Book contents
3 - School Years
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 June 2023
Summary
Shortly after arriving in Prague, Lisa, though still a student, found herself at the centre of professional music-making there. Her talent was evidenced by the fact that of the 150 piano students who auditioned for the 1928 intake at the Prague Conservatoire, she secured one of only 27 places on offer. Klement Slavický, the close family friend from Přerov, was already studying at the Conservatoire, introduced Lisa into musical circles. As her finances were stretched, with little coming from the family back in Přerov, she supported herself by teaching piano. Her own studies with Jan Heřman were enriching, not only because of his inspirational teaching but also because of the pivotal role he held within the Prague musical environment.
Lisa soon became acquainted with two of Czechoslovakia's most eminent piano teachers, Vilém Kurz (1872–1945) and his wife Růžena Kurzová (1880–1938), the latter renowned for possessing a rare sensitivity for teaching young, talented children. Lisa knew that she had found the ideal teacher for her gifted brother and was determined to arrange for him to come to Prague, not only to have lessons with Růžena but to be set challenging musical goals.
So as not to disrupt his education in Přerov, Lisa and the family arranged that, once a month on a Saturday the eleven-year-old Gideon would be put on the Prague-bound train and, under the watchful eye of its conductor, make the 150-mile trip to the capital. The journey was an adventure in its own right for one so young. But for it then to culminate in tuition from such an eminent teacher, and to be in one of Europe's cultural powerhouses, if only for 24 hours, must have been the stuff of dreams for the boy.
Meanwhile, Lisa immersed herself in the artistic circles of the city. On Saturday afternoon, she would invariably be at the Lucerna Café, in the Palac Lucerna (the Lantern Palace), awaiting Gideon's train at Wilson Station, a short walk away. Still there today just off the lower end of Wenceslas Square, and more or less unchanged, the impressive art-deco Lucerna was one of a number of cafés Lisa frequented with friends, enjoying the company of Prague's artistic elite.
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- Don't Forget about MeThe Short Life of Gideon Klein, Composer and Pianist, pp. 53 - 81Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2022