Draga Matković facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Draga Matković
Draga Matković on her 100th birthday
Background information
Born	4 November 1907 Zagreb, Austria-Hungary (present-day Republic of Croatia)
Died	29 July 2013 (aged 105) Bavaria, Germany
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Musical performer
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1922–2013

Draga Matković (born November 4, 1907 – died July 29, 2013) was an amazing German classical pianist. She was known for her incredible talent and for playing the piano for a very long time, even when she was over 100 years old! She was born in Croatia but later lived in Germany.

Draga Matković's Early Life and Training

Draga Matković was born in Zagreb, which is now in Croatia. She started learning piano at just three years old! Her adoptive mother, Sidonie Linke, was also a pianist and taught her strictly. Draga gave her first public concert when she was very young in a town called Terezín.

When she was 15, Draga got special permission to join the German Music Academy in Prague. By the time she was 19, she had earned the title of "professor of piano." She also took lessons for the violin and singing.

Touring Europe as a Pianist

In 1926, Draga began touring as a piano soloist. She traveled to Poland and then to 16 other countries across Europe. She shared her music with many different audiences.

After she married violinist Arthur Arnold, she moved to Teplice in Bohemia. There, she became very successful playing chamber music (music for small groups of instruments) and performing with orchestras.

Challenges During Wartime

During the war, Draga faced a difficult situation. Her conductor had trouble because Draga performed a concerto by Felix Mendelssohn. At that time, Mendelssohn's music was not allowed.

In 1945, Draga had to move from the Sudetenland. She found a new home in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria, in Germany. This is where she lived for the rest of her long life.

Draga Matković's Musical Talents and Legacy

Draga Matković was talented in many ways, not just on the piano! She could also play the saxophone sometimes. She was also a conductor and a composer. She wrote several music pieces and even an operetta (a short, light opera) called Golden Stars. Sadly, the story for her operetta was lost during the war.

Favorite Composers and Teaching Career

Draga loved the music of many famous composers. Some of her favorites included Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Liszt, Raff, and Grieg. She also enjoyed music from Nordic and Slavic composers.

She worked as a music teacher until she was 95 years old! Most of her teaching was in the Berchtesgaden area of Bavaria. She continued to play classical piano music at a very high level. Her favorite piano was a Blüthner piano.

A World Record Holder

Draga Matković was going to be listed in the Guinness World Records. She was recognized as the oldest living concert pianist who was still performing!

On her 100th birthday, November 4, 2007, she gave a public piano performance. This special concert took place in Bayerisch Gmain, near Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria. She played pieces by composers like Joachim Raff, Hugo Reinhold, Chopin, Liszt, and Mendelssohn.

For her 102nd birthday, on November 4, 2009, she performed her own song called "Tarantella," which she wrote in 1927. This piece had never been published before! She also played the "Valse brillante, Op. 34, No. 1" by Moritz Moszkowski.

Draga Matković passed away on July 29, 2013, at the amazing age of 105.

See also

In Spanish: Draga Matković para niños