Harriet Cohen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harriet Cohen
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Harriet Cohen, 1920.
Photographer: Alexander Binder |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harriet Cohen |
| Born | 2 December 1895 London, England |
| Died | 13 November 1967 (aged 71) London, England |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Concert pianist |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1907–1960 |
Harriet Pearl Alice Cohen (December 2, 1895 – November 13, 1967) was a famous British pianist. She was known for her amazing talent and for helping people in need. She received the CBE award for her contributions.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Training
Harriet Cohen was born in London, England. Her younger sister, Myra Verney, became a singer. Harriet also had a distant cousin, Irene Scharrer, who was a pianist.
Studying at the Royal Academy of Music
Harriet started playing piano at a young age. She won a special scholarship called the Ada Lewis scholarship when she was just 12 years old. This allowed her to study piano at the famous Royal Academy of Music. Her teacher there was Tobias Matthay. In 1913, she won another award, the Sterndale Bennett Prize.
First Performances and Compositions
Harriet made her first public appearance in 1914 at a concert in Queen's Hall. At first, she also wanted to be a composer. She wrote some piano pieces called Russian Impressions around 1913. These were the only original songs she ever published.
A Star on the Piano
Harriet Cohen became a very important concert pianist. Her first big performance was in 1920 at Wigmore Hall. She played alongside a singer named John Coates.
Playing New British Music
Harriet was especially known for playing music by modern British composers. She was the first to perform Ralph Vaughan Williams's Piano Concerto. This piece was actually written just for her! She also recorded Edward Elgar's Piano Quintet. The composer himself watched over the recording.
Many composers wrote music especially for Harriet. These included John Ireland, Béla Bartók, Ernest Bloch, and E. J. Moeran. Her close friend, Sir Arnold Bax, wrote most of his piano music for her. This included music for the 1948 film Oliver Twist.
Overcoming Challenges
In 1948, Harriet lost the use of her right hand. But she didn't stop playing! Arnold Bax composed a special piece for her called Concertino for Left Hand. This showed her incredible determination. Even the famous composer Béla Bartók dedicated the last six pieces of his collection Mikrokosmos to her.
Mastering Old and New Music
Harriet Cohen worked hard to play music from the Tudor period (a long time ago in England). This was unusual at the time. She performed pieces by composers like William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, and Henry Purcell.
She was also considered one of the best players of J. S. Bach's keyboard music. A famous music expert, Alfred Einstein, praised her playing. Even the great cellist Pablo Casals invited her to play Bach with his orchestra. In 1925, she gave the first concert at Queen's Hall that was entirely Bach's music.
Harriet also loved Spanish music. She gave the second performance of Manuel de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain. This piece became very special to her.
Sharing Soviet Music
Harriet was one of the first musicians to play music from the Soviet Union in Britain. In 1935, she visited Russia. She broadcast from Moscow and Leningrad, playing music by Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, and Leonid Polovinkin. These composers later sent her more of their music.
Helping Others
Harriet Cohen's influence went beyond just music. In the 1930s, she worked hard to bring attention to the struggles of German and Austrian Jewish people.
Working with Albert Einstein
In 1934, she even played a concert with the famous scientist Albert Einstein (a cousin of the music expert Alfred Einstein). They played together to raise money to help Jewish scientists leave Germany. Harriet and Albert Einstein remained friends, and he called her "the beloved piano witch."
Supporting Refugees
Harriet met American journalist Dorothy Thompson in 1930. This meeting made Harriet more aware of the challenges faced by Jewish people. In 1933, she visited Vienna and saw many refugees from Germany. She shared information from Dorothy Thompson directly with the British Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, who was a close friend. From 1933, Harriet worked tirelessly in Britain and the United States to help refugees.
In 1935, Ramsay MacDonald warned Harriet not to travel through Germany. This was because the British government could not protect her. Soon after, Adolf Hitler passed the Nuremberg laws. These laws completely removed Jewish people from public life.
Supporting a Jewish Homeland
In 1939, Harriet met Chaim Weizmann, who would later become the first president of Israel. After this, she began to support the idea of a Jewish homeland. During her 1939 trip to Palestine, she became known as both a pianist and a political activist. She argued with officials to allow Jewish refugees to enter Palestine instead of being sent back to Nazi Germany. She even survived two attempts on her life during this trip.
Harriet strongly believed in a Jewish homeland. But she also wanted fairness for the Arab Palestinians living there.
Important Friendships
Harriet Cohen was friends with many important people of her time. These included musicians like Jean Sibelius, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir Edward Elgar, and Sir William Walton. She was also friends with writers such as Arnold Bennett, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and D. H. Lawrence. She knew politicians and business leaders too. Harriet Cohen became one of the most talked-about and photographed musicians of her era.
Awards and Recognition
Harriet was the vice-president of the Women's Freedom League. She also worked for the Jewish National Fund and the Palestine Conservatoire of Music in Jerusalem. In 1938, she was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
In 1951, the Harriet Cohen International Music Award was created in her honor. She was also featured on the TV show This Is Your Life in 1959.
Harriet Cohen passed away in London.
Legacy
Harriet Cohen left a lasting impact on the music world and beyond.
Music Awards
- The Harriet Cohen International Music Award was started in 1951.
- The Harriet Cohen Bach Prize was created in 1994. This award is given by the Musicians' Company to the best student at the Royal Academy of Music who plays Bach's piano music. Adam Heron received this award in 2020.
Art Collection
Harriet Cohen was also an art collector. She gave over 40 paintings to the Royal Academy of Music. These included works by famous artists like Marc Chagall and Camille Pissarro. She also collected art by British artists such as Duncan Grant and C. R. W. Nevinson.
Images for kids
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Harriet Cohen, 1920.
See also
In Spanish: Harriet Cohen para niños
