Hilda Aurora Thegerström (1838–1907) was a Swedish pianist, music teacher and composer in the second half of the 19th century. Thanks to training under

Franz Berwald Franz Adolf Berwald (23 July 1796 – 3 April 1868) was a Swedish Romantic composer and violinist. He made his living as an orthopedist and later as the manager of a saw mill and glass factory, and became more appreciated as a composer after ...

, in April 1856 she was able to perform Chopin's Concerto in F-minor accompanied by the Royal Swedish Orchestra. After further training under

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, from 1859 she gave concerts in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

before returning to perform in Sweden. She later became the principal piano teacher at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Music The Royal Swedish Academy of Music (), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in ...

where she remained for 32 years. published 23 March 2020, retrieved 17 May 2021

Biography

Born in Stockholm on 17 September 1838, Hilda Aurora Thegerström was the daughter of the grocer Johan Thegerström and his wife Anna Fredrika Charlotta née Hammarqvist. The second child in the family, she had two brothers. Brought up in

Solna Solna ( or , ), also known as Solna Municipality, is a municipality in central Stockholm County, Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna i ...

, she began studying the piano at the school run by Adolf Fredrik Lindblad after which she received lessons from the Dutch pianist Jan von Boom. But it was not until 1852 when she came under the wing of Franz Berwald that she really progressed. By the time she was 18, she was able to perform movements of Chopin's Second Piano Concerto and

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

's Appassionata Sonata as well as a fantasy by

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

. Encouraged by Berwald, Thegerström also composed two piano pieces: ''La naïveté op 1'' and ''Nocturne et Rondoletto op 2''. Berwald had them published together in Leipzig in 1857 as ''Souvenirs Suédois''. They were reviewed quite positively by C. Petersen in ''Neue Zeitschrift für Musik'' (April 1860). In 1857, thanks to a grant, Thegerström went to Paris where she spent a couple of months studying under Antoine-François Marmontel and giving concerts. She then moved on to Weimar where she remained for two years studying with Liszt. She gave concerts in Weimar and Munich and at the Tonkünstler Festival in Leipzig in June 1859 where she performed a duo with the cellist

Friedrich Grützmacher Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Grützmacher (1 March 1832 – 23 February 1903) was a German cellist and composer in the second half of the 19th century. He composed mostly for cello (including several concertos and many technical studies), but also wr ...

. On returning to Stockholm in February 1860, she performed with the singer

Christina Nilsson Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, also called Christine Nilsson (20 August 1843 – 22 November 1921) was a Swedish operatic dramatic coloratura soprano. Possessed of a pure and brilliant voice (B3-F6), first three then two and a ha ...

. Thanks to the development of the railways, she was also able to give concerts in Gothenburg, where in November 1860 she performed Mendelsohn's Piano Concerto in G minor. She returned to Germany in 1865, performing in Munich to considerable acclaim. She also received praise for a second concert in Munich in 1867. In 1872, Thegerström replaced Jan von Boom as principal piano teacher at the Royal Conservatory, after which she gave few public concerts. She taught for 32 years, retiring in 1904 suffering from cancer. Hilda Thergerström died in Stockholm on 6 December 1907.

Awards

In 1875, Thegerström became a member of the

. In 1895, she received the

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

for her contributions to the arts.

Biography

Awards

References

Further reading