Pearl Chertok (June 18, 1918, in

Laconia, New Hampshire Laconia is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Lak ...

– August 1, 1981 in

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) was an internationally regarded harpist and composer for harp. After studying

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and flute as a child, Chertok forwent her senior year of high school to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, where she studied with Marjorie Tyre and

Carlos Salzedo Carlos Salzedo (6 April 1885 – 17 August 1961) was a French harpist, pianist, composer and conductor. His compositions made the harp into a virtuoso instrument. He influenced many composers with his new ideas for the harp's sounds through his ...

. She then moved to

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 ...

where she was staff harpist with the CBS Television Orchestra for many years, appearing on shows such as '' The Arthur Godfrey Show'' and

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

's ''

Toast of the Town ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night ...

''. Chertok recorded several albums, both for solo harp as well ensemble work. Her solo work included her own compositions, many of which employed an innovative jazz idiom. On her LP ''Strings of Pearl'' she was accompanied by bongo player

Willie Rodriguez William Vicente Rodriguez (born 25 June 1934) is a former West Indian cricketer who played in five Tests from 1962 to 1968. Rodriguez was born in St Clair, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. After three first-class matches for Trinidad over f ...

. Other recordings include transcriptions for harp of music by Loeillet, Purcell and others. Chertok also convinced contemporary composers, including Elie Siegmeister, Nuncio Mondello, Edmund Haines, Sergiu Natra and William Mayer, to write for the harp. As a result, numerous pieces are dedicated to her. Chertok was president of the American Harp Society and was on the faculty of several colleges and universities in the New York City area.The New York Times, August 3, 1981 Several of her students have gone on to distinguished careers as concert harpists. She served as judge at the International Harp Contest in Israel, and a prize named in her honor was awarded in 1982, 1985, 1988 and 1992.

Dedications

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 – 16 March 1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In ...

- ''Second arabesque for harp on the name of Pearl Chertok'', Op. 170/45 (1967) *

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. Life Françaix's natural gifts were encour ...

– ''Jeu poétique en six mouvements'' for harp and orchestra (1969)

Discography

*''Around the Clock Suite''—Cecile Music Co., NY, PC101A *''Strings of Pearl''—Audio Fidelity, AFLP 1805 *''American Harp''—Orion Master Recordings, ORS 75207 *''The Harp in Chamber Music''—Orion Master Recordings, ORS 76227 *''Ancient and Modern Dances for Harp''—Orion Master Recordings, ORS 76231 *''Arco & Pizzicato: Music for Strings'' (Pearl Chertok and others) -- Serenus SRS 12062 *''Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Sonata for Cello and Harp'' (Pearl Chertok and others) -- Lanui LAN0012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chertok, Pearl American classical harpists 1918 births 1981 deaths People from Laconia, New Hampshire 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American musicians Curtis Institute of Music alumni