Mathilde Verne (née Würm; 25 May 1865 – 4 June 1936) was an English pianist and teacher, of German descent. Along with most of her other sisters, Mathilde changed her surname to Verne in 1893 after the death of their father, John Wurm.

Life and career

She was born as Mathilde Würm in

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, the fourth of ten children. After studying for four years under

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 ...

in Frankfurt, she became established as a concert pianist in 1887, as well as launching a career as music teacher. She taught briefly at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

, and later made regular appearances under Henry Wood at the Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts, being strongly associated with the "Tuesday 12 O'Clock Concerts" of chamber music, from 1907 until her death in 1936. Her sisters were

Adela Verne Adela Verne (27 February 18775 February 1952) was a distinguished English pianist of German descent, born in Southampton. She was considered the greatest woman pianist of her era, ranked alongside the male keyboard giants of the time. She toured w ...

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 Wurm, Mary Würm (who returned to Germany and retain ...

and

Mary Wurm Mary J. A. Wurm (her surname was originally Würm) (18 May 1860 in Southampton – 21 January 1938 in Munich) was an English pianist and composer. Life and career She was born as Mary Josephine Agnes Würm in England, the sister of Alice Ve ...

. She made her debut in St James's Hall in London, playing a Mendelssohn piano trio. She frequently appeared as soloist under such conductors as

Arthur Nikisch Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungarian conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter of the music of Br ...

, Hans Richter, Sir

August Manns Sir August Friedrich Manns (12 March 1825 – 1 March 1907) was a German-born British 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' ...

, and Sir

Henry J. Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the The Proms, Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introd ...

. She twice visited the United States, playing under Theodore Thomas. She became especially famous for her authentic playing of the works of

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

. Her pupils, aside from her sister,

Adela Adela may refer to: * ''Adela'', a 1933 Romanian novel by Garabet Ibrăileanu * ''Adela'' (1985 film), a 1985 Romanian film directed by Mircea Veroiu * ''Adela'' (2000 film), a 2000 Argentine thriller film directed and written by Eduardo Mign ...

, and her nephew,

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 ...

, included Solomon;

Dame Moura Lympany Dame Moura Lympany DBE (18 August 191628 March 2005) was an English concert pianist. Biography She was born as Mary Gertrude Johnstone at Saltash, Cornwall. Her father was an army officer who had served in World War I and her mother original ...

Harold Samuel Harold Samuel (23 May 187915 January 1937) was a distinguished English pianist and pedagogue. He was one of the first pianists of the twentieth century to focus purely on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, and was known for his academic and c ...

Herbert Menges Herbert Menges OBE (27 August 190220 February 1972) was an English conductor and composer, who wrote incidental music to all of Shakespeare's plays. Life and career Siegfried Frederick Herbert Menges was born in Hove on 27 August 1902. His fath ...

and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Elizabeth, HM The Queen Mother). She died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

surrounded by musician friends, at a party at the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. ...

to launch her book ' ''Chords of Remembrance,'' ' in 1936.

References

External links

Lympany biodataKeyboardgiants.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verne, Mathilde 1865 births 1936 deaths English people of German descent Musicians from Southampton English classical pianists English women pianists Robert Schumann Musicians from London 19th-century classical pianists 20th-century classical pianists Academics of the Royal College of Music 19th-century English musicians 20th-century English women musicians 19th-century British women musicians Women classical pianists 19th-century women pianists 20th-century women pianists

Life and career

See also

References

External links