Adela Verne
Encyclopedia
Adela Verne was a notable English pianist
and minor composer of German descent. She was considered one of the greatest woman pianists of her era, ranked alongside the male keyboard giants of the time. She toured with great success in many parts of the world.
Adela (or Adèle) Verne was born into a musical family named Wurm. Three of her sisters (of her nine older siblings) were also notable pianists or composers: Mathilde
and Alice both also adopted the surname Verne, but Mary
retained the family name Wurm.
Clara Schumann
heard Adela play when she was but a small girl. She was so impressed that she wanted to take her to Frankfurt for study, as she had done with Mathilde, however her parents would not permit this. Instead, she was instructed by Mathilde and Alice, and later by Clara Schumann's daughter Marie Schumann.
At age 13 she made her debut in Tchaikovsky
's Concerto No.1 in B flat minor
, conducted by Sir August Manns
at the Crystal Palace
. Tchaikovsky himself heard of this astonishing young prodigy and wanted to meet her. The following year she was introduced to Ignacy Jan Paderewski
. He was so impressed with her playing that he predicted a great future for her. At his home in Morges in Switzerland
, she studied Chopin
with Paderewski, as well as most of his own works, including the Sonata in E flat minor, the Polish Fantasy and the Concerto in A minor, the work with which she made her orchestral debut in New York
.
Adela Verne was hailed as the successor to Teresa Carreño
, and was equally praised by North and South American, Australian, European and British audiences and critics. In Vienna, after hearing her play four concertos in one evening, Theodor Leschetizky gave her the rare honour of asking her to give a recital to his own pupils.
Her wide repertoire included a large amount from the 18th and 19th centuries, but also much from the 20th century, including works that were very modern for their day. She often appeared in chamber music recitals at the St James's Hall concerts, alongside artists such as the violinist Joseph Joachim
and the cellist Alfredo Piatti
.
She toured Australia with Dame Nellie Melba
, and was associated on stage with other singers such as Luisa Tetrazzini
, Amelita Galli-Curci
and John McCormack, and violinists such as Mischa Elman, Eugène Ysaÿe
and others. She appeared regularly at the Proms
, and was the first British artist to give a solo recital at the Royal Albert Hall
.
Her premiere performances were many:
At the request of the BBC
, in early 1952 she broadcast a special programme of works by Paderewski. Her last public appearance was at the special Jubilee Concerts celebrating the Wigmore Hall
. She was preparing for her first recital at London's new Royal Festival Hall
, when she died, on 5 February 1952, aged 74.
She composed a variety of works, including a Military March dedicated to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother; her sister Mathilde's pupil).
L1212 - Ignacio Cervantes
: Three Cuban Dances; Moritz Moszkowski
: La Jongleuse (Recorded 1917, matrices 75981-1, 75983-1, available from November 1917 to April 1921)
L1213 - Frédéric Chopin
: Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53 (Recorded 1917, matrices 75979-2, 75980-1, available from December 1917 to May 1928)
The matrix numbers suggest an unissued recording was made on matrix 75982.
Verne also recorded a number of piano rolls for Aeolian UK, around 1920/1.
03 - Cervantes: Three Cuban Dances
42 - Tchaikovsky: Meditation in D, Op. 72, No. 5
217 - Felix Mendelssohn
: Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1
Verne plays Three Cuban Dances (Midi transcription of piano roll)
Verne plays Tchaikovsky's Meditation (Midi transcription of piano roll)
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and minor composer of German descent. She was considered one of the greatest woman pianists of her era, ranked alongside the male keyboard giants of the time. She toured with great success in many parts of the world.
Adela (or Adèle) Verne was born into a musical family named Wurm. Three of her sisters (of her nine older siblings) were also notable pianists or composers: Mathilde
Mathilde Verne
Mathilde Verne was an English pianist and teacher, of German descent.She was born Mathilde Wurm, in Southampton, England, the fourth of ten children, all of whom were musically gifted. She was initially a student of Franklin Taylor. She had the opportunity to play to Clara Schumann, who took her...
and Alice both also adopted the surname Verne, but Mary
Mary J. A. Wurm
-Biography:Mary Wurm was born in England, the sister of Adela Verne, and studied music in Germany. She studied composition with Charles Villiers Stanford...
retained the family name Wurm.
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
heard Adela play when she was but a small girl. She was so impressed that she wanted to take her to Frankfurt for study, as she had done with Mathilde, however her parents would not permit this. Instead, she was instructed by Mathilde and Alice, and later by Clara Schumann's daughter Marie Schumann.
At age 13 she made her debut in Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's Concerto No.1 in B flat minor
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between November 1874 and February 1875. It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. The first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist....
, conducted by Sir August Manns
August Manns
Sir August Friedrich Manns was a German-born conductor who made his career in England. After serving as a military bandmaster in Germany, he moved to England and soon became director of music at London's Crystal Palace. He increased the resident band to full symphonic strength and for more than...
at the Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
. Tchaikovsky himself heard of this astonishing young prodigy and wanted to meet her. The following year she was introduced to Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski GBE was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.-Biography:...
. He was so impressed with her playing that he predicted a great future for her. At his home in Morges in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, she studied Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
with Paderewski, as well as most of his own works, including the Sonata in E flat minor, the Polish Fantasy and the Concerto in A minor, the work with which she made her orchestral debut in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Adela Verne was hailed as the successor to Teresa Carreño
Teresa Carreño
María Teresa Carreño García de Sena was a Venezuelan pianist, singer, composer, and conductor.Born into a musical family, she was at first taught by her father, then by Mathias, Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Anton Rubinstein and her talent was recognized at an early age...
, and was equally praised by North and South American, Australian, European and British audiences and critics. In Vienna, after hearing her play four concertos in one evening, Theodor Leschetizky gave her the rare honour of asking her to give a recital to his own pupils.
Her wide repertoire included a large amount from the 18th and 19th centuries, but also much from the 20th century, including works that were very modern for their day. She often appeared in chamber music recitals at the St James's Hall concerts, alongside artists such as the violinist Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.-Origins:...
and the cellist Alfredo Piatti
Carlo Alfredo Piatti
Carlo Alfredo Piatti was an Italian cellist. He was born at via Borgo Canale, in Bergamo and died in Mozzo, 4 miles from Bergamo....
.
She toured Australia with Dame Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
, and was associated on stage with other singers such as Luisa Tetrazzini
Luisa Tetrazzini
Luisa Tetrazzini was an Italian coloratura soprano of great international fame.Tetrazzini's voice was remarkable for its phenomenal flexibility, thrust, steadiness and thrilling tone...
, Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci
Amelita Galli-Curci was an Italian operatic soprano. She was one of the best-known coloratura singers of the early 20th century with her gramophone records selling in large numbers.-Early life:...
and John McCormack, and violinists such as Mischa Elman, Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor born in Liège. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tzar"...
and others. She appeared regularly at the Proms
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, and was the first British artist to give a solo recital at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
Her premiere performances were many:
- the first performance in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
of Tchaikovsky’s B flat minor Piano Concerto (1898) - the first performance in Australia of Saint-SaënsCamille Saint-SaënsCharles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
's G minor Piano ConcertoPiano Concerto No. 2 (Saint-Saëns)The Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 by Camille Saint-Saëns, was composed in 1868 and is probably Saint-Saëns' most popular piano concerto. It was dedicated to Madame A. de Villers née de Haber. At the première, the composer was the soloist and Anton Rubinstein conducted the orchestra...
(1898) - the first performance in the United Kingdom of César FranckCésar FranckCésar-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life....
's Symphonic VariationsSymphonic Variations (Franck)The Symphonic Variations , M. 46, is a work for piano and orchestra, written in 1885 by César Franck. It has been described as "one of Franck's tightest and most finished works", "a superb blending of piano and orchestra", and "a flawless work and as near perfection as a human composer can hope to... - the first performance at the Prom Concerts of BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
's B flat ConcertoPiano Concerto No. 2 (Brahms)The Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 by Johannes Brahms is a composition for solo piano with orchestral accompaniment. It is separated by a gap of 22 years from the composer's first piano concerto. Brahms began work on the piece in 1878 and completed it in 1881 while in Pressbaum near...
(and the first woman to play this concerto at all in the UK; previously, it was considered so demanding that it was not advisable for a woman to attempt it. This attitude prevailed until after the Second World War in Australia, when Vera BradfordVera BradfordVera Florence Bradford was an Australian classical pianist and teacher, with a very long career. Her playing was admired for its depth and beauty of tone, classical unity and tremendous power....
became the first woman to play the concerto in that country) - the first televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
performance of MozartWolfgang Amadeus MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's Concerto for 2 PianosPiano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart)The Concerto No. 10 in E-flat major for Two Pianos, K. 365/316a, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was written in 1779. Mozart wrote it to play with his sister Maria Anna . He was 23 years old and on the verge of leaving Salzburg for Vienna....
, with her son John VallierJohn VallierJohn Vallier was an English classical pianist and composer. He was the son of the famous French bass Jean Vallier and the English pianist Adela Verne ....
, also a noted pianist and composer.
At the request of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, in early 1952 she broadcast a special programme of works by Paderewski. Her last public appearance was at the special Jubilee Concerts celebrating the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
. She was preparing for her first recital at London's new Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, when she died, on 5 February 1952, aged 74.
She composed a variety of works, including a Military March dedicated to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother; her sister Mathilde's pupil).
Recorded legacy
Adela Verne's recorded legacy is meagre. There were two issued discs for English Columbia:L1212 - Ignacio Cervantes
Ignacio Cervantes
Ignacio Cervantes Kawanagh was a Cuban virtuoso pianist and composer. He was influential in the creolization of Cuban music....
: Three Cuban Dances; Moritz Moszkowski
Moritz Moszkowski
Moritz Moszkowski was a German Jewish composer, pianist, and teacher of Polish descent. Ignacy Paderewski said, "After Chopin, Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano"...
: La Jongleuse (Recorded 1917, matrices 75981-1, 75983-1, available from November 1917 to April 1921)
L1213 - Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
: Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53 (Recorded 1917, matrices 75979-2, 75980-1, available from December 1917 to May 1928)
The matrix numbers suggest an unissued recording was made on matrix 75982.
Verne also recorded a number of piano rolls for Aeolian UK, around 1920/1.
03 - Cervantes: Three Cuban Dances
42 - Tchaikovsky: Meditation in D, Op. 72, No. 5
217 - Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
: Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1
Sources
- Keyboard Giants.com: Verne & Vallier
- Eric BlomEric BlomEric Walter Blom CBE was a Swiss-born British-naturalised music lexicographer, musicologist, music critic, music biographer and translator. He is best known as the editor of the 5th edition of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians .-Biography:Blom was born in Berne, Switzerland...
, Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954 - Harold C. SchonbergHarold C. SchonbergHarold Charles Schonberg was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism...
, The Great Pianists
External Links
Adela Verne's Chopin recordingVerne plays Three Cuban Dances (Midi transcription of piano roll)
Verne plays Tchaikovsky's Meditation (Midi transcription of piano roll)