Clara Lichtenstein (October 21, 1863 – May 3, 1946) was a Hungarian-born pianist and educator.
Clara Lichtenstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 21, 1863 Budapest |
| Died | May 3, 1946 Swanage, Dorset, England |
| Occupation(s) | Music educator, pianist |
Early life
editLichtenstein was born in Budapest in 1863.[1] Her maternal grandfather was the German singer Traugott Gey, and her uncle was the artist Leonhard Gey.[2]
She studied at the Charlotte Square Institution in Edinburgh, where her uncle George Lichtenstein was a director.[3] In 1880, she performed piano duets with Sir Charles Hallé.[4] She continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in Vienna; she is said to have also studied with Liszt around this time.[5]
Career
editFollowing her uncle's death, Lichtenstein became principal of the Charlotte Square Institution. In 1898, she became a member of the Royal Society of Musicians. In 1899,[6] she was invited by Lord Strathcona to organize a music department at the Royal Victoria College (later McGill University) in Montreal.[2][7] In 1904,[8] she became vice-director and head of staff of the new McGill Conservatorium of Music.[9] She taught piano, voice, music history and music theory until 1929.[5][10] She also gave public lectures in Montreal.[11]
Her students included Pauline Donalda,[12] Ellen Ballon,[13] Maud Allan,[14] Marguerita Spencer, jazz pianist Max Chamitov,[15] and bass singer Edmund Burke.[5]
Personal life and legacy
editLichtenstein retired to England in 1929, and died in Swanage, Dorset, in 1946, in her eighties.[5][10] Clara Lichtenstein Hall, a small performance hall at McGill University, was named in her honour.[16] In 1979, as part of the conservatory's 80th anniversary events, pianist Janet Schmalfeldt gave a recital in memory of Clara Lichtenstein, featuring works by Bach, Schubert, Schumann, and Liszt.[17]
References
edit- ^ Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1943). Annual Report. p. 107.
- ^ a b McLean, Eric (January 12, 1980). "Clara Brought Touch of Class to Montreal". The Gazette. p. 66. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Leonard, John William (1914). Woman's Who's who of America: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Women of the United States and Canada. American Commonwealth Company. pp. 490–491.
- ^ "Edinburgh". The Musical Standard: 354. December 4, 1880.
- ^ a b c d Turbide, Nadia (2013). "Lichtenstein, Clara". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
- ^ "Think Highly of Her". The Gazette. 1899-10-19. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Stubley, Eleanor (2008). Compositional Crossroads: Music, Mcgill, Montreal. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-7735-7504-2.
- ^ "Breaks Old Rules". The Gazette. 1904-03-12. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "McGill Conservatory". Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- ^ a b "Miss C. Lichtenstein, Franz Liszt Pupil, Dies". The Gazette. 1946-05-04. p. 14. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Art Association of Montreal". The Gazette. 1901-03-05. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Pauline Lightstone Donalda, soprano, voice teacher and administrator (1882-1970), Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Ellen Ballon fonds, Dalhousie University". MemoryNS. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- ^ Forster, Merna (2011-09-07). 100 More Canadian Heroines: Famous and Forgotten Faces. Dundurn. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-4597-0085-7.
- ^ "From Classical to Jazz". The Gazette. 1957-07-13. p. 25. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Clara Lichtenstein Hall". Music, McGill University. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- ^ "McGill Memo". The Gazette. 1979-12-14. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-06-23 – via Newspapers.com.