Grete Sultan
Encyclopedia
Grete Sultan (June 21, 1906June 26, 2005) was a German-American pianist
.
Born in Berlin into a musical family, she studied piano from an early age with American pianist Richard Buhlig
, and later with Leonid Kreutzer
and Edwin Fischer
. In 1933, after the National Socialists
came to power, she was, as all Jews
were, banned from playing in public and could only appear in concerts of the "Juedischer Kulturbund" (Jewish Culture Association).
With Buhlig's help, Sultan fled Germany in 1941 via Lisbon
, from where she emigrated to the United States
by ship. She settled in New York City
and took up piano teaching, first at Vassar College
and the 92nd Street Y, then at the Masters' School in Dobbs Ferry, NY
. In the mid 1940s she met the composer John Cage
and became good friends with him, and it was through Sultan that Cage met one of her students, Christian Wolff
, who gave Cage his first copy of the I Ching
—a book that shaped Cage's composition methods during the subsequent decades.
Cage dedicated two pieces to Sultan. The first was part of his Music for Piano
series, Music for Piano 53–68. In 1974, when Sultan was in the process of learning Cage's Music of Changes
, the composer offered to write some new music for her, and the result was a monumental piano cycle, Etudes Australes
. Sultan made the premiere recording of the work and played it in concerts worldwide. She also performed the music of Alan Hovhaness
and Tui St. George Tucker
, but contemporary composers were not the only ones that interested her: in the 1940s she helped popularize Bach
's Goldberg Variations
, and her concert programs included music from Beethoven
, Chopin
, Schubert
and Stravinsky
to Earle Brown
and Morton Feldman
.
Grete Sultan gave her last recital in 1996, aged 90, at New York's Merkin Concert Hall
, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations. She died in a Manhattan hospital five days after her 99th birthday.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
.
Born in Berlin into a musical family, she studied piano from an early age with American pianist Richard Buhlig
Richard Buhlig
Richard Buhlig was an American pianist.Buhlig was born in Chicago, where he received his early training. In 1897 he moved to Vienna to study under Teodor Leszetycki. Upon completing his studies in 1900, he gave his first public concert in 1901 in Berlin, and toured extensively in Europe until late...
, and later with Leonid Kreutzer
Leonid Kreutzer
Leonid Kreutzer was a classical pianist.Kreutzer was born to a family of German Jewish parents. He was a highly influential piano teacher at the Berlin Academy of Music , together with Egon Petri...
and Edwin Fischer
Edwin Fischer
Edwin Fischer was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, particularly in the traditional Germanic repertoire of such composers as J. S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert...
. In 1933, after the National Socialists
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
came to power, she was, as all Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
were, banned from playing in public and could only appear in concerts of the "Juedischer Kulturbund" (Jewish Culture Association).
With Buhlig's help, Sultan fled Germany in 1941 via Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, from where she emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by ship. She settled in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and took up piano teaching, first at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
and the 92nd Street Y, then at the Masters' School in Dobbs Ferry, NY
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Dobbs Ferry is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 10,875 at the 2010 census.The Village of Dobbs Ferry is located in, and is a part of, the town of Greenburgh...
. In the mid 1940s she met the composer John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
and became good friends with him, and it was through Sultan that Cage met one of her students, Christian Wolff
Christian Wolff (composer)
Christian G. Wolff is an American composer of experimental classical music.-Biography:Wolff was born in Nice in France to German literary publishers Helen and Kurt Wolff, who had published works by Franz Kafka, Robert Musil, and Walter Benjamin. After relocating to the U.S...
, who gave Cage his first copy of the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
—a book that shaped Cage's composition methods during the subsequent decades.
Cage dedicated two pieces to Sultan. The first was part of his Music for Piano
Music for Piano (Cage)
Music for Piano is a series of 85 indeterminate musical compositions for piano by American avant-garde composer John Cage. All of these works were composed by making paper imperfections into sounds using various kinds of chance operations....
series, Music for Piano 53–68. In 1974, when Sultan was in the process of learning Cage's Music of Changes
Music of Changes
Music of Changes is a piece for solo piano by John Cage. Composed in 1951 for pianist and friend David Tudor, it is Cage's earliest fully indeterminate instrumental work. The process of composition involved applying decisions made using the I Ching, a Chinese classic text that is commonly used as a...
, the composer offered to write some new music for her, and the result was a monumental piano cycle, Etudes Australes
Etudes Australes
Etudes Australes is a set of etudes for piano solo by John Cage, composed in 1974–75 for Grete Sultan. It comprises 32 indeterminate pieces written using star charts as source material. The etudes, conceived as duets for two independent hands, are extremely difficult to play...
. Sultan made the premiere recording of the work and played it in concerts worldwide. She also performed the music of Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness
Alan Hovhaness was an Armenian-American composer.His music is accessible to the lay listener and often evokes a mood of mystery or contemplation...
and Tui St. George Tucker
Tui St. George Tucker
Tui St. George Tucker was an American composer and recorder player....
, but contemporary composers were not the only ones that interested her: in the 1940s she helped popularize Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's Goldberg Variations
Goldberg Variations
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...
, and her concert programs included music from Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
and Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
to Earle Brown
Earle Brown
Earle Brown was an American composer who established his own formal and notational systems...
and Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman was an American composer, born in New York City.A major figure in 20th century music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers also including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Earle Brown...
.
Grete Sultan gave her last recital in 1996, aged 90, at New York's Merkin Concert Hall
Merkin Concert Hall
Merkin Concert Hall is a 449-seat concert hall in Manhattan, New York City. The hall, named in honor of Hermann and Ursula Merkin, is part of the Kaufman Center, a complex that includes the Lucy Moses School, a community arts school, and the Special Music School , a New York City public school for...
, performing Bach's Goldberg Variations. She died in a Manhattan hospital five days after her 99th birthday.
Discography
- John Cage: Etudes Australes {Wergo B000025RQQ}
- "Grete Sultan - The Legacy, Vol. 1": Bach (Goldberg-Variations), Debussy, Schoenberg and Cage {Concord 42030}
- "Grete Sultan - The Legacy, Vol. 2": Beethoven (Diabelli Variations), Copland, Wolpe, Hovhaness, Cage u.a. {Labor 7038-2}
- "Grete Sultan - The Legacy, Vol. 3": Schumann (Fantasia C-Dur), Schubert (Sonata a-moll) (in preparation)
- "Grete Sultan - The Legacy, Vol. 4": Sonaten für Klavier und Violoncello von Beethoven with Eva Heinitz (in preparation)