion occupied a unique role in immigrant and folk communities across America. It could provide melody, harmony, and rhythm simultaneously, making it ideal for home gatherings and informal entertainment.
The biography notes that his first accordion was purchased through the Sears & Roebuck catalog. This detail reveals something important about rural American life at the time. Before modern retail chains and online shopping, large mail-order catalogs connected isolated farming communities to the broader American marketplace. Families could order clothing, tools, furniture, instruments, and even entire houses through the mail.
Krantz eventually borrowed a larger accordion from a friend and began improvising music. Improvisation would remain an important aspect of his musicianship throughout his life. Even at a young age, he displayed the rare ability not simply to reproduce music, but to create it spontaneously.
The Player Piano That Changed Everything
One of the defining moments of Krantz’s childhood came when his mother discovered a used Carlyle player piano for sale.
A player piano was a fascinating technological innovation of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Using perforated paper rolls and pneumatic mechanisms, the instrument could “play itself” by automatically depressing the keys. Before radio and television became widespread, player pianos brought orchestral music, popular songs, and classical repertoire into homes across America.
But for young musicians, the player piano offered something even more important: exposure to advanced musical repertoire and technique.
Krantz worked picking cucumbers during the summer to help pay for the piano. This detail vividly captures the realities of farm life in rural Michigan, where children commonly contributed labor to family finances. When the piano unexpectedly arrived at the family home as a surprise gift from his mother, it became a transformational moment.
The biography recalls how he “played and played,” developing both technical skills and improvisational ability. For a gifted child in a remote farming community, the instrument opened a doorway into a much larger musical world.
Piano Lessons by Horse and Sleigh
Krantz’s parents recognized his unusual talent and sacrificed financially to support his lessons. His teacher, Mrs. Greiner, traveled weekly to the family farm. During harsh Michigan winters, she was transported by horse and sleigh.
This image almost feels cinematic today, but it reflects the realities of rural life in the 1920s. Access to music education required enormous commitment from both teachers and families. There were no online lessons, no easy transportation, and few professional teachers in isolated areas.
Krantz later studied with Mrs. Noret while attending Hart High School and also received organ instruction from Mr. West. Organ study proved especially important because it required coordination of both hands and feet, developing exceptional musical independence and dexterity.
This early immersion in organ technique likely contributed significantly to the precision and structural clarity that later defined both his piano playing and compositional style.
Chicago and Formal Musical Training
In 1933, Krantz moved to Chicago to pursue serious musical study at Sherwood Music School. For a young man from rural Michigan during the Great Depression, this represented an enormous leap.
Chicago during the 1930s was one of America’s great cultural centers. The city supported orchestras, opera companies, conservatories, churches, recital halls, and radio broadcasts. It was a place where ambitious musicians could encounter world-class performers and educators.
Sherwood Music School became possible for Krantz through a scholarship offered by director Professor Scanlon. Scholarships often served as lifelines for talented musicians during this era, particularly those from working-class or immigrant families.
The biography charmingly notes Krantz’s enjoyment of the seven-cent streetcar rides through Chicago. That small detail reminds readers that this farm boy was experiencing a major American city at a moment of artistic and cultural energy.
Touring America in a Model A Ford
Before completing his degree, Krantz partnered with Russian violinist Alexander Kaminsky as accompanist, soloist, and driver.
Together they traveled throughout the United States and Canada in a Model A Ford, performing concerts across the East Coast, Midwest, and South. In the pre-interstate era, this kind of touring demanded enormous stamina and determination. Roads were rough, distances were long, and concert musicians often depended entirely on live performances for income.
This touring experience likely shaped Krantz’s practical understanding of audiences, programming, and performance psychology. It also exposed him to a wide range of musical communities throughout North America.
Eventually earning $75 per week—a respectable income at the time—he returned to Sherwood Music School and completed his Bachelor’s Degree in 1939.
Studying with Rudolph Ganz
One of the most significant chapters in Krantz’s life was his year of piano study with Rudolph Ganz at Chicago Musical College.
For serious pianists, the name Rudolph Ganz carries considerable weight. Ganz was a Swiss-born pianist, conductor, composer, and educator who became one of the most influential musical figures in American classical music during the twentieth century.
He had studied in Europe and worked closely with major composers and musicians of the Romantic era tradition. Ganz also conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and championed modern composers including Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev, and Igor Stravinsky.
To study with Rudolph Ganz meant entering a direct pedagogical lineage connected to European Romantic piano traditions.
Krantz earned his Master of Music degree in 1943 while also studying composition with Max Wald. During this period he performed annual recitals and concerti accompanied by orchestral players associated with the Chicago Symphony at Orchestra Hall.
This placed him within one of the highest levels of American classical music training during the era.
The Working Musician
Krantz’s career demonstrates the reality faced by many professional musicians: balancing artistry with practical work.
While pursuing advanced degrees, he supported himself by:
- Serving as a church organist and choir director
- Teaching French and Spanish in high school
- Maintaining private music students
- Performing professionally
This combination of performance, teaching, church work, and composition was common among highly trained musicians in twentieth-century America.
Krantz eventually completed doctoral study at Roosevelt University in 1954. His dissertation, An Approach to Fingering in Piano Playing, reflects his deep interest in pianistic mechanics and pedagogy.
Carnegie Hall and International Performances
Krantz’s accomplishments eventually included:
- A New York Town Hall debut
- Concert appearances across the United States
- International touring
- Representation of Michigan in Carnegie Hall after winning a nationwide contest
For any classical pianist, Carnegie Hall represents one of the most iconic performance venues in the world. Performing there signaled recognition at a national level.
Krantz also performed extensively in Sweden, including a formal debut at the Konserthus in Stockholm in 1950 followed by a three-month tour of twenty piano and organ concerts.
This Swedish tour likely carried personal significance given his family heritage and Scandinavian roots.
Church Music and Sacred Traditions
Throughout his life, Krantz maintained strong connections to church music traditions. He served Methodist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran congregations in multiple states including Michigan, Illinois, Texas, Washington D.C., and Indiana.
Church musicians during this era often served as both artistic leaders and community builders. Their responsibilities extended far beyond Sunday services and included:
- Choir rehearsals
- Organ recitals
- Community concerts
- Oratorio performances
- Music education
At First Presbyterian Church in South Bend, Indiana, Krantz directed five choirs and performed twenty-seven organ concerts on the final Sunday of each month.
This extraordinary level of output demonstrates both his discipline and his commitment to public musical life.
The Teacher and Mentor
Krantz’s later years centered heavily around teaching and mentorship.
He taught at:
- Louisiana Polytechnic Institute
- Manchester College
- Goshen College
- Indiana University South Bend
At Indiana University South Bend, he served more than twenty years as adjunct professor of Piano and Music History while continuing to maintain a private studio.
His annual piano recitals became anticipated cultural events in the community.
The biography notes that he practiced four to five hours every day and twice practiced through the entire night. This level of dedication reflects the intense discipline characteristic of major concert pianists.
Composer and Legacy
Although known as a performer and educator, Krantz also left behind an important body of compositions for:
- Piano
- Organ
- Voice
- Choir
His music reflects the broad range of experiences that shaped his life:
- Scandinavian heritage
- Church music traditions
- Romantic piano literature
- Midwestern American culture
- European classical training
Today his compositions remain available through Alliance Publications.
Musicians interested in exploring works by Ejnar Krantz—including vocal solos, choral music, piano works, and organ repertoire—can discover more at:
Alliance Publications – Ejnar Krantz Composer Page
Why Ejnar Krantz Still Matters
Ejnar Krantz represents a generation of American musicians whose lives bridged multiple worlds:
- immigrant traditions and American opportunity,
- rural farm life and international concert stages,
- church music and formal classical performance,
- teaching and artistry,
- discipline and creativity.
His story reminds modern musicians that great artistry does not always emerge from elite urban centers or privileged backgrounds. Sometimes it begins on a rural farm in Michigan with a harmonica, an accordion, and a used player piano delivered unexpectedly to a young boy who simply could not stop playing music.