Frédérique Petrides (pronounced peh TREE dis), (September 26, 1903 – January 12, 1983), was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
-
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the
Orchestrette Classique in
New York. It consisted of women musicians and premiered works by then relatively untried American composers, such as
Paul Creston
Paul Creston (born Giuseppe Guttoveggio; October 10, 1906 – August 24, 1985) was an Italian American composer of classical music.
Biography
Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self-taught as a composer. His work ten ...
,
Samuel Barber and
David Diamond, that are now widely played and celebrated.
She also edited and published the ground-breaking newsletter, ''Women in Music'', which highlighted the activities of professional women musicians throughout the ages.
In addition, she founded several concert series in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, including the
West Side Orchestral Concerts, the Student Symphony Society of New York, and the
Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a public park in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then the solidly German-American community of Yorkville ...
concerts.
A pioneer and advocate
In 1933, when Frédérique Petrides first presented her
Orchestrette Classique, it was almost unheard of for a woman to be an orchestral conductor. And even at the close of her career, in 1977, not much had changed in that regard. Petrides was a pioneer, as one of the first woman conductors and "one-woman crusader" for the rights and advancement of women musicians in general, through her performances, articles and the dissemination, in the United States and internationally, of the ''Women in Music'' newsletters.
Beginnings and influences
In Belgium
Frédérique Petrides was born Frédérique Jeanne Elisabeth Petronella Mayer, into a luxurious life in
Antwerp, Belgium on September 26, 1903, which she later shared with two younger brothers, Jan and Gottfried.
She was daughter to Joseph Heinrich Friedrich Mayer, a prominent industrialist and art collector, and Séraphine Sebrechts Mayer, a well-known pianist, composer and teacher at the
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (french: Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles, nl, Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Provid ...
, who was also an accomplished painter and photographer.
Growing up, Frédérique ("Riki" to family and friends) and her siblings, had, according to her brother Jan's 1957 memoir, a very formal father, in manner and dress, old enough to be their "grandfather" and two "simultaneous mothers" : Séraphine, who attended to their artistic development, and her closest friend since childhood, Jeanne Françoise Schenck, whom they called Godel (Bavarian German for godmother). Godel lived with them and, assisted by their governess, Fraulein Klara, attended to the day-to-day matters. She was also responsible for their schooling, with the result that all three were given high scholastic marks when they eventually entered the German school on Antwerp's rue Grétry, considered one of the best private schools in the city. Jan Mayer wrote this about their father, mother and Godel, "...few people have been so fortunate in the choice of their early associates."
And many days were spent at The Kitchburg (German for Kitsch Castle), the family's country home in Capellenbosch, a suburb of
Antwerp. There the children explored the grounds, played with the domesticated and wild animals, invented elaborate games of the imagination; and scouted for swarms of bees to add to their mother's bee hives.
Another aspect of Riki's upbringing, was the family's isolation. Her father had been born German, and his powerful and aristocratic family (his maternal grandparents were von Wittgensteins and his grandmother had been born a Schaafhausen)
disapproved of his marriage to the Belgian musician, Séraphine Sebrechts, and except for his brother, August, ended all communications with him. Also later, with the advent of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, most of the Mayers' Belgian friends were no longer willing to be on good terms with an expatriate German, and turned their backs on him and his family.
All the while, Riki pursued her musical training. She studied violin as one of three private students accepted by
Mathieu Crickboom, who played second violin in the famed
Ysaye String Quartet; and she was taught theory and composition by her mother; Sebrechts had been "preparing to compete for the
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...
in composition until dissuaded by her conventional parents. It was the waste of her mother's fine talent, Petrides believes, which motivated her to work for the advancement of women musicians, as she did in the 1930s and 40s".
In New York
In 1923, Riki emigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
where she enrolled in a conducting class at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
, because an orchestra was available to her there on which she could practice. She also gave violin recitals, violin lessons, and coached string players.
Years later, from 1950–1956, at the invitation of a conductor whom she greatly admired,
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...
, she would attend his
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
rehearsals, and confer with him, which strengthened her development as a conductor.
The Orchestrette
In 1931, she married journalist,
Peter Petrides,
who wholeheartedly supported her career, and encouraged her to found the
Orchestrette Classique, in 1933, of which he became manager and publicist. The Orchestrette, an all-women chamber orchestra, gave five to six concerts annually in Carnegie Chamber Music Hall, now
Weill Recital Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built by ...
. In 1942, the
Orchestrette Classique was renamed the Orchestrette of New York.
Under Madame Petrides's direction, the programming was notable in combining performances of little-known works by the classical masters with premieres of pieces by then relatively unknown American composers like
Samuel Barber and
Paul Creston
Paul Creston (born Giuseppe Guttoveggio; October 10, 1906 – August 24, 1985) was an Italian American composer of classical music.
Biography
Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self-taught as a composer. His work ten ...
, and the British
Ralph Vaughan Williams, that have since entered the musical canon.
From 1935 to 1940, with the help of her husband, Frédérique Petrides edited and published the Orchestrette's ''Women in Music'' newsletters; a unique series, it followed the activities of women musicians from ancient times to the then present.
Women musicians in demand
The Orchestrette of New York was made up of extraordinary women instrumentalists, and, because the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
's draft caused vacancies, they were suddenly offered positions in the major symphony orchestras.
Petrides, not wanting to discourage her players' advancement, chose to let the Orchestrette come to an end, and its final performance was given in 1943.
Activities
From then on, until the end of her career in 1977, Frédérique Petrides conducted mixed orchestras and continued to unearth not widely known compositions by classical composers, and to introduce works by American composers.
In the 1930s, she had founded the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra in
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North ...
, which she headed for seven years. Then, in 1956 and 1957, she conducted concerts in
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...
; and in 1958, she founded the
Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a public park in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then the solidly German-American community of Yorkville ...
concert series on Manhattan's
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
, at which, for five years, she led her Festival Symphony Orchestra, composed primarily of members of the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
. In 1962, she founded the
West Side Community Concerts (renamed
West Side Orchestral Concerts in 1968)
in
Riverside Park, where she continued to lead her Festival Symphony Orchestra until 1977.
She also established the Student Symphony Society of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, which she conducted for eleven seasons, beginning in 1950, whose members, age nine to nineteen, were selected for their talent.
Reviewers
Petrides's accomplishments were reviewed by leading critics and writers such as
Virgil Thomson
Virgil Thomson (November 25, 1896 – September 30, 1989) was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music. He has been described as a modernist, a neoromantic, a neoclass ...
, H. Howard Taubman, Irving Kolodin,
Olin Downes
Edwin Olin Downes, better known as Olin Downes (January 27, 1886 – August 22, 1955), was an American music critic, known as "Sibelius's Apostle" for his championship of the music of Jean Sibelius. As critic of ''The New York Times'', he ex ...
, Robert A. Simon, Jerome D. Bohm, Francis D. Perkins,
Theodore Strongin
Theodore Strongin (December 10, 1918 – November 24, 1998) was an American music critic, composer, flautist, and entomologist.
Life and career
Born in New York City, Strongin grew up in Darien, Connecticut. He studied both music and biology ...
,
Raymond Ericson Raymond Ericson (1915 – December 30, 1997) was an American music critic who wrote articles for ''The New York Times'' for 30 years.
Life and career
Born in Brooklyn, Ericson earned an associate degree in mathematics from North Park Junior C ...
,
Harold C. Schonberg
Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was chief music critic from 1960 to 1980. In 1971, he became the fi ...
and
Robert Sherman who, in the New York Times of July 3, 1970, describes Petrides as "a prime mover in New York's cultural affairs since the mid-thirties".
Legacy
Frédérique Petrides died in New York on January 12, 1983, at the age of 79.
"She was one of the most influential champions of women in the profession of music in the twentieth century."
Notes and references
:;Notes
----
:; References
----
; Bibliography
:; Non-fiction books
:*
:; Articles and manuscripts
:*
Pool, Jeannie. "The Women-In-Music Movement, Then and Now". ''ILWC Newsletter'' (
International League of Women Composers). Summer 1985. pps. 6–10 ,
:* New York Times Obituary
"Frederique Petrides, Leader In Women's Music Activities."''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. January 13, 1983. Accessed March 8, 2011.
:; Collections
:*
Art Institute of Chicago, Photography Collection, where Sebrechts photographs are housed.
:* Frédérique Petrides Collection, Music Division,
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...
,
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...
. Classmark: JPB 83-3. 10. Series in 25 boxes. processed by Tema Hecht. September 1996. Revised April 2008.
:# Mayer, Jan Christian Heinrich August (Petrides's brother) (1957). "Childhood Recollections". Series 5, folder 10.
:# Finding Aid, Series 4 Folder 17
:; Reference books
:*
:*
:*
:*
:*
:*
:*
External links
Frédérique Petrides papers, 1923-1986Music Division, The New York Public Library.
Frédérique Petrides papers, Additions, 1918-1983Music Division, The New York Public Library.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrides, Frederique
1903 births
1983 deaths
Women conductors (music)
20th-century conductors (music)
Belgian conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
20th-century Belgian male musicians