Editing Max Steiner (section)

===Early years (1888–1907)===
[[File:Austria Classic Hotel Wien.jpg|thumb|[[Austria Classic Hotel Wien|Max Steiner's birthplace]] in Vienna today, Praterstraße 72]]

Max Steiner was born on 10 May 1888, in [[Vienna]], [[Austria-Hungary]], as the only child in a wealthy business and theatrical family of [[Jewish]] heritage.<ref name="Palmer">[[Christopher Palmer|Palmer, Christopher]]. ''The Composer in Hollywood'', "Max Steiner: Birth of an Era", Marion Boyars Publishers (1990) pp. 15–50</ref><ref>Neale, Steve, ed. ''Classical Hollywood Reader'', Routledge (2012) p. 235</ref><ref name=":0">[[Volkov, Shulamit]]. ''Germans, Jews, and Antisemites: Trials of Emancipation'', Cambridge Univ. Press (2006) p. 42</ref> He was named after his paternal grandfather, [[Maximilian Steiner]] (1839–1880), who was credited with first persuading [[Johann Strauss II]] to write for the theater, and was the influential manager of Vienna's historic [[Theater an der Wien]].<ref name="Thomas">Thomas, Tony. ''Max Steiner: Vienna, London, New York, and Finally Hollywood'', [http://files.lib.byu.edu/ead/XML/MSS1547.xml Max Steiner Collection], Brigham Young University 1996</ref> His parents were Marie Josefine/Mirjam (Hasiba) and [[History of the Jews in Hungary|Hungarian-Jewish]] {{ill|Gábor Steiner|de|Gábor Steiner|lt=Gábor Steiner}} (1858–1944, born in [[Timișoara|Temesvár]], [[Kingdom of Hungary (1526–1867)|Kingdom of Hungary]], [[Austrian Empire]]), a Viennese [[impresario]], carnival exposition manager, and inventor, responsible for building the [[Wiener Riesenrad]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6EkAQAAIAAJ&q=Max+Steiner+%22Hasiba%22 | title=Venedig in Wien: Theater- und Vergnügungsstadt der Jahrhundertwende| isbn=9783800035427| last1=Rubey| first1=Norbert| last2=Schoenwald| first2=Peter| year=1996| publisher=Ueberreuter}}</ref> His father encouraged Steiner's musical talent, and allowed him to conduct an American operetta at the age of twelve, [[the Belle of New York (musical)|''The Belle of New York'']], which allowed Steiner to gain early recognition by the operetta's author, [[Gustave Kerker]].<ref name=Thomas/> Steiner's mother Marie was a dancer in stage productions put on by his grandfather when she was young, but later became involved in the restaurant business.<ref name="invisible">{{cite book |last1=MacDonald |first1=Laurence E. |title=The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History |date=2013 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, Maryland |isbn=9780810883987 |edition=2nd |url=https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1203883}}</ref>{{rp|26,37}}<ref name="thomas" />{{rp|56}} [[Richard Strauss]] strongly influenced Steiner's future work. Steiner often credited his family for inspiring his early musical abilities. As early as six years old, Steiner was taking three or four piano lessons a week, yet often became bored with the lessons. Because of this, he would practice improvising on his own, his father encouraging him to write his music down. Steiner cited his early improvisation as an influence of his taste in music, particularly his interest in the music of [[Claude Debussy]] which was "[[avant-garde|avant garde]]" for the time.<ref name="voyager">{{cite book|title=Max Steiner's ''Now, Voyager'': A Film Score Guide|last1=Daubney|first1=Kate|date=2000|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0313312532|location=Westport, CT}}</ref>{{rp|2}} In his youth, he began his composing career through his work on marches for [[regiment]]al bands and hit songs for a show put on by his father.<ref name="voyager" />{{rp|2}}

Steiner's parents sent him to the [[Vienna University of Technology]], but he expressed little interest in scholastic subjects. He enrolled in the [[University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna|Imperial Academy of Music]] in 1904,<ref name="Wegele">{{cite book|last1=Wegele|first1=Peter|title=Max Steiner: Composing, Casablanca and the Golden Age of Film Music, p. 47-74|date=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|location=Blue Ridge Summit}}</ref> where, due to his precocious musical talents and private tutoring by [[Robert Fuchs (composer)|Robert Fuchs]], and [[Gustav Mahler]], he completed a four-year course in only one year, winning himself a gold medal from the academy at the age of fifteen.<ref name="podium">{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Tony |title=Film Score: The View from the Podium |date=1979 |publisher=A.S. Barnes and Co. |location=Cranbury, New Jersey |isbn=0498023583}}</ref>{{rp|73}} He studied various instruments including [[violin]], [[double bass]], [[Organ (music)|organ]], and [[trumpet]]. His preferred and best instrument was the piano, but he acknowledged the importance of being familiar with what the other instruments could do. He also had courses in [[harmony]], [[counterpoint]], and [[composition (music)|composition]].<ref name="thomas" />{{rp|56}}<ref name="voyager" />{{rp|2}} Along with Mahler and Fuchs, he cited his teachers as [[Felix Weingartner]] and [[Edmund Eysler]].<ref name="voyager" />{{rp|2}}