Natalia Janotha (8 June 18569 June 1932) was a Polish pianist and composer.
Biography Natalia Janotha was born in Warsaw, Poland, the daughter of Juliusz Janotha, who was a composer and teacher at the Music Institute in Warsaw. She started piano lessons with her father at a young age and later studied music in Berlin with Ernst Rudorff, Woldemar Bargiel, and Clara Schumann. She also may have had lessons from Johannes Brahms. She performed her first recital in 1868 and toured Europe as a concert pianist.
She was known as an interpreter of the music of Chopin, whose sister was a very close friend of her mother's;Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed (1954), Vol. IV, p. 587 and she received advice from Chopin's pupil Princess Czartoryska née Radziwill.J. Methuen-Campbell, Chopin Playing from the composer to the present day (Victor Gollancz, London 1981), pp. 41, 71. In 1885 she became the Imperial Court pianist in Berlin. She also won notoriety as a mountain climber, sometimes wearing men's trousers. In 1883 she became the first woman to ascend Gerlach, the highest mountain in the Carpathians.Zofia i Witold H. Paryscy, Internetowa Wielka Encyklopedia Tatrzańska
She lived in London for a few years, but was deported in 1915 owing to the political circumstances of World War I, because she was the German court pianist.BRITISH DEPORT KAISER'S PIANIST; Maria Janotha Arrested and Expelled as an Undesirable Alien. The New York Times, 1915.8.10, pp.5Mile. Janotha, Pianist to Kaiser and Long Favorite of British Royalty, Deported. The New York Herald, 1915.8.10Nieuwsblad van het Noorden, 1915.8.12, pp.2 Then, she emigrated to The Hague, KUNST en WETENSCHAP. Nathalle Janotha. Arnhemsche courant, 1915.8.24 where she served as accompanist to the dancer Angèle Sydow.KUNST EN LETTEREN ANGELE SYDOW. Het Vaderland, 1921.11.30, pp.2
She died in The Hague on 9 June 1932.N. JANOTA GRAVIN DI TOMARI. † Het Vaderland, 1932.6.10, pp.1NATALIE JANOTHA † Ven Europeesche bekendheid uit het bezin van deze eeuw Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad 1932.6.11, pp.2 A few days later, a funeral for her was held at the Jacob Church in Parkstraat. She was buried at the Kerkkhoflan Cemetery, a newspaper in The Hague reported.Begrafenis Janota Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad 1932.6.14, pp.2
Mary Drew said, "I am extremely glad to hear that Miss Janotha is giving her aid to the interpretation of Chopin, whom she so deeply venerates, for I feel sure that no one living is more competent to do it."Chopin's greater works, preface
She was known for having a black cat, named "Prince White Heather", which means good luck.Cheiro: Cheiro's Memoirs: The Reminiscences of a Society Palmist(1912), pp.92-93"Mademoiselle Janotha and Her Cat: An Interview with 'White Heather'", The Girl's Own Paper(1901), Volume 23, Issue 1137, pp.20-21
Harold C. Schonberg said, she was known for performing only as long as her dog was on stage within her view and a prayer book was placed on the piano. He also said, after listening her playing("Gavotte impériale", recorded in 1904), "a screamingly funny piece of music, and she bangs it out with great enthusiasm."
Works Janotha composed about 400 works, mostly for piano. Selected works include:
Mountain Scenes, dedicated to Schumann Gavotte impériale(1890) Deutscher Kaiser Marsch : op. 9(1895) Tatras The Impression from Zakopane Morskie Oko Sabala Gerlach Kościelisko Bandit Polonaise funèbre : pour piano : op. 100(1928) Cadenzas for Beethoven's Pianoforte Concerto in G : Op. 58 Tuning Up (text: Charles Peters) (1895)Victorian Voices archive
Natalie Janotha also translated and edited books on subjects relating to Chopin, including:
Chopin's Greater Works (Preludes, Ballads, Nocturnes, Polonaises, Mazurkas): How they should be understood (including Chopin's Notes for a 'Method of Methods') by Jan Kleczyński (William Reeves, London: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, no date (1st Edn c. 1895, 2nd c. 1900)). (Kleczynski's last Lectures, delivered at Warsaw in 1883.) Chopin as revealed by extracts from his diary by Stanisław Tarnowski (William Reeves, London, no date (c.1905)).Includes portrait of Natalie Janotha facing p. 20, see here.
References Notes
Citations
External links Natalie Janotha Biography at MUGI Scores by Natalia Janotha in digital library Polona