Golla Andrea Hammerich née Bodenhoff Jensen (1854–1903) was a prominent Danish concert pianist who had studied under leading Danish musicians. It was not, however, until she was 35 that she first appeared in public. In 1895, she played a leading role in organizing the Copenhagen Women's Exhibition where she performed works composed by women. Hammerich was active in the Danish Music Pedagogical Association (Dansk Musikpædagogisk Forening) and contributed to various journals.

Early life, family and education

Born in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

on 1 November 1854, Golla Andrea Bodenhoff Jensen was the daughter of the specialist physician Hans Peter Jensen (1818–95) and his wife Golla Hermandine née Rosing Bodenhoff (1820–1906). In May 1874, she married the music historian Angul Hammerich (1848–1931). Together they had two children, Bodil (1876) and Kaj Frederik (1877). She took piano lessons under Orpheline Olsen and later under C.F.E. Horneman, Franz Neruda and August Winding.

Career

After her marriage in 1874, Hammerich devoted her time to the home and bringing up her children. Although she continued to practice chamber music at home with prominent musicians, it was not until she was in her mid-thirties that she first appeared in public, soon becoming one of the country's leading pianists. In 1895, Hammerich was one of the principal organizers of the International Women's Exhibition which set out to promote the contributions of Scandinavian women to culture. She gave concerts of works composed by women and published a collection of their songs. Her success at the exhibition led to many more concerts, including first performances of piano music by

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

in Horning & Møller's Concert Hall in 1886. In 1888, she appeared with the violinist Frederik Hilmer and the cellist Ernst Høeberg in a concert including music by the Russian composer

Anton Arensky Anton Stepanovich Arensky (russian: Анто́н Степа́нович Аре́нский; – ) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Biography Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving ...

. Golla Hammerich died in Copenhagen on 1 May 1903.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammerich, Golla 1854 births 1903 deaths Danish pianists 19th-century classical pianists 19th-century Danish musicians People from Roskilde