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Adela Verne (27 February 18775 February 1952) was a distinguished English
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
of German descent, born in
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. She was considered the greatest woman pianist of her era, ranked alongside the male keyboard giants of the time. She toured with great success in many parts of the world. She composed a Military March dedicated to
Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...
, later the Queen Mother; her sister Mathilde's pupil.


Life

She was born as Adela Würm (that was later anglicised to Verne) into a musical family named Würm. Three of her sisters (of her nine older siblings) were also notable pianists or composers: Mathilde and
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
both also adopted the surname Verne, but
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...
returned to Germany, retained the family name Würm, and enjoyed great success as a pianist and composer.
Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...
heard Adela play when she was 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 taught by Mathilde and Alice, and later by
Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...
's daughter Marie Schumann. At age 13 she created a sensation when she played
Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...
's Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor (then a relatively new work), conducted by Sir August Manns at the
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
. 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 (;  
r 1859 R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars''. The lette ...
– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's Prime Minister of Poland, prime minister and foreign minister durin ...
. He was so impressed with her playing that he predicted a great future for her. Later she became close friends with Paderewski, accepted as one of his family, and frequented his home in Morges in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. She worked on many pieces with him, including Chopin, 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 City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.


Musical career

Adela Verne was hailed as the successor to
Teresa Carreño María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García (December 22, 1853June 12, 1917) was a Venezuelans, Venezuelan pianist, composer, soprano, and conductor. Over the course of her 54-year concert career, she became an internationally renowned v ...
. She was equally praised by North and South American, Australian, European and British audiences and critics as the greatest living woman pianist, ranked alongside the great male artists of the time. In Vienna, after hearing her play four concertos in one evening,
Theodor Leschetizky Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky; ; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915) was a Polish pianist, professor, and composer active in Austria-Hungary. He was born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land ...
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 (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian Violin, violinist, Conducting, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely ...
and the cellist
Alfredo Piatti Carlo Alfredo Piatti (8 January 182218 July 1901) was an Italian cellist, teacher and composer. Biography Piatti was born at via Borgo Canale in Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, appro ...
. She toured Australia with Dame
Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic lyric coloratura soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early twentieth century, and was the f ...
, and was associated on stage with other singers such as
Luisa Tetrazzini Luisa Tetrazzini (29 June 1871 – 28 April 1940) was an Italian coloratura soprano of great international fame. Tetrazzini "had a scintillating voice with a brilliant timbre and a range and agility well beyond the norm...". She enjoyed a ...
,
Amelita Galli-Curci Amelita Galli-Curci (18 November 1882 – 26 November 1963) was an Italian lyric coloratura soprano. She was one of the most famous operatic singers of the 20th century and a popular recording artist, with her records selling in large numbe ...
and John McCormack, and violinists such as
Mischa Elman Mischa (Mikhail Saulovich) Elman (; January 20, 1891April 5, 1967) was a Russian-American violinist famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality. Early life Moses or Moishe Elman was born to a Jewish fa ...
,
Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Early years Born in Liège, Ysaÿe began ...
and others. She appeared regularly at the Proms, and was the first British artist to give a solo recital at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
. Her premiere performances were many: she gave the first performance in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
of Tchaikovsky's B-flat minor Piano Concerto (1898), the first performance in Australia of Saint-Saëns's G minor Piano Concerto (1898), the first performance in the United Kingdom of
César Franck César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in present-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of h ...
's '' Symphonic Variations,'' the first performance at the Prom Concerts of
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...
's B-flat Concerto (and the first woman to play this concerto at all in the UK), and the first
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
performance of
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
's Concerto for 2 Pianos (given with her son
John Vallier John Vallier (1 October 1920 – 11 June 1991) was an English classical pianist and composer who was known for his thunderous technique and beautiful singing tone, and was especially admired for his interpretations and performances of Chopi ...
, also a famed concert pianist). At the request of the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, 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 The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...
. She was preparing for her first recital at London's new
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...
, when she died, on 5 February 1952, aged 74.


Recorded legacy

Adela Verne's recorded legacy is small. There were two issued discs for English Columbia: * L1212 -
Ignacio Cervantes Ignacio Cervantes Kawanag (Havana, 31 July 1847 – Havana, 29 April 1905) was a Cuban pianist and composer. He was influential in the creolization of Cuban music. A child prodigy, he was taught by pianist Juan Miguel Joval, later by composer ...
: Three Cuban Dances;
Moritz Moszkowski Moritz Moszkowski (23 August 18544 March 1925) was a German-Polish composer, pianist, and teacher.Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
: Polonaise in A flat, Op. 53 (Recorded 1917, matrices 75979–2, 75980–1, available from Dec. 1917 to May 1928) The matrix numbers suggest an unissued recording was made on matrix 75982; she 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 Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...
: Prelude and Fugue in E minor, Op. 35, No. 1


See also

*
Alice Verne-Bredt Alice Barbara Verne-Bredt (née Würm; 1864–1958) was an English piano teacher, violinist and composer. Three of her sisters were also noted pianists: Adela Verne, Mathilde Verne and Mary Würm (who returned to Germany and retained the origi ...


References


Further reading

*
Eric Blom Eric Walter Blom (20 August 188811 April 1959) was a Swiss-born British-naturalised music lexicographer, music critic and writer. He is best known as the editor of the 5th edition of ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1954). Earl ...
, Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954 * Harold C. Schonberg, ''The Great Pianists''


External links


Adela Verne's Chopin recording

Verne plays Three Cuban Dances (Midi transcription of piano roll)

Verne plays Tchaikovsky's Meditation (Midi transcription of piano roll)

Keyboard Giants.com: Verne & Vallier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verne, Adela 1877 births 1952 deaths Musicians from Southampton English classical pianists 20th-century English classical composers Child classical musicians Robert Schumann 20th-century English musicians English women classical composers British women classical pianists 20th-century English women composers 20th-century English women pianists English people of German descent