Tureck, Rosalyn (1914–2003)
Tureck, Rosalyn (1914–2003)
American pianist and musicologist. Born Rosalyn Tureck, Dec 14, 1914, in Chicago, IL; died July 17, 2003, in Riverdale, the Bronx, NY; studied with Sophia Brilliant-Liven, 1925–29, Jan Chiapasso, 1929–31, Leon Theremin, 1931–32; graduated cum laude from Juilliard School of Music, 1935.
An authority on music of Johann Sebastian Bach, received a 4-year fellowship to Juilliard, at age 16, where she studied with Olga Samaroff, among others; debuted at NY's Carnegie Hall with Philadelphia Orchestra, playing Brahm's Concerto in B-Flat (1935); performed her 1st series of all-Bach recitals at NY's Town hall (1937), executing the 48 Preludes and Fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier, the "Goldberg Variations," and miscellaneous works; devoted much of her concert career to Bach, performing his works on the piano rather than the harpsichord or clavichord; wrote a 3-vol. study, An Introduction to the Performance of Bach, and recorded much of his music; also played the works of Liszt, Chopin, Weber, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Albeniz, Ravel and Rachmaninoff, as well as contemporary composers, such as Paul Nordoff; was the 1st woman to conduct the NY Philharmonic (1958); taught at Philadelphia Conservatory of Music (1935–42), Juilliard (1943–55) and at University of California, San Diego (1966–72); founded International Bach Institute, NY (1966) and Tureck Bach Research Foundation, Oxford (1993).
See also Women in World History.