Mary Louise Boehm
Encyclopedia
Mary Louise Boehm was a pianist
and painter
who was born on July 25, 1928 in Sumner, Iowa
and died on November 29, 2002 in Spain
.
Mary Louise Boehm was a descendant of Joseph Böhm
, a piano maker active in Vienna
during the early 19th century. Born in Iowa, her early aptitude for the piano earned her the reputation of a child prodigy
. She studied with Louis Crowder at Iowa State Teachers College
and subsequently with Robert Casadesus
and Walter Gieseking
.
Boehm's repertoire and recorded output was notable for works by American composers such as Amy Beach
and Ernest Schelling
who are far from mainstream, even now. She also performed and made premiere recordings of works by early romantic composers such as John Field
, Johann Nepomuk Hummel
, Johann Peter Pixis
, Ignaz Moscheles
and Friedrich Kalkbrenner
, helping to introduce a generation of music lovers to these neglected composers. She was also interested in performance on period instruments at a time when this was rare.
She began painting in the 1960s, working in oils
, watercolor
and inks. While on concert tours in South America
she became interested in textiles, which led to her involvement with weaving
, textile design and the complicated field of dye and color chemistries. Eventually she chose batik
as a painterly textile medium. She studied the traditional Indonesia
n batik techniques and pioneered modern adaptations, and had major shows in the United States
.
She married the Dutch violin
ist Kees Kooper with whom she performed regularly. Her sister Pauline Boehm Haga was also a pianist; the Grand Sonata Op. 112 by Moscheles was recorded by sisters together.
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 painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
who was born on July 25, 1928 in Sumner, Iowa
Sumner, Iowa
Sumner is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The city is located along the county's eastern border, between Bremer and Fayette counties. The population was 2,106 at the 2000 census. The Bremer County portion of Sumner is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and died on November 29, 2002 in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Mary Louise Boehm was a descendant of Joseph Böhm
Joseph Böhm
Joseph Böhm was a violinist and teacher.He was born in Pest. He was taught by his father and by Pierre Rode. His brother Franz Böhm was too the well-known violinist and the soloist in the Russian empire in an imperial orchestra....
, a piano maker active in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
during the early 19th century. Born in Iowa, her early aptitude for the piano earned her the reputation of a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
. She studied with Louis Crowder at Iowa State Teachers College
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
and subsequently with Robert Casadesus
Robert Casadesus
Robert Casadesus was a renowned 20th-century French pianist and composer. He was the most prominent member of a famous musical family, being the nephew of Henri Casadesus and Marius Casadesus, husband of Gaby Casadesus, and father of Jean Casadesus.-Biography:Robert Casadesus was born in Paris...
and Walter Gieseking
Walter Gieseking
Walter Wilhelm Gieseking was a French-born German pianist and composer.-Biography:Born in Lyon, France, the son of a German doctor and lepidopterist, Gieseking first started playing the piano at the age of four, but without formal instruction...
.
Boehm's repertoire and recorded output was notable for works by American composers such as Amy Beach
Amy Beach
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Most of her compositions and performances were under the name Mrs. H.H.A. Beach.-Early years:Beach was born Amy Marcy Cheney in Henniker, New Hampshire into...
and Ernest Schelling
Ernest Schelling
Ernest Henry Schelling was an American pianist, composer, and conductor.Born in Belvidere, New Jersey, Schelling was a child prodigy. His first teacher was his father. He entered the Academy of Music in Philadelphia at age 4. At age 7, Schelling traveled to Europe to study. He was admitted to the...
who are far from mainstream, even now. She also performed and made premiere recordings of works by early romantic composers such as John Field
John Field (composer)
John Field was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born in Dublin into a musical family, and received his early education there. The Fields soon moved to London, where Field studied under Muzio Clementi...
, Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era.- Life :...
, Johann Peter Pixis
Johann Peter Pixis
Johann Peter Pixis was a German pianist and composer born in Mannheim, Germany.He lived in Paris between 1825 and 1845, where he worked as a concert pianist...
, Ignaz Moscheles
Ignaz Moscheles
Ignaz Moscheles was a Bohemian composer and piano virtuoso, whose career after his early years was based initially in London, and later at Leipzig, where he succeeded his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as head of the Conservatoire.-Sources:Much of what we know about Moscheles's life...
and Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Kalkbrenner
Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner was a German pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer who spent most of his life in England and France. Before the advent of Frédéric Chopin, Sigismond Thalberg and Franz Liszt, Kalkbrenner was by many considered to be the foremost pianist in...
, helping to introduce a generation of music lovers to these neglected composers. She was also interested in performance on period instruments at a time when this was rare.
She began painting in the 1960s, working in oils
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
, watercolor
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
and inks. While on concert tours in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
she became interested in textiles, which led to her involvement with weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
, textile design and the complicated field of dye and color chemistries. Eventually she chose batik
Batik
Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Singapore.Javanese traditional batik, especially from...
as a painterly textile medium. She studied the traditional Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n batik techniques and pioneered modern adaptations, and had major shows in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
She married the Dutch violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist Kees Kooper with whom she performed regularly. Her sister Pauline Boehm Haga was also a pianist; the Grand Sonata Op. 112 by Moscheles was recorded by sisters together.
