Myra Hess
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Dame Myra Hess DBE (February 25, 1890 – November 25, 1965), born Julia Myra Hess, was a British pianist.
She was born in London. At the age of five she began to study the piano and two years later entered the Guildhall School of Music, where she graduated as winner of the gold medal. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay. Her debut came in 1907 when she played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. She went on to tour through Britain, Holland and France. Upon her American debut (New York, January 24, 1922) she became a prime favorite in the United States, not only as a soloist, but also as a fine ensemble player.
She gained even greater fame during World War II when, with all concert halls closed, she organised a series of lunchtime concerts at the National Gallery, playing in many herself. For these concerts, she was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in 1941; she had previously been created a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1936.
Hess was best known in Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann, but had a wide repertoire ranging from Domenico Scarlatti to contemporary works. She gave the premiere of Howard Ferguson's Piano Sonata and his Piano Concerto. She also played a good amount of chamber music, and performed in a piano duo with Irene Scharrer.
She made a well known arrangement for piano of the chorale prelude "Jesu, bleibet meine Freude" (known in English as "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring") from Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantata No. 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben".
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Categories: 1890 births | 1965 deaths | People from London | British classical pianists | Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music | Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire | English Jews | Jewish classical musicians | Recipients of the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal | People associated with the National Gallery, London
