Erika Morini (Vienna, January 5, 1904 - New York City, October 31, 1995) was a Jewish Austrian violinist, born in Vienna.
She received her first instruction from her father, Oscar Morini (his original name was Oser or Ojser , , who was the director of his own music school in the Imperial capital Vienna, and completed her studies under Otakar Ševčík. Hers was a case of remarkable precocity.
Her mother was Malka Morini, née Weissmann (her father was born at Czernowitz). Her brothers and sisters were:
When she made her début in 1916, with the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Berlin Philarmonic orchestra,under Nikisch, the critics made no allowance for her youth, but spoke of her work as the equal of that of the most famous of the younger generation of violinists. Her American début at New York (January 26, 1921) was one of the musical sensations of the year, and since then she performed in the United States often, both in recital and with the foremost orchestras. She resided in New York after 1938, and began spelling her first name Erica. She made her first visit to London in 1923.
She retired in 1976, and died in October 1995, soon after the theft of her Stradivari violin. [1], [2] Morini is believed to be the last surviving classical musician who made acoustic Red Seal Records for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Four months after her death, Erica Morini was described in the journal The Strad as the “most bewitching woman violinist of this century.”
Despite her phenomenal concert reviews and numerous prizes and awards—she received honorary doctorates from Smith College, Massachusetts, in 1955, and from the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, in 1963, while the City of New York honored her lifetime achievement with a gold medal in 1976—and despite the respect in which she was held, Morini was soon forgotten. [3]
This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.