Vera Josephine Moore (1896–1997) was a
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
concert pianist.
She is considered to be the first New Zealand pianist to gain international recognition.
Early life
Moore was born in
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
, the youngest of five children of Herbert and Charlotte Moore.
The family was a musical one - her father was a church organist and a piano teacher, and her older brother Frederick later became a professor of piano at the
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...
in London.
Another brother, Irvin, became a church organist in
Gisborne, in the North Island of New Zealand. Following lessons at home, Moore began entering piano competitions at the age of 7, in 1903. She competed in Dunedin and
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
competitions, gaining many first-placings. She also won first prize of a grand piano at a Christchurch competition when aged 16, in 1912.
Career
From 1917 Moore performed as a soloist and as an accompanist at recitals around the South Island. She moved to England in 1920, where she initially studied piano under her brother Frederick, followed by four years as a pupil of
Leonard Borwick
Leonard Borwick (26 February 1868 – 15 September 1925) was an English concert pianist especially associated with the music of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
Early training and debuts
Born in Walthamstow, Essex, of a Staffordshire fam ...
.
In the 1920s, Moore became friends with the artist
Winifred Nicholson
''From Bedroom Window, Bankshead'', date unknown, private collection
''Costa Brava'', 1953, Government Art Collection
Rosa Winifred Nicholson (née Roberts; 21 December 1893 – 5 March 1981) was a British painter. She was married to the pa ...
, and was the subject in one of Nicholson's paintings, ''Woman Playing a Piano''.
Moore enjoyed a successful performing career in England and Europe, receiving particular acclaim for her renditions of the work of Debussy and Chopin. Indeed, in 1931 Debussy's widow attended a concert by Moore and wrote her a congratulatory note for her "exquisite" performance. Moore returned to New Zealand for visits and to give recitals in 1924 and 1928. In 1928, she stopped en route in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
to perform at the Melbourne University Conservatorium of Music.
Her Christchurch concert in the same year was described by critics as "phenomenal".
On occasion, when her brother Frederick was overseas examining for the Associated Board of the Royal Academy, Moore took his place at the Royal Academy.
In the late 1930s, Moore was frequently invited to perform for
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 ...
broadcasts. In 1937, she performed as part of the BBC's
New Zealand Day
Waitangi Day (, the national day of New Zealand, marks the anniversary of the initial signing—on 6 February 1840—of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement towards British sovereignty by representatives of the Crown ...
radio broadcast.
In 1962 Moore retired to a small French village near Paris,
Jouy-en-Josas
Jouy-en-Josas () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is located in the southwestern outer suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris, on the departmental border with Essonne.
Jouy- ...
, where she provided private tutoring in piano, poetry and philosophy. Amongst her students were
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
Sophie Koch
Sophie Koch (born 19 February 1969) is a French operatic mezzo-soprano who made an international career, performing Rosina in Rossini's '' Il barbiere di Siviglia'' at the Royal Opera House, the Composer in ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' by Richard Stra ...
and pianist Pierre-Alain Volondat.
Personal life
Moore met the Romanian artist
Constantin Brâncuși
Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism ...
in 1931, when their mutual friend, art critic
H. S. Ede, invited Brâncuși to one of Moore's concerts.
The couple began a relationship, and in 1934 she gave birth to their son, John Moore.
Brâncuși never acknowledged his son as his own.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Pianist Vera MooreRadio New Zealand, ''Upbeat'', 17 June 2021
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Vera
1896 births
1997 deaths
Musicians from Dunedin
New Zealand pianists
20th-century New Zealand musicians
20th-century New Zealand pianists
Women classical pianists
20th-century New Zealand women pianists