Hephzibah Menuhin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hephzibah Menuhin
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Hephzibah and Yehudi Menuhin (1963)
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| Born | 20 May 1920 |
| Died | 1 January 1981 (aged 60) London, United Kingdom
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| Spouse(s) | Lindsay Nicholas (m.1938) Richard Hauser (m.1955) |
| Children | Kronrod Nicholas Marston Nicholas Clara Menuhin-Hauser |
| Parent(s) | Moshe Menuhin Marutha Menuhin |
Hephzibah Menuhin (born May 20, 1920 – died January 1, 1981) was an amazing American-Australian pianist. She was also a talented writer and worked hard to protect human rights. Hephzibah was the sister of the famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Her other sister, Yaltah Menuhin, was also a pianist, painter, and poet. Hephzibah was very good with languages and wrote many books and papers with her second husband, Richard Hauser.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Hephzibah Menuhin was born in San Francisco, California. Her father, Moshe Menuhin, came from a family of important religious leaders. Hephzibah and her siblings did not go to regular school much. Her parents taught them at home.
Hephzibah started playing the piano when she was just four years old. She had great teachers, including Judith Blockley and Lev Shorr. Lev Shorr was a student of the famous teacher Theodor Leschetizky.
She gave her first piano concert in San Francisco in 1928. She was only eight years old! Later, she studied piano with Rudolf Serkin in Switzerland and Marcel Ciampi in Paris.
In 1933, Hephzibah and her brother Yehudi made their first music recording. It was a Mozart sonata, and it won an award for being the best record of the year. Hephzibah played her first public concert on October 13, 1934, in Paris. The Menuhin siblings performed in famous halls like the New York Town Hall and Queen's Hall in London. Hephzibah also gave solo concerts in many big cities across Europe and America.
An Australian Connection
In March 1938, after a concert in London, Hephzibah met Lindsay Nicholas. He was from Australia and his family owned a big medicine company. Hephzibah, who was 17, married Lindsay. She then moved with him to his large farm in Australia.
She lived on the farm for 13 years. During this time, she started a traveling library for children. She also had two sons, Kronrod and Marston. Even though she was busy with family life, she kept playing music.
She performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She and Yehudi often played together when he visited Australia. Hephzibah also supported local music groups. She helped start Musica Viva Australia, an organization that promotes music. She also played a special concert in Australia, performing Bartók's Second Piano Concerto for the first time there.
Career and Helping Others
In 1947, Hephzibah played at a music festival in Prague. A businessman named Paul Morawetz took her to see the Theresienstadt concentration camp. This visit deeply affected her. It made her think a lot about her own Jewish background.
In 1951, Hephzibah and Yehudi played at the opening of the Royal Festival Hall in London. They also toured Australia and performed for the ABC. Hephzibah used her music to support many good causes. She spoke out about how television affected children. She also played a piano concerto in Sydney with the composer, Juan José Castro, conducting. In 1954, she moved to Sydney and welcomed anyone who needed help into her home.
Life in London
In Sydney, Hephzibah met Richard Hauser. He was a sociologist from Austria who worked to understand society. Hephzibah married Richard Hauser in Sydney in 1955. Two years later, they moved to London with their daughter, Clara. They also fostered a boy named Michael.
Hephzibah and Richard started the Institute for Human Rights and Responsibilities. They also created the Centre for Group Studies. They later moved to a Quaker community house in London. From their home, they ran a safe place for people needing help with human rights. They worked to help minority groups around the world. Hephzibah was very passionate about the rights of women and children.
In 1977, Hephzibah Menuhin became the President of the British part of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Hephzibah and Richard Hauser also wrote a book together called "The Fraternal Society."
Hephzibah continued to tour and perform with her brother Yehudi. They toured the United States and Canada in 1967. They also visited Australia in 1970 and 1975. In 1977, she was a judge for the first Sydney International Piano Competition. That same year, she played a concert in Melbourne where her son, Dr. Marston Nicholas, played the cello for the first time in public.
Hephzibah Menuhin gave her last concerts in Australia in 1979. She played with Yehudi and the Sydney String Quartet. She performed with her brother for the very last time in London in November 1979.
Legacy and Remembrance
Hephzibah Menuhin passed away in London on January 1, 1981, after being ill for some time. Her brother, Yehudi, dedicated his concerts in London and New York in February 1981 to her memory.
Her music recordings include Schubert's Trout Quintet with members of the Amadeus Quartet. She also recorded Mozart concertos with her brother conducting. She made recordings of trios with Yehudi and Maurice Gendron, and sonatas with Yehudi.
Memorials
A special scholarship was created in 1980 to honor Hephzibah Menuhin. It is called the Hephzibah Menuhin Memorial Scholarship. This $8,000 award helps young Australian pianists. It is managed by the University of Melbourne and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The main dressing room for soloists at Hamer Hall in Melbourne was named after Hephzibah.
In 1998, a documentary film about her life was made. It was called Hephzibah. A book about her life, An Exacting Heart, was published in 2008 by Jacqueline Kent. Another book about the Menuhin family, Yehudiana – Reliving the Menuhin Odyssey, also shares information about Hephzibah's life.
Images for kids
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Hephzibah and Yehudi Menuhin (1963)
