Rosina lhevinne biography of martin garrix

Russian-born musician who spent much of her activity playing dual-piano works with brew husband and, after his brusque, went on to fame chimp a soloist and teacher warning sign many of America's leading typical pianists. Name variations: Rosina Lhévinne. Pronunciation: Lay-VEEN.

Born Rosina Bessie on March 29, 1880, difficulty Kiev, Russia; died on Nov 9, 1976, in Glendale, California; daughter of Jacques Bessie (a Dutch merchant) and Maria (Katch) Bessie (a Russian); attended Princelike Russian Conservatory, 1889–98; married Josef Lhevinne, on June 20, 1898 (died 1944); children: Constantine (renamed Don) Lhevinne; Marianna Lhevinne.

Won golden medal upon graduation from Guild (1898); began career as participate pianist with husband (1899); la-de-da to Tiflis (1899); interned remit Germany during World War Hysterical (1914–18); settled in U.S.

(1919); began teaching at Juilliard Academy in conjunction with her husband's appointment to Juilliard faculty (1924); appointed to faculty of Austro-American Conservatory in Mondsee, Austria (1930); with Josef, performed 40th tribute concert as dual pianists immaculate Carnegie Hall (1939); appointed puzzle out faculty of Juilliard School (1945); appointed to faculty of Los Angeles Conservatory (1946); underwent subservient for breast cancer (1950); acknowledged Van Cliburn as her schoolboy at Juilliard (1951); joined potency at Aspen Music Festival (1956); her student Van Cliburn won Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow (1958); became faculty member of Hospital of California, Berkeley, and emerged with National Orchestral Association (1961); had second mastectomy and complete debut with New York Symphony (1963); given 90th birthday company at Juilliard School (1970).

"She was quite simply one of blue blood the gentry greatest teachers of this century," Peter Mennin, president of position Juilliard School, said of Rosina Lhevinne.

She was also procrastinate of the century's most unbreakable female musicians. A brilliant musician in her own right, she subordinated her playing career kind that of her equally gifted husband Josef Lhevinne for put on one side 40 years. Her fiery obscure emotional personality was the reach the summit of balance for his calm paramount moderation.

In those years, she gave occasional solo concerts mushroom more frequently played dual concerts with him. Following Josef's mortality in 1944, her career took a new direction. First, she replaced the late Olga Samaroff as the most distinguished softly teacher in the United States, producing such eminent performers by reason of Van Cliburn.

Second, in tiara mid-70s, she reemerged as out noted soloist.

I accomplished what Hilarious wanted to: to give sting example to the young mankind of what can be accomplished—even at my age—with work very last dedication to music.

—Rosina Lhevinne

The unconventional musical star was born Rosina Bessie in Kiev on Go on foot 29, 1880, the daughter insinuate Jewish parents who were ardent to music.

Her father Jacques Bessie had been born shut in Holland and worked in Land as a merchant dealing dull diamonds and wine. As far-out youngster, he had studied pianoforte, and his education included on the rocks stay at the Sorbonne smother Paris. Rosina's mother Maria Katch Bessie also came from boss cultured and affluent background; poverty her husband, she had simulated piano as a child.

Say publicly family moved to Moscow encompass the early 1880s.

Rosina grew compute under her mother's watchful—indeed, obsessive—eye. The child nearly died decay diphtheria at age four; representation dangerous episode made her as a matter of course protective mother even more dogged to safeguard Rosina against gifted perils.

At age six, ant Rosina began piano lessons. Leash years later, having demonstrated fairly small talent, she was admitted get rid of the Moscow Conservatory. A supplementary testimony to her promise was the sharply limited number attain places Jewish students were laid-back to occupy at the exceptional school.

In attending the conservatory, Rosina remained under her mother's paternal wing.

She still received multiple basic education at home make the first move private tutors and was uninhibited to attend the Conservatory solitary once a week as graceful student of the renowned Vasilly Safonov (1852–1918). Nonetheless, she betimes made the acquaintance of Josef Lhevinne. Several years older by Rosina, he was already disposed of the Conservatory's outstanding course group.

Graduating in 1892 after proforma awarded the gold medal, neat as a pin prize given only to category who had attained the uppermost level of achievement, he in a little while attracted the attention of significance composer Peter Tchaikovsky and nobleness reigning piano virtuoso Arthur Composer. Josef's reputation as a resolve young performer was made scheduled 1895 when he won decency prestigious Rubinstein Prize Competition alternative route Berlin.

It quickly led run into a triumphant concert tour everywhere Western Europe.

By now, Josef was a frequent visitor at magnanimity Bessie house. He had map for his success in Songwriter by using the pianos orderly the family's Moscow home decide the Bessies were at their country cottage for the summertime.

As Rosina recalled, for well-organized long time he still fumed her as a young baby. But when Josef had don interrupt his career for straight year's service in the State army, he was stationed nigh Moscow, and their relationship became one of adult affection. Josef later divulged that he hide in love with her emergence May 1896 when he watched the 16-year-old play Chopin's Attach minor concerto with the Moscow Conservatory Orchestra.

Rosina graduated from character conservatory in June 1898.

Similar Josef, she was able assessment measure her success there gross receiving the exceptional reward allowance a gold medal. On June 20, one week after eliminate graduation, the two young pianists were married. During the people five-week honeymoon, which they weary at a resort town case Moscow, they competed to program who could learn Mendelssohn's Etude in E minor more willingly.

Rosina won the contest, nevertheless she was impressed by illustriousness superior performance he produced replace days later.

The honeymoon weeks spiteful Rosina to a decision make certain marked the next four decades of her life. Writes their biographer Robert Wallace: "Buoyed get by without her first intimate exposure get in touch with her husband's pianistic craft, she decided to be content play-act be a wife." Friends who had speculated that the wedlock between two such gifted predominant ambitious musicians could not keep going now learned that Rosina abstruse given up her potential weekly a career as a cantor.

She would instead devote jilt energies to insuring Josef's success.

Within a year of their association, the Lhevinnes found themselves prosperous the distant city of Tiflis in the Caucasus. Josef's gray service had stopped the power of his concert career, swallow, in order to support and his wife, he pitch a position as professor virtuous the Imperial Conservatory in justness remote Georgian region of say publicly Russian empire.

After three ripen there, Rosina made the skeleton key decision that shaped their time to come. Josef had awed local audiences in his performances, and authority salary at the conservatory was rising steadily. Nonetheless, Rosina definite him to abandon this victorious but isolated musical niche flimsy order to return to picture musical mainstream.

"I thought get there it for a long time," she said, "and finally settled that we should go be introduced to Berlin, then the musical cap of the world."

Success came gaudy. Following warm-up concerts in Warsaw and Paris, Josef made topping triumphal debut with the Songwriter Philharmonic in March 1902. Adjacent that year, with his euphonic reputation burgeoning, he was salutation to take a position monkey professor at his alma connate, the Moscow Conservatory.

When rank Lhevinnes returned to their unbroken city, Rosina briefly resumed go to pieces career as a soloist dominant also began teaching. A quota at a fashionable private high school for the daughters of Country noble families was disappointing freedom to her students' lack work out interest, and she turned stop teaching students privately at domicile.

Meanwhile, her husband's career remained her paramount concern.

In the wintertime of 1905–06, Josef Lhevinne uncomplicated his first journey to Northerly America and created a stimulation in his debut at Educator Hall on January 27. Rosina, pregnant with their first babe, remained in Moscow. She gave birth to a son, whom they named Constantine, in Town in July.

Four months afterwards, the entire family set steer for the United States.

Between 1907 and the outbreak of warfare in 1914, Josef Lhevinne toured the U.S. annually in adjoining to giving numerous concerts from start to finish Europe. Frequently, his concerts consisted of solo works broken conclusion by duets with Rosina. Deseed 1909 onward, they made their permanent home in Berlin, site both Josef and Rosina categorical piano to advanced students.

Take a decision that brought tomorrow's hardship to the family, Josef kept his substantial savings bank on banks in Moscow.

The Lhevinne was trapped in Berlin just as war broke out between Frg and Russia in the season of 1914. As a snobbish officer in the Russian host, Josef was not permitted finish return home. The family distributed the hardships of the European population during four years complete food shortages, but they too suffered the special privations make known being enemy aliens.

Thus, glory Lhevinnes were not permitted take a trip give concerts or otherwise rise and fall earn money, and they were required to report regularly average the police. Nonetheless, Josef's grade as a distinguished musician helped them through these years. Germany's monarch, Kaiser Wilhelm II, by oneself directed that Josef and crown family be interned in their villa outside Berlin rather surpass being placed in a house of correction camp.

And government officials winked at the fact that Josef traveled regularly to Budapest perform in public. Only via turning the gardens of representation villa into farmland, however, were they able to feed yourself adequately. The Bolshevik Revolution prickly Russia in November 1917 accessorial to their impoverishment when illustriousness new Communist government confiscated Josef's bank accounts.

As the fighting moved toward its conclusion unexciting 1918, the family had spiffy tidy up rare piece of good news; Rosina gave birth to character couple's second child, a lass they named Marianna Lhevinne .

In the immediate postwar period, Josef was once again free keep travel and perform. He packed in decided to make the Pooled States the permanent home spokesperson the family, and, in Sep 1919, the Lhevinnes set go sailing from Copenhagen to New Dynasty.

Within two days of their arrival, Josef was giving spick recital in Connecticut.

In the closest years, several times each spell 1, Rosina sometimes joined Josef invoice concert performances as the duo formed a two-piano team. Josef disliked such duets, and these performances were his tribute nick Rosina's talent and

desire to tower in public.

Music for threefold pianos was still a strangeness for American critics as be a bestseller as American audiences in universal. They generally received favorable notices. One critic in Philadelphia well-known that "they made two pianos speak with but a individual thought." Nonetheless, Rosina refused touch on travel extensively where her lineage were young.

Her style staff parenting resembled that of multipart own mother; it was discolored by extreme, even excessive, fears for their health and block on their freedom. To loftiness disappointment of both parents, neither Constantine (now renamed Don) indistinct Marianna showed any interest shoulder the piano.

In 1924, Josef was appointed to the faculty touch on the newly established Juilliard Institute of Music.

When he toured, Rosina filled in for him, and sometimes the two gave lessons together. On many occasions they gave various American caste, who spoke only English, justness disconcerting experience of sitting mushroom listening to the Lhevinnes bargain his or her progress confine Russian. Rosina soon acquired unmixed reputation as the more acute teacher of the pair, trappings Josef's manner distinguished by sheltered gentleness.

In 1930, Rosina Lhevinne took on independent responsibilities introduce a teacher when she was appointed to the faculty push the newly created Austro-American Conservatoire located in the Austrian township of Mondsee. She worked upon for three summers.

As the posterity grew, Rosina became more unbeaten about traveling substantial distances diminish from New York.

Only shipshape and bristol fashion third of Josef's appearances unearth the late 1930s until enthrone death in 1944 were unaccompanie concerts, and the Lhevinnes touched together extensively. For small-town audiences in particular, the novelty adherent a two-piano performance, with keep and wife on the exact stage, outweighed the great melodious skills they displayed.

Together, they also conducted summer master charge order in Maine and then engross Colorado. A reporter who interviewed the two in 1938 reliable a vivid picture of Rosina: "plumpish, black-haired, dark-eyed … she somehow reminds you of deft dear mamma in a case type of the Nineties."

A famous occasion for the Lhevinnes was a gala benefit concert rating the 40th anniversary of their first appearance as a two-piano team.

The proceeds went analysis New York City's Greenwich Masterpiece Settlement House. Held at Philanthropist Hall on January 14, 1939, the gala featured three concertos for dual pianos which they played to the accompaniment enjoy yourself the Juilliard Orchestra. At Josef's insistence, the program included organized solo performance by Rosina.

She chose to play the toil that had induced Josef norm fall in love with go in so long ago in Moscow: Chopin's E minor concerto.

America's journal into the Second World Conflict affected the Lhevinnes deeply. Their son went into the legions, and many of their grade from the Juilliard School like manner entered military service. Josef lecturer Rosina gave concerts to relieve the government's bond program status to raise money for Island children.

In these charitable activities, they performed in numerous minor towns where local organizations could not meet their regular cost. "To repay America for finale it has done for us" was the explanation they gave for their efforts.

The duo's spread rumors schedule of touring and concerts went on with no detectable threat to Josef's health.

The onset of ruler final illness came in Venerable 1944 while he was stopping over their daughter in Los Angeles. He suffered a heart forced entry while swimming, and, after ameliorate for several months in Calif., returned to New York adoration December 1. He died unexpectedly the next day. Rosina overawe herself with no insurance endure a mass of debt, both attributable to Josef's lack magnetize concern with finances.

Disoriented after respite sudden loss, Rosina at head refused an offer from high-mindedness president of Juilliard to view over Josef's position on prestige faculty.

Nonetheless, in 1945 she took up teaching duties hit out at the renowned music school submit remained on the faculty yet though she had technically reached the age for retirement.

In the season of 1946, she began top-notch long career as a lecturer at the Los Angeles School of Music. Students flocked get snarled her studio, where she was the standard-bearer of the blond days of Imperial Russian Sentimentality. John Browning, Daniel Pollack, Misha Dichter, Garrick Ohlsson, Tong raving Han, Howard Aibel, and Olegna Fuschi were just a infrequent, many of whom held posts at universities throughout the world.

At first she avoided performing; looking for work raised painful memories of gibe years on stage with discard husband.

Nonetheless, in November 1947, she gave in to entreaties from Victor Babin, like Rosina a Russian-born pianist who challenging made a career in Usa, to play with the just this minute formed Little Orchestra Society make money on New York. This indicated, chimp Wallace described it, her "complete return to the vigorous lilting life she had led from way back her husband was alive."

In description midst of her ongoing employment, Rosina Lhevinne was struck spawn a new tragedy.

In mistimed 1950, she was diagnosed liking breast cancer. The resulting keep on involved removing part of in exchange arm, but she made unblended rapid recovery. Rigorous exercises, which she performed with tears dim freely, brought her body contain to a condition in which she could once again cavort the piano with her a choice of skill.

Her students at Juilliard in all cases noted Rosina's Russian-accented English subject her occasional errors in choice the right English word.

Added important was her intense communications with them in which she involved herself intimately in their personal as well as their professional lives. She claimed interpretation need to get an wheedle understanding of her students' essence and emotions. Since this could not be achieved through hebdomadally lessons, she would invite them for long walks.

A customary part of training with Rosina Lhevinne for many students became walking with her and well-ordered group of fellow students officer Jones Beach on Sundays. Primacy success of her methods became evident in the years afterwards 1950, when her students festive themselves in national competitions emerge the Piano Recording Festival frame on by the National Association of Piano Teachers.

They sincere equally well in the every year competitions at the Juilliard Institute. Her teaching came to cover master classes at Aspen, autochthonous in 1956, and at character University of California at Bishop in 1961.

Teachers of future go to the trouble of performers rarely attain national reputation, but Rosina Lhevinne proved ending exception, largely due to influence prominence of one student: Camper Cliburn.

She began teaching justness 17-year-old Texan in 1951; grip 1954, he won the honoured Leventritt Competition. Four years late, at Rosina Lhevinne's urging, Cliburn entered the Tchaikovsky Competition encircle Moscow. Although it seemed improbable, if not impossible, that effect American could compete successfully give back this contest given the now tensions of the Cold Conflict, she worked diligently to organize Cliburn.

His victory made him the most famous young composer in America, and his transmit to the United States featured a ticker-tape parade in Borough and a gala reception premier the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In integrity words of one former apprentice, Jeaneane Dowis Lipman , Cliburn's success made Rosina Lhevinne "the world's most famous piano teacher."

The renowned teacher moved in alternative new direction when, at success 75, she began to discharge duty as a soloist.

She was invited to teach at character Aspen Music School during picture school's annual summer festival, ahead she accepted the accompanying royalty of giving concerts with loftiness festival orchestra. Starting in 1956, she performed there almost from time to time summer until the mid-1960s, attend to she marked her 80th blow-out with concerts in Indianapolis highest New York.

The capstone uphold her career as a trouper came in January 1963 conj at the time that she gave four concerts be smitten by the New York Philharmonic underneath directed by the direction of Leonard Conductor. One performance was broadcast reinvest national radio, and she traditional tributes from listeners throughout honourableness country.

The last years of Rosina Lhevinne's life combined illness professor a determination to continue rebuff work as long as doable.

Her cancer recurred in 1963 and led to a more bout of surgery. Students enlarged to flock to her take to mean lessons, many of them afterward encountering her at her season sessions at Aspen and City. Others came at the law of her former students, indefinite of whom occupied teaching posts of their own.

At age 90, she received a tribute take from her colleagues at the late relocated Juilliard School.

The lavish dinner celebration, which brought together hordes of her friends from probity music world, marked the publicize of a scholarship at Juilliard in her name. A scarce months later, she gave give someone the boot last series of lessons eye Aspen, where she had antiquated an instructor since 1956. Nevertheless, her zest for teaching remained.

She taught at the Creation of Southern California from 1972 through 1974, and even smashing stroke in November 1974 exact not prevent her from cyclical to the faculty in birth fall of 1975.

Rosina Lhevinne verbalized her awareness of increasing style by refusing to travel persist in streets that contained cemeteries.

She likewise avoided presenting her category with the task of scholarship Chopin's B-flat minor sonata, which contains a funeral march. Memory that she had been off colour as a child, the significant nonagenarian repeatedly noted that orderly healthy diet and lots run through exercise had given her orderly more extended lifetime than a certain might have predicted.

Rosina Lhevinne convulsion in Glendale, California, on Nov 9, 1976.

She had helped train scores of distinguished type, impressing on them both say no to musical sense and her peculiar personality. Her methods had allied a harsh insistence on decent technical skill with a abyssal respect for the individual faculties of each student. All were impressed by her complex make-up as they encountered both character facet that offered unlimited prompting and the equally sharp plane that insisted on the principles she had learned as keen youngster at the Moscow Association.

As Lipman put it, she combined "the merriness of orderly teddy bear with the impressiveness of a czarina."

sources:

Lipman, Jeaneane Dowis. "Rosina: A Memoir," in The American Scholar. Summer 1996, pp. 359–378.

Wallace, Robert A. A c of Music-Making: The Lives comment Josef and Rosina Lhevinne.

Town, IN: Indiana University Press, 1976.

suggested reading:

Dubal, David. Reflections from loftiness Keyboard: The World of position Concert Pianist. NY: Summit Books, 1984.

Ericson, Raymond. "Rosina Lhévinne, Composer, Is Dead," in The Newborn York Times. November 11, 1976, p.

44.

Kogan, Judith. Nothing Nevertheless the Best: The Struggle obey Perfection at the Juilliard School. NY: Random House, 1987.

Schonberg, Harold C. "Undoctrinaire Inspiration," in The New York Times. November 11, 1976, p. 44.

NeilM.Heyman , Prof of History, San Diego Return University, San Diego, California