Maria Korchinska (16 February 189517 April 1979) was a distinguished 20th-century Russian

harpist The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orc ...

and one of the leading 20th-century harpists in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

Early life

Korchinska entered the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

to study both piano and harp in 1903 but on the advice of her father decided to concentrate on the harp from 1907. Her father believed that Russia was entering a time of great change and that given the relatively high number of pianists in Russia it would be easier for his daughter to find work as a harpist than as a pianist. In 1911 she won the first Gold Medal given to a harpist by the Moscow Conservatory.

Career

In 1919 she became the Professor of Harp at the Conservatory as well as the Principal Harpist at the Bolshoi Orchestra. Korchinska was a founding member of the

Persimfans Persimfans was a conductorless orchestra in Moscow in the Soviet Union that was founded by Lev Tseitlin and existed between 1922 and 1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and ...

, the famous "Orchestra without a conductor". She was one of the many musicians who played at

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

's funeral. In Great Britain, Korchinska founded the UK Harp Association and had a successful career as a soloist and ensemble player. She was the first harpist to play at the

Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...

, was a founding member of the Wigmore Ensemble and was the first British judge at the Israeli Harp competition. Her son Alexander was born in England in July 1926. Bax's Fantasy Sonata for Harp was dedicated to her and she gave the first performance in 1927. Her portrait was taken by

Norman Parkinson Norman Parkinson (21 April 1913 – 15 February 1990) was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While servin ...

in 1953 and is now part of the National Portrait Gallery's collection. She performed in the premieres of several

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

works including the Festival of Carols. During World War II she traveled ceaselessly throughout the country to play. In her 1969 BBC interview "Studio Portrait" she said: "I played .... underground in caves near Lewes, where a piano could not survive the damp. I played in cathedrals and clubs and

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

s and several times in secret camps and aerodromes, without having the faintest idea of where I was. My life was spent in the black-out trying to find my way. I was lucky I never missed one engagement in spite of all the difficulties in transporting the harp. Several times I was given up, but arrived with my instrument at the last moment, very hot and scared because of the bombing, but able to play." Korchinska also founded Harp Week in the Netherlands (now known as the

World Harp Congress The World Harp Congress is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1981 as an outgrowth of the International Harp Weeks held in The Netherlands for twenty years under the leadership of Phia Berghout and Maria Korchinska. The organization ...

) alongside

Phia Berghout Sophia Rosa Berghout (14 December 1909 - 22 March 1993) was a Dutch harpist. Her obituary in ''The Independent'' called her "arguably the most influential harpist this century". Career She was born in Rotterdam on 14 December 1909 and started pl ...

. She practised three hours every day until her death in 1979. Favourite pieces included the ''

A Ceremony of Carols ''A Ceremony of Carols,'' Op. 28, is an extended choral composition for Christmas by Benjamin Britten scored for three-part treble chorus, solo voices, and harp. The text, structured in eleven movements, is taken from ''The English Galaxy of Shor ...

'' by

Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

and ''Danse Sacrée'' by

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

. She taught Karen Vaughan, currently Head of Harp at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in London.Discussion with Nathalie Brooke (daughter of Maria Korchinska) August 2011

Personal life

In 1922 Korchinska married Count Constantine Benckendorff (the son of Count

Alexander Konstantinovich Benckendorff Count Alexander Philipp Konstantin Ludwig von Benckendorff (russian: link=no, Александр Константинович Бенкендорф, Alexander Konstantinovich Benkendorf; 1 August 1849 – 11 January 1917) was a Russian diplomat, of ...

). Her daughter Nathalie was born in Moscow in September 1923, and in 1946, she married the British art historian Humphrey Brooke. The

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

had seen the confiscation of her husband's estate and conditions were extremely difficult. Korchinska had to carry her father's body to his funeral. In 1924 the family decided to leave Russia for Great Britain, taking with them two

Lyon & Healy Lyon & Healy Harps, Inc. is an American musical instrument manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois and is a subsidiary of Salvi Harps. Today best known for concert harps, the company's Chicago headquarters and manufacturing facility contains a ...

harps. One of these had been purchased in exchange for a bag of salt.

References

Sources

Nineteenth- And Twentieth-Century Harpists: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook - Wenonah Milton Govea - Google Books
pp. 145–150.
Raymond Leppard on Music: Anthology of Critical and Autobiographical Writings – Raymond Leppard – Google Books
p. 85.
Gramophone – Google Books

All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide to Classical Music – Google Books

Music and Musicians – Google Books

External links

npg.org.uk

allmusic.com

Images of Maria Korchinska
at National Portrait Gallery, London {{DEFAULTSORT:Korchinska, Maria 1895 births 1979 deaths Russian harpists Musicians from Moscow Moscow Conservatory alumni Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory Women harpists 20th-century women musicians Women music educators Countesses of the Russian Empire