Rosina Lhévinne facts for kids
Rosina Lhévinne (born Bessie; March 29, 1880 – November 9, 1976) was a very famous pianist and a wonderful teacher. She was born in Kiev, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire. She later moved to the United States and taught many talented musicians.
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Early Life and Piano Lessons
Rosina Bessie was the younger of two daughters. Her father, Jacques Bessie, was a successful jeweler from a Dutch Jewish family. He moved to the Russian Empire to work with diamonds.
When Rosina was very young, there were riots against Jewish people in Kiev. Because of this, her family moved to Moscow in 1881 or 1882.
Rosina started playing the piano at age six with a teacher in Moscow. When her teacher became sick, a family friend suggested she study with Josef Lhévinne. Josef was a talented student at the Moscow Conservatory, and he was five years older than Rosina.
Rosina showed great musical talent. A few years later, she was accepted into the Moscow Conservatory. There, she also studied with Josef's teacher, Vasily Safonov.
In 1898, Rosina graduated from the Conservatory. She won the Gold Medal in piano, just like Josef had done before her. That same year, Rosina and Josef got married. They had two children, Constantine and Marianna.
A Career in Music and Teaching
Rosina decided not to become a solo concert pianist at first. She wanted to support her husband Josef's career. She kept this promise until after he passed away in 1944.
So, Rosina focused on teaching and performing piano duets with Josef. They lived and taught in Moscow, Tbilisi, Georgia, and later in Berlin. After World War I and the Russian Revolution, they moved to New York. There, they joined the faculty of the Institute of Musical Art. This school later became The Juilliard School, a very famous music school.
Teaching at Juilliard
For 46 years, Rosina mostly taught students who were preparing to study with her more famous husband. After Josef's death, she was not sure if she should take over his full teaching duties. However, the leaders at Juilliard all wanted her to continue teaching.
Rosina taught many of the best young pianists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. One of her most famous students was Van Cliburn. He joined her class in 1951.
In 1958, during the Cold War, Van Cliburn won the First Prize at the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He became famous around the world instantly. This also brought international fame to his amazing teacher, Rosina Lhévinne.
Other students of Rosina Lhévinne include:
- James Levine, a famous music director
- John Williams, a well-known composer and conductor
- John Browning, a talented pianist
- Misha Dichter, another famous pianist
- Garrick Ohlsson, a prize-winning pianist
Many of her former students are now teachers at The Juilliard School themselves.
Performing as a Soloist
In 1949, when she was 69 years old, Madame Lhévinne changed her mind. She decided to start playing in public as a soloist. In her 70s and 80s, she gave many wonderful performances.
First, she played with the Juilliard String Quartet. Later, she performed concertos at the Aspen Summer Music Festival.
Her most special moment as a soloist happened in January 1963. She was 82 years old. She made her debut with the New York Philharmonic orchestra, led by conductor Leonard Bernstein. She played Frédéric Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. This was the same piece she had played for her graduation from the Moscow Conservatory 65 years earlier!
You can find recordings of her playing the Chopin Concerto. She also recorded Mozart's C major Concerto, K. 467.
Later Life and Legacy
Madame Lhévinne continued to teach at Juilliard. She also taught at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She passed away in 1976 at the age of 96.
Before she died, a book was published about Rosina and Josef Lhévinne. It was called A Century of Music-Making: The Lives of Josef and Rosina Lhévinne. Rosina was interviewed a lot for this book.
In 2003, one of Madame Lhévinne's former students, Salome Ramras Arkatov, made a documentary film. It was called The Legacy of Rosina Lhévinne. This film shows rare old videos of Lhévinne teaching and performing. It also includes interviews with many of her former students.
See also
In Spanish: Rosina Lhévinne para niños
