Prepared by Busoni and an ally of Schonberg, Steuerman was an objective musician possessing great intellect. He was the first performer to play in Pierrot Lunaire and the solo works of Schonberg. The tremedous importance given to Schonberg's music in the United States gave Steuerman a crucial role in musical life there. He taught at Juilliard, and was said to have been an overbearing dry teacher. His recordings are few and show restraint, strong conception of form and style, yet tend to be very dry. He left a disc of works by Busoni which seems uncharacteristic of the way Petri and other Busonians played: it is different but unconvincing. A few live recordings exist, including Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and Weber's Second Sonata: these give a better indication of what Steuerman could achieve. A book of his writings has been published, containing his brilliant perceptions
© Allan Evans, 1996