Juliusz Edward Wertheim (24 September 1880 – 6 May 1928), sometimes known as Julius or Jules Wertheim, was a Polish

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, conductor and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, a member of a prominent family, who had a significant influence on the career of

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

Origins, training, career

Juliusz was born into a prominent

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

family of Jewish origin which had converted to Lutheranism. The father of Juliusz, Piotr or Pierre Wertheim (1850-1922), was a stepbrother of

Carl Tausig Karl Tausig (sometimes "Carl"; born Karol Tausig; 4 November 184117 July 1871) was a Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer. He is generally regarded as Franz Liszt's most esteemed pupil, and one of the greatest pianists of all time. Life ...

and a successful banker in Warsaw. The mother, Aleksandra Klementyna, was the daughter of Ferdinand Leo, editor of the ''Gazeta Polska'', and she was a singer of some accomplishment. In 1893 Juliusz began to take piano lessons from Rudolf Strobl, who sent him on to Berlin to study composition with

Heinrich Urban Heinrich Urban (27 August 1837 – 24 November 1901) was a German violinist and composer. Life and career Heinrich Urban was born in Berlin, and studied with Ferdinand Laub, Hubert Ries and Friedrich Kiel. He sang alto in the Königlich Domchor ...

, and piano with

Moritz Moszkowski Moritz Moszkowski (23 August 18544 March 1925) was a German composer, pianist, and teacher of Polish-Jewish descent.

and Karl Heinrich Barth (with whom Rubinstein later studied). Juliusz then returned to the

Warsaw Conservatory The Chopin University of Music ( pl, Uniwersytet Muzyczny Fryderyka Chopina, UMFC) is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe.

to study theory under

Zygmunt Noskowski Zygmunt Noskowski (2 May 1846 – 23 July 1909) was a Polish composer, conductor, and teacher. Biography Noskowski was born in Warsaw and was originally trained at the Warsaw Conservatory studying violin and composition with Stanisław Moni ...

, and graduated with a gold medal in 1901. He also received piano instruction from

Józef Śliwiński Józef Śliwiński (15 December 1865, in Warsaw – 1930) was a Polish classical pianist, one of the outstanding interpreters of the poetic and romantic repertoire, especially Chopin and Schumann. He was taught by Theodor Leschetizky and Anton Rub ...

. In 1915-1916 he was assistant conductor of the

Warsaw Philharmonic The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra ( pl, Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie) is a Polish orchestra based in Warsaw. Founded in 1901, it is one of Poland's oldest musical institutions. History The orchestra was conceived on ...

. For some years he became professor of instrumentation at the Warsaw Conservatory, and later lived independently as a composer in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. By 1924 he had written and published 4 Symphonies, many piano works including sonatas and variations, and many songs ( N. Simrock).

Association with Arthur Rubinstein

The Wertheims maintained an important

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

in Warsaw, and the young

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

became drawn into it during the first decade of the 20th century, as were

Josef Hofmann Josef Casimir Hofmann (originally Józef Kazimierz Hofmann; January 20, 1876February 16, 1957) was a Polish-American pianist, composer, music teacher, and inventor. Biography Josef Hofmann was born in Podgórze (a district of Kraków), in A ...

and

Paweł Kochański Paul Kochanski (born Paweł Kochański; 30 August 1887 – 12 January 1934) was a Polish violinist, composer and arranger active in the United States. Training and early career Paweł Kochański was born in Odesa to Polish-Jewish parents ...

. Rubinstein made numerous sexual conquests among women who had initially set their sights on the homosexual (and thus unattainable) Wertheim. Rubinstein was drawn into the individual lives of the Wertheim family, and described these complicated relationships in his earlier autobiography, ''My Young Years'', using the pseudonyms 'Paul and Magdalena Harman' for Piotr and Aleksandra Wertheim. Rubinstein was deeply influenced by Wertheim's approach to the playing of Chopin's music, and stated later that he had largely drawn his own inspiration for playing Chopin from Wertheim's 'deep and intuitive understanding of his genius.' Considering the importance of Chopin's music in Rubinstein's career, and of Rubinstein in the modern understanding of Chopin, that is a very large tribute. He performed Wertheim's ''Fantasy'' and

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

's ''First Piano Concerto'', Wertheim himself conducting the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, in February 1904. Despite his musical understanding, Wertheim possessed a flawed and unreliable piano technique (as

Zbigniew Drzewiecki Zbigniew Drzewiecki (; 8 April 189011 April 1971) was a Polish pianist who was for most of his life a teacher of pianists. He was especially associated with the interpretation of Frédéric Chopin's works. His pupils include several famous pian ...

, among others, observed): however he was able to encourage several young pianists, including

Roman Jasiński Roman Jasinski (1907- 16 April 1991, aged 83-84) was born in Warsaw, Poland and died in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Roman, commonly known as Yasha within the dance community, was a Polish ballet dancer who discovered his love for dance at a very young age. H ...

Bolesław Kon Bolesław Kon (9 December 190610 June 1936) was a Polish concert pianist who won international acclaim in his brief career. Kon was born into a poor Jewish family in Warsaw. He began his piano training aged about 10, at the Moscow Conservatory u ...

and

Aleksander Kagan Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. Juliusz Wertheim died of a heart attack while conducting

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

's ''Meistersinger'' Prelude with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra in a broadcast concert, on 6 May 1928.Harvey Sachs, Arthur Rubinstein - A Life (Phoenix Paperback, London 1997), 237. He is buried at the Lutheran cemetery in Warsaw in the family tomb.

Discography

* 2018 : Piano Works - Acte Préalable AP0428 - Elżbieta Tyszecka, pian

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Notes

Sources

Arthur Eaglefield Hull Arthur Eaglefield Hull (10 March 1876 – 4 November 1928) was an English music critic, writer, composer and organist.

, ''A Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians'' (Dent, London 1924). * J. Methuen-Campbell, ''Chopin Playing from the Composer to the Present Day'' (Gollancz, London 1981). * Harvey Sachs, ''Arthur Rubinstein - A Life'' (Phoenix Paperback, London 1997), 57-66. * A. Rubinstein, ''My Young Years'' (Jonathan Cape, London 1973).

External links

Scores by Juliusz Wertheim
in digital library

Polona Polona is a Polish digital library, which provides digitized books, magazines, graphics, maps, music, fliers and manuscripts from collections of the National Library of Poland and co-operating institutions. It began its operation in 2006. Colle ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wertheim, Juliusz 1880 births 1928 deaths Polish classical pianists Male classical pianists Polish conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Polish composers Musicians from Warsaw Polish people of Jewish descent Polish Lutherans 19th-century classical pianists Conductors (music) who died while conducting Gay musicians LGBT composers LGBT classical musicians 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century male musicians 19th-century male musicians 20th-century Lutherans 19th-century LGBT people 20th-century LGBT people