Paulina Szalitówna (25 November 1885 – 7 February 1942),The Central Archive of Historical Records (Archiwum Główne Akt Dawnych), Warsaw, Jewish Book of Vital Statistics, document 300 1 146, p. 157, item 471Central State Historical Archive (Львівський Державний Історичний архів), Lviv, 700 1 376, entry 834 more commonly known as Paula Szalit, was a Polish pianist and composer.

Early life

She was born in

Drohobycz Drohobych ( ; ; ) is a city in the south of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 1939–1941 and 1944–1959 it was ...

, Galicia, near Lemberg (now

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

), the fourth child of Simon Szalit, an accountant, and Reisel née Bressler. Initially taught music by her brother Henryk (Heinrich), from 1893 she studied piano in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Her teachers included: Robert Fischof;

Heinrich Schenker Heinrich Schenker (19 June 1868 – 14 January 1935) was an Austrian music theory, music theorist #Theoretical writings, whose writings have had a profound influence on subsequent musical analysis. His approach, now termed Schenkerian analysis ...

(1896–97);

Eugen d'Albert Eugen (originally Eugène) Francis Charles d'Albert (10 April 1864 – 3 March 1932) was a Scottish-born pianist and composer who immigrated to Germany. Educated in Britain, d'Albert showed early musical talent and, at the age of seventeen, h ...

(1997); C. Hoffmann; and

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 ...

.Aaron I. Cohen, "Szalitowna (Szalit), Paulina" in: ''

International Encyclopedia of Women Composers The ''International Encyclopedia of Women Composers'' is a 1981 reference book by Aaron I. Cohen which contains biographies of over 5,000 women composers from nearly 70 countries. It was put together when Cohen was retired in order to help fill a ...

'', New York: Books & Music (1987), p. 683. Szalit was regarded as a

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

and made numerous appearances in Vienna, Germany, Poland and London. She received generally superlative notices, such as these:

"The musical clientele at Vienna are much interested in an infant phenomena, Paula Szalit, aged ten. When she was scarcely out of long clothes, she would pick out on the piano, with one finger, the notes of a tune that she had heard sung, and long before she had any idea of printed notes she would play melodies of her own composition—songs, dances, etc. Her musical adroitness was not cultivated until she was seven years old, when she was given lessons, first by her brother, and later by Prof. Fischof and by Eugen d'Albert. It is said that little Paula's playing is charming, not only because of her clear technique and vigorous tone, astonishing from hands so small that they can scarcely stretch an octave, but also because of the artistic feeling she displays. Little Paula has very sensible parents who see that she does not overtax her strength. She has never toured in concert but has appeared in public in Vienna, Prague, and Berlin."

And another review:

"She is mistress of her instrument in every respect; she understands its genius. As far as technique in the ordinary sense goes she has nothing to learn. . . . Her phrasing had the quality of inevitableness, which can never be the effect of the mediocre mind in music. . . . Miss Szalit has also the mind that grasps the inner meaning of the art; the spirituality that sees in it more than sensuous tonal beauty...By almost universal consent she has been recognised as an artist of quite exceptional attainments."

Occasionally her reviews were more muted, such as this:

"Her readings of works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Chopin were lacking in depth of sentiment, but they displayed an intelligence and musical feeling which, combined with a sympathetic touch and great executive facility, testify to exceptional ability."

Szalit was described by Niemann as "a veritable phenomenon of pianistic and musical talent."Nieman, p. 155.

Artur Schnabel Artur Schnabel (17 April 1882 – 15 August 1951) was an Austrian-born classical pianist, composer and Pedagogy, pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th ...

deemed her the greatest child prodigy in history. Nieman remarked that she could transpose at sight. Bie said she could transpose fugues at sight. From her first public recital in 1895 until 1906, Szalit performed not only solo recitals but also concertos with leading orchestras and chamber music with well-known ensembles widely throughout continental Europe and England. In September 1906, she was appointed head of the advanced piano class at the Lemberg Conservatory.

Later life

After 1906 Szalit disappeared from the public arena. (The Polish Wikipedia article :pl:Paulina Szalitówna mentions a reported concert in the autumn of 1913 with violinist Paul Kochański.) In 1918 she tried to re-establish herself on the Vienna musical scene. She repeated the attempt on March 27, 1921:

"Piano instruction. The well-known pianist Paula Szalit offers first-class instruction, she also undertakes lessons in piano accompaniment and repetiteur work. Rotenlöwgasse 7, Apt 21."

Paula Szalit died in a mental institution in Kulparkóv, near Lviv, in 1942, where she was buried without coffin on 12 February.

Works

For piano unless noted.Dates from Hoffmeister. *Intermezzo in G sharp *Praeludium *Carpiccio (F minor) *Miniatures *Morceaux, op. 2 (1900): **1. Rêverie **2. Impromptu **3. Tendresse **4. Scène de Ballet **5. Mazurka **6. Valse **7. Intermezzo **8. Gavotte *Traeumerei (1897) *Intermezzo, Op. 3, no. 3. *Impromptu in F, Op. 3 *Im Winter: „Schlaf ein, mein süsses Kind“ (1897) (for voice and piano)

References

*Bie, Oscar. ''Das Klavier und seine Meister''. Munich: F. Bruckmann, 1898. *Niemann, Walter. ''Meister des Klaviers''. Berlin: Verlegt bei Schuster Loeffler, 1919.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Szalit, Paula 1885 births 1942 deaths Child classical musicians Pupils of Heinrich Schenker Jewish classical musicians Polish composers 19th-century Polish Jews Musicians from Lviv Lviv Conservatory alumni 19th-century Polish classical pianists 19th-century Polish women musicians 20th-century Polish classical pianists Polish women classical pianists Polish women composers 19th-century women pianists 20th-century Polish women pianists