ALEXANDER PETRUSKA

the fiddles, they sing it ..., the clarinets, the clarinets say du-ah the horns, the horns they shout it out the drums have no trouble .... the bassoon has no point or counter-point...., about 70 years after he taught his wds students this brilliant concoction i still remember the words and his infectious sense of humor. i traveled by train from our home in mamaroneck to his home in mount vernon (columbus ave stop on the nhh rr) every thursday night for piano lessons. i had no...

I found the print copy of this obituary in my parents' things. I remembered the name from my childhood. I didn't know anything about his music or that he was a Holocaust survivor. (I'm a violinist and violin teacher, as well as pianist and singer.) Unfortunately, I don't know how my parents met him or how they came to be friends. They were lifelong choral singers (coming from Queens and then moving to Long Island), so maybe that was a source of their connection. My parents' names were Jerold...

Memories of workshops. Being a part of Alex´s community is a precious memory. I cherish all the lessons and inspired, loving moments. Suzy Rose

a fine, lovely gentleman who tried his best to teach me the piano. he was a talented musician, adored by his many WDS students who marveled at his creativity and laughed along with his humor.

I was so saddened to hear about the loss of Mr. Petruska. I had not heard about this before. Mr. Petruska was one of my most favorite teachers. My father, Cantor Martin Horowitz was a teacher at the Westchester Day School and our home was always filled with music. I would look forward to his class every week. We learned so many songs that we still sing today. My sister and I had solos in every performance that we had at the day school. My grandchildren hear me sing so many songs and ask me,...

Like Mina Horowitz Millendorf, I was privileged to be introduced to the joys of music by Mr. Petrushka at Westchester Day School in the 1950s. We loved his music room, where fun and song were inseparable. So many of us WDS students also studied piano with Mr. Petrushka. Before lessons, he would frequently play a record to introduce some new composer or piece -- and then the lesson! Though not particularly gifted, I especially loved Bach. To this day, I still have those yellow Schirmer books...

I just learned of 'Mr. Petruska's' passing when googling yesterday prior to practicing. I was a student of his as a teenager. After many years of absence, I decided to start playing again, following all his notes. He instilled a love of music- and art- at a difficult age, that has stayed with me my entire life. So I continue to practice at age 62, hearing his corrections, suggestions, and encouragement.

Dear Gwen, Jane and Gary,

I'm sorry to hear of the passing of Alex. I know how much he meant to all of you. RIP, Alex. With deepest sympathy,

For a span of at least a dozen years, my older brother, Daniel, older sister, Debbie, and/or I were long-term students of "Mr. Petruska." For most of that time he lived on Magnolia Ave in Mt. Vernon; we lived around the corner (that's stretching it a bit) on Esplanade.

He was unique in every way - as a gifted, inspiring teacher and as a human being. It was not uncommon - at his (later) New Rochelle home - for him to interrupt the proceedings and take my hand so we could admire an...