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YYONNE CATTERALL
Nicolas Medmer, the composer and pianisti was born in lUoscow in f880.
His ancestors, who were German, had settled in.Russia at the end of the 18th
century but Medmer was a true Russian - in his way of life, his Russian
Orthodor Faith, and above all, in his music.
,In the musical circles of the United States and the U.S.S.R. and to 1
lesser extent in Europe, Medtnerls norie is well known as a composer of
piano music, songs, of which he wrote over a hun&ed, three magnificent piano
doncertos, and several works for violin and piano. It may seem surprising
that the large public which goes to concerts and collects grarophone ricords
is not familiar with Medtner; but if one..remembershow long it has taken for
the music of many of the greatest composers to be recognised for what it is,
then Medtner is no phenooenon. One cannot say how much of the so called
modern music will be heard in years to come, nor whethet the devastating
impact made by Bartok and Stravinsky will be as stimulating for future genera-
tions as it is for us. It is interesting to note that Lully in his day enioyed
great popularity in fashionable circles and, indeed, influerrced most pow'erfully,
public opinion on musical taste, while !ach, who was.almost his contem.
pordyr produced his music in obscuriry and quietly pursued his own ideals.
As we know it was not until one hun&ed years later that, thanks to Mendel-
sohn, his music began to come into its own. And how often does one hear
the music of Lully to-day? Mozart was thought so little of during his lifetime,
that no one knows where his body was buried, except that it was in a commrmal
pauperst graye.
Nicolas Medtner qras an extraordinarily gifted child, but he was not an
infant prodigy. As a boy of six he started learning the piano aod two years
later, with his brother Alerander, he succeeded in forning a small orchestra
frorn among his friends. At the age of twelve he entered Moscow Conservat-
ory of Music, which had been founded in f866 by Nicolas Rubinstein (brother
of Anton, who had started the St. Petersburg Conservatory fow years
previgusly). Here, young Nicolas was to enter a world of complete dedica-
tion to ao art, in a way that ooly the Russians rmderstand. Those eight
years of study with Safonov for the pianot and Taneyev had a gift for teach-
ing which lre passed'on to Medmer - the ability to make each individual
pupil think and feel in his own personal way. He was never known to play a
single note on the keyboard dudng a lesson. All his demonstrations were
given on the lid of the piano! Of Taneyev, Rachmaninoff wrote in l9l5 in
his obituary .... "Through his personal example Taneyev taught us how to
live, to work, and even to speak, because he had his own tTaneyev way' of
speaking - concise, clear, and to the ;toint. He only said what was
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MAKERERE I O URNAL
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NI CO LAS M ED T N E R ,T H E T IAN A N D
H IS MA S IC
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M/KERERE JOURNAL
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NICOL,{S LIEDTNER, THE MAN dND IIIS MUSIC
"A cultured faoily, an orgaoised lifc with the obligatory leadiog '
aloud, speaking of two foreign laoguagcs - Qcrman aod French - a
library of philosophical works the equal of which I never fotmd'
aoywherc in Moscow, and finally thc music played and discussed in'
their home, made this pcriod of my life 'my Athcnian period' as I
used to call it. This was my schooling in literaturc, scicncc and
art I am very indebtcd.to the Medtner faoily.t'
Wheo Medtner left Russia wi6 his vife Anna, vhom hc had marricd in
1917, he settled first of all in German;r, thcn in France, and in L9!6 ctmc
to live in England vhere he temained until his death. Vithin a yezu or
tvo of vohmtary edlc from his oative couotry hc was twicc in thc U.S.A.
on extensive cooceft toqrs Playiog much of his owo music as.wcll as his
classical tepertoire.: ln L927 he was invited to retuln to Russia'- and it
Inust have been with a full heatt that he coosented to do so. He performed
in Moscov, Lcoingrado Odessao Kharkov and Kicv. The ovation he received
was 6emeodous aod hc was pressed to revisit his old coutrtry three years
latcr, but he decliaed for his owtr teasons. It was Dot easy for hio to talk
about Russia and ooc always felt shy'abou3 asking him to do so. ,It is easy
to imagine vhy he was obliged to say that he would not retum. He ncver
'again set foot oo Russiao soil.
' His home in England was io Goldcrs Greea near Loodon. It was, froo
thc outsiden a very ordinary, shabby litde house, but withia Nicolas aod
Anna lived in the atmospherc of old Russia. The Holy lcoo' which loog
ago had,bcen put back in its place, huqg in thc corner of their sittiog rooo
and in &ont of it burned a light which cast its soft red glow. A largc
bronze hcad of Nicolas' late btother Emil seemed to dominate the soall
room., Thcre was the samovar in which Anna madc the teal the delicious
Russian food" aod of course, their Russian friends aod the speaking of the
Russian language. It was to this Russian home that I qlas taken firstr as
a small childl and I remember sitting in a corner of Mcdtner's music room
rhat was scarcely large enough for its two grand pianos, vhile Nicolas
and my father rehearsed the composerts third violin sonata - dedicated to
the memory of Enil and called the Sonatd.Epica - in preparation for the
first performance in Loadon. As a small child I loved Medtner, for he
was always approachable. He was delighted if he heard me hu^ part of 6e
sofldta during the short breaks in the music, when certaio points vere
being discussed. Many years later I learned to fear him as well, fot Sentlc
and considerate as he was, he was not all sweetness. He was quick to
detect any iosincerity and shallowness in people, especially when they
spoke about music. He had no timc for "fashionablet' music or for any of
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|Iz{KERERE J OARNAL
the "ismstt. Music was good music or oot good music, whether it was
modem or hun&eds of years ord. vheo I had finished
my stud.ies at 6e
Royal Academy of Music I became Medroer's pupil.
The lessons would
last from two ro three hours and they were so
vivid it is impossible ever
to forget the poverful inspiration he imparted ro me, and
thi vay in which
everything l studied became alive under his guidance.
Even technical
problems had a spiritual quality about .hem,
bccause in every aspect of
piano playing there was knowledge to be.acquircd,
and musicar knowredge
for him was sacred. His ioterpretation of the classics,
especially of
Beedroriea, :was a revelation and every deail had a deep
significance.
Beiog the composer he was, Medoer 6e pionis3 *""-p.J.p"
- inclined
to be ov€rshadowed, but those vho heard hio at aoy
of ni" *. pubric
apPeasanccs realised ,what a magp.ificent perforoer
he was. rf oqe snrdies
his'piano music'ooe can see that ardough sooe of
it is ertremcry diff-
icult, it is pre'emineatly pianisric. No L. bur a superb.pianist
courd
tave wrirten such cross rhythms and
iurapositioo of themes whict require
a technique such as Medtnerrs.to play them, and
at 6e same time ao
imagination to temper it with
- as.Emest Newman wtites - ..a thousand
poetic touches ... of whiih only Medmer has
the secret.t,
18 L943 Nicolas had a heart attack, and, although
he recovered from
this and several subse{uear attacks, he hai to
u. i"t.r, of. Added
to the mrietylof fiis.illness, the Medtners were very poor""..
indeed. They
managed rto keep this.distressing state from their
friends for some rime,
a-while they could no longer hide it. ft:was my father
l3t fter vho.
' finally" realiied that they needed .trelpr.ana
through 'him the incorporated
Socicty of Musiciaos'yeryigeoerously providcd a-suo
of,.oo.y to be paid
regularly to drc:Medtaers. ..
, 'Then an igrtreordiolg
thiog happened. In 1946,:11i" Highness The
Maharaiah,of 'Mysorer,a,alan of.,culnrre and for
long a admirer of
Medtnetts'imusic, heard .hat Medoer was in oeed "io...f
of recognition. The
' Maharaiah cabe td,his aid and graciously pur.nin,,rurlimitJd.supply
of
noocy'at 6e.disposal of the H.I|.V. ,e.or&og roep:ury;-:
ftey'were in,
structed to record as much of Medtierrs mrr"ilo
V.aa.r, *iL",t.
asslstaoct of othcr.'nrtistsr,was,able to,perfoim. "" ,Nicolaslwas
nearing the
end of hlsrlife'and'hc,was:a',sick n"o; but d'ring
6e folrowing four yezus
he recorded his'thrce veri strenucius concerios with,
the, p.lilhirnonia
aa,
!,rchcs nanl of hi s iiogs. *io,i h;;d;;;;;;;";!r"ro-
''skald ahd'uargaret 'Ritchier'ririobcis of his piano piecisj aod finaly, his
last work, .a girihtet,.for,piano and sttings.
When one hears these recor&
ingsit is'almost.irnpossible ,to,bcricv. a.a the pianist
was an old man
who had becn suffering,fro'in corooary drombosis:for
several years. The
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r
t'We who
know Mcdtner know that he often maaaged
to recover
the Angcls'soog- could it be otherwise for one-poss.""i"g
angelic goodnessn uprightoess and
such a fount of music? His"""t
lyre is brokar, his life amoog. us is
over, but his vork reoains.
of our grief, we are bouad. .""i."" .r", l, ," 11"",
T 1*.
dealt.t
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