Imperialism Wilma Neruda

Interview with Wilma Neruda
1. What events as a child influenced your interest in music?
I come from a family of musicians—a long line of them! My father, Josef, was an organist at the Cathedral of Bruenn; he was my first teacher. My father was born in 1807. He learned to play the organ in a Rajhiad monastery. (You know this region as the Czech Republic now.) He taught piano and organ. He and my mother had ten children. We all were very talented, to be perfectly honest, no matter how boastful that sounds! I have performed with my sister Amalie and my brothers Victor and Franz.
When you grow up with music all around you, it is impossible not to become involved yourself. We did not have all of the things that you have today to entertain ourselves. As a musical family, we were our own entertainment! Our lives were slower than yours are today, with much more time together as a family, and less time engaged in activities outside the home.
2. Did you have any mentors who inspired your interest and development as a musician?
My teacher in Vienna was Professor Leopold Jansa. Leopld Jansa was born in 1797. He was a prolific composer of all types of music and he was a talented violinist. He originally studied law at the University of Vienna, but he followed his passion and became a violinist instead. In 1834, he was appointed Kammervirtuose at the Austrian Emperor’s Court!
He was a passionate man and a humanitarian. In 1849, he played a benefit concert for the victims of the Hungarian Revolution. This thoughtful deed infuriated the Austrian government and he was not allowed to return to his country until he was pardoned in 1867. He lived there until his death in 1875. Leopold Jansa is an inspiration to me in all ways.
3. Tell me about some of the other musicians of your day.
The two best known violinists of my time are Joseph Joachim and August Wilhelmj. Joachim was Hungarian born in 1837, and Wilhelmj is a German violinist born in 1805. Happily, I can tell you that there are two other women violinists who are also well known. Maud Powell is a very talented American violinist who was born in 1867. She is probably the first American violinist, male or female, to have international acclaim. Another very talented woman violinist is Marianne Scharwenka, who is married to a composer. She was born in 1856.
Of course, none of these have ever reached the recognition that Paganini did! Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist and composer who lived from 1782 until 1840. By the time he was 13, in 1795, he could find no one talented enough to teach him! That is how good he was! Of course, a life of such fame often brings tragedy as well. He gambled with his wealth and once had to pawn his violin! He truly was brilliant, and should be remembered for his compositions as well as his performance. The caprices he wrote for the violin are very beautiful and difficult technically.
4. How did the world around you influence the work of artists during your life?
Do you know how wonderful it is to travel around the world and do what you love for people? The modern world and advances in transportation have made it possible for me to be known around the world! My career started in Vienna, but I have travelled to Paris, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Australia, the United States, and even South Africa! In South Africa, over 1,000 Africans danced war dances for me and sang for me!
The period of time from 1820 until 1900 is known as the Romantic Period. Some composers from this period, who are most popular even to you today, are Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Brahms, Chopin, and Strauss. Where Romantic music differs from Classical is that it doesn’t follow the structures of music strictly, and it is more orchestrated, emotional, and features larger instrumental ensembles. Another difference is that during this period of time composers are writing for a growing middle class, who often listen to music at public concerts or festivals. Sometimes the roots of the music are folk tunes and often the music can be used to tell a story.
5. What do you consider to be your major accomplishments?
For me, to be associated with Joseph Joachim makes me so proud. No woman instrumentalist has ever been compared to a man before me! I hope that my work will make the violin more accessible to women. When I began playing, it was not considered an acceptable instrument for girls; that is why I had to practice it secretly.
Along with my husband, Sir Halle, we helped to create a time when music reaches more people. Our “London Popular Concerts” at St. James Hall are proof of that. We were able to share our music with many people of all ages and backgrounds and even nationalities. Sharing my music with people around the world, even in your United States, is another accomplishment.
6. Were there moments in your life that you consider to be turning points? Can you tell me about them?
A turning point for my music was when my father brought us to Vienna so we could study music. It was natural to come there; Vienna was a hub for music and also for Czech people like my family. Now at the turn of the 20th century, there are almost a quarter of a million people of Czech descent in Vienna alone! (http://thefreelibrary.com)
My association with Charles Halle, who became my second husband, is surely a
turning point. He was a remarkable man, a man of great musical ability. He was a
brilliant pianist and conductor. It was at his Monday pianoforte recitals at St. James Hall
in London where we first met. We were almost inseparable until his death in 1895.
7. Were there personal choices you made during your life that contributed to your success?
Of course the most important personal choice has to be that I play the violin! Do
you know that my parents wanted me to become a pianist? I practiced secretly on the
violin! When my father discovered my talent, he supported me and when I was seven I
gave my first concert in Vienna; I played a Bach Sonata.
Maybe you know that I play a Stradivarius violin, dated 1709. Did you know that
I own the violin of Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst? He was a very talented man who lived from
1812 until 1865. Unfortunately, he lived his entire life in the shadow of the much greater
Nicolo Paganini. Ernst became impaired and unable to play in 1862, and in 1876, I
acquired his Stradivarius violin; it was presented to me by the Duke of Edinburgh, the
Earl of Dudley, and the Earl of Hardwicke.
8. Can you describe the hardships or roadblocks you encountered during your life to become an artist?
Women artists have always been in the shadows of their male contemporaries. During the 1800s, women struggled to be viewed as artists in their own right. There was a very talented sculptress named Harriet Hossmer who was said to claim that works of art which were not hers were! Imagine! Then there are women of color, such as Edmonia Lewis, whose works go unrecognized because her background and heredity seem to be more important than her talent!
Remember that there are relatives of very famous men who are talented also. Clara Schumann, the wife of Robert, composed many of the fine melodies he played. Fanny Mendolssohn Hensel will never achieve the notoriety of her brother, Felix. Will that be my fate, do you think? Will I pale in comparison next to the achievements of my husband, Charles?
9. What kinds of limitations did you run into as a woman artist during your life?
In the 1800s there was a school of thought called “republican motherhood,”
(http://www,theflowofhistory.com). Women were supposed to stay at home to raise their children so they could turn into responsible adults. People who believed this took a dim view of me.
But, one of the outcomes of the Industrial Revolution is that more women are working. There are two classes of women and both have a positive influence on women artists like me. Working class women admire me as a fellow independent woman, and upper class women who do not have to work have time on their hands to appreciate my craft. Women’s increased participation in all areas of society makes them more visible in general, which elevates our status and enables us to partake in activities which have been closed to us before.
10. Is there a personal anecdote you would like to share that demonstrates how you are best remembered?
I think it is utterly uncanny that I will probably best be remembered for my relationship to a fictional character! In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tale, A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes postpones a murder investigation to attend one of my concerts in London. I was there to perform at a concert with Charles Halle, the man who would become my second husband. Mr. Holmes, who was a young and very ambitious detective at that time, reports that my performance was magnificent! (http://www.sherlockpeoria.net ) Those concerts which we gave there were held twice a week—on Monday evenings and on Saturday afternoons. You know, Sherlock Holmes plays the violin also; I wonder if Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a violinist as well…
I would also say, dear, that I am very proud of my title, “Violinist to the Queen,” which was given to me in 1901 by Queen Alexandra. It also thrills me to be well thought of by those I revere the most. After hearing me play, Joseph Joachim said, “When people have heard her play they will not think so much of me.” I ask you, young lady, who could not be proud about that?