Agnes Tschetschulin (24 February 1859 – 23 April 1942) was a Finnish composer and violinist who toured internationally. Tschetschulin was born in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

to Feodor and Hilda Eckstein Tschetschulin. She had three sisters: Maria, Melanie, and Eugenie. Hilda hosted salons with musical performances and discussions. Feodor owned a steamboat company. After his death in 1871, his oldest daughter Maria Tschetschulin became the first woman in Finland to attend the University of Helsinki, where she hoped to gain the skills she needed to help support her family. Agnes Tschetschulin studied music at the

Helsinki Music Institute The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It ...

(today the Sibelius Academy) from 1882 to 1885, where she was one of the first four graduates. She received a grant from the Finnish government to travel to Berlin to study at the Königliche Hochschule für Musik (today the Berlin University of the Arts). Her teachers included

Woldemar Bargiel Woldemar Bargiel (3 October 182823 February 1897) was a German composer. Life Bargiel was born in Berlin, and was the younger maternal half-brother of Clara Schumann. Bargiel’s father Adolph was a well-known piano and voice teacher while his m ...

(the half-brother of

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 era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...

)

Heinrich von Herzogenberg Heinrich Picot de Peccaduc, Freiherr von Herzogenberg (10 June 1843 – 9 October 1900) was an Austrian composer and conductor descended from a French aristocratic family. He was born in Graz and was educated at a Jesuit school in Feldkirch a ...

, Ernst Joachim,

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

, Gustav Niemann, Anton Sitt,

Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phili ...

, Martin Wegelius, and Emanuel Wirth. After finishing school, Tschetschulin spent several years touring with an all-female string quartet organized by Marie Soldat, who played first violin. Tschetschulin played second violin, Gabriele Roy played viola and Lucy Campbell played cello. The group was managed by the Herman Wolff Agency, which also managed the Berlin Philharmonic. The group was billed as the world's first all-female professional string quartet. In 1892, Tschetschulin began teaching violin at the

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

in England. In 1904, she became a British citizen and moved to London to work as a freelance musician. She returned to Finland during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, then emigrated to Stockholm, where she lived until her death in 1942. She was buried in Stockholm with her longtime companion, pianist Tora Hwass (1861–1918). Tschetschulin's music was published by N. Simrock and Skandinavisk Musikforlag. Her compositions include:

Chamber

*Alla Zingaresca (violin and piano) *Berceuse (violin and piano) *Puszta Film *Romance (violin and piano) *Valse gracieuse

Orchestral

*Britain's Sons (march) *Gavotte (violin and orchestra or piano) *March of the Boys of Vöyri

Piano

*March for the Finnish Guard on its return from war 1877–78 (also arranged for wind band) *Stemmingsbillede (Mood Picture) *Valse gracieuse

Vocal

*at least three lieder *Prayer

References

External links

Download free sheet music by Agnes TschetschulinListen to Berceuse for Violin and Piano by Agnes Tschetschulin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tschetschulin, Agnes Finnish people of Russian descent Women composers Finnish violinists Women violinists 1859 births 1942 deaths String quartets