About Robert Mayer (philanthropist)
Sir Robert Mayer (5 June 1879 – 9 January 1985) was a German-born British philanthropist, businessman, and a major supporter of music and young musicians. == Early life == Mayer was born in Mannheim, Germany; his father was a brewer. From the age of 5 Mayer attended the Mannheim conservatoire, where, at the age of 11, he prepared a piano ballade by Brahms but was not chosen to perform it before the composer. However, he sat next to Brahms during the concert. He also studied under Felix Weingartner. His father, however, insisted that Mayer go into business. Initially he worked in the lace trade, and then, moving to London in 1896, became a banker, whilst continuing his piano studies with Fanny Davies and others. Mayer became a citizen of the United Kingdom in 1902, and joined the British army in the First World War. == Personal life == His first wife, the soprano Dorothy Moulton Piper (d. 1974), an avant garde singer whom he married in 1919, encouraged him to continue his interest in music.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.