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Helena Lewyn

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American pianist (1889–1980)

Helena Lewyn
A young white woman, seated, wearing a white gown with short sleeves; one hand in her lap; she is gazing down at an open soft-cover book on the stool next to herHelena Lewyn, from the Library of Congress
Born(1889-12-16)December 16, 1889
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 30, 1980(1980-08-30) (aged 90)
Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S.
Other namesHelena Lewyn-Hassenstein
Occupations
  • Pianist
  • piano teacher
Spouse Walter Kurt Max Hassenstein ​ ​(m. 1928, divorced)​

Helena Lewyn (December 16, 1889 – August 30, 1980) was an American pianist, composer, and piano teacher.

Early life

Lewyn was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Isadore Lewyn and Carrie Jeremias Lewyn. Her family was Jewish; her parents were both born in Germany, and her father was a druggist. She showed musical aptitude from early childhood. She studied piano with Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler in Chicago and with Conrad Ansorge and Leopold Godowsky in Berlin. She also studied composition with Edgar Stillman Kelley.

Career

Lewyn toured giving concerts in Germany in 1909, made her London debut at Bechstein Hall in the spring of 1910, and toured with the New York Symphony Orchestra under Walter Damrosch from 1910 to 1912. In 1910 the Houston Music Festival Association presented her with a gold medal, to "cordially congratulate you upon making such a triumphant American debut in your home city."

Lewyn was based in Los Angeles by the end of 1922. She served on the advisory board for the Hollywood Bowl summer concerts, and participated in a benefit event for the Los Angeles Music School Settlement in 1925. She also performed at the Hollywood Bowl on several occasions. She and violinist Vera Barstow gave a series of joint performances in southern California and on radio programs in the 1920s. She also performed with violinist Ben Whitman.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she continued to give concerts, including radio concerts, and taught at her own piano studio on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. One of her students was actor Bobby Breen. "Her program, although on the conventional side, was meaty, judiciously built and executed with musicianly aplomb," commented one reviewer in 1945.

Lewyn was known to compose music. She set a poem by fellow Texan Judd Mortimer Lewis to music in 1910. She owned an antique German piano.

Personal life

Lewyn married Walter Kurt Max Hassenstein in Berlin in 1928; they later divorced. She died in 1980, at the age of 90, while on vacation in Grants Pass, Oregon.

References

  1. Some sources give 1890 or 1891 as her birth year.
  2. Hines, Dixie; Hanaford, Harry Prescott (1914). Who's who in Music and Drama. H.P. Hanaford. p. 195.
  3. ^ "Around the Evening Lamp: Miss Helena Lewyn". The Texas Magazine. 2 (3): 47–48. July 1910.
  4. "The Rapid Rise to Fame of Helena Lewyn". Musical America. 12 (8): 8. July 2, 1910 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Helena Lewyn Training Children". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. November 8, 1941. p. 6. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Houston, Texas". The Violinist. 9 (3): 42. July 1910.
  7. ^ Saerchinger, César (1918). International Who's who in Music and Musical Gazetteer: A Contemporary Biographical Dictionary and a Record of the World's Musical Activity. Current Literature Publishing Company. p. 373.
  8. "Helena Lewyn, Pianist". Musical Courier. 58 (19): 6. May 12, 1909 – via Internet Archive.
  9. "Helena Lewyn, Pianist". Musical Courier. 60 (16): 38. April 20, 1910 – via Internet Archive.
  10. "Pianoforte Recitals". The Musical Times. 51: 243. April 1, 1910.
  11. "Medal for Miss Lewyn". Musical America. 12 (2): 4. May 21, 1910 – via Internet Archive.
  12. "At the Musicians' Club". Holly Leaves. 11: 14. December 15, 1922.
  13. Hollywood Bowl Association (August 5, 1924). Week of August 5, 1924. Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. Hollywood Bowl Association.
  14. "Jewish Women Aid Los Angeles Music Settlement". B'nai B'rith Messenger: 17. October 23, 1925.
  15. "Music Lovers Show Great Enthusiasm". Los Angeles Daily News. March 24, 1925. p. 15. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  16. ^ "Helena Lewyn Puts Stress on Informality in Piano Instruction". LA Evening Citizen News. January 30, 1947. p. 36. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  17. "Hotel Concert Very Notable Entertainment". Coronado Eagle and Journal. February 1, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  18. "Concert Recital on KNX Wednesday Eve". San Pedro Daily News. September 21, 1926. p. 10. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  19. "To Give Sonata Recitals". Daily News. March 14, 1925. p. 17. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Harford, Peggy (May 19, 1945). "Pianist Helena Lewyn Does Well in Difficult Program". LA Evening Citizen News. p. 4. Retrieved October 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Helena Lewyn to Play Over Radio Tomorrow". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. June 22, 1935. p. 6. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Teacher Trained in U.S.A. Abroad". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. August 27, 1942. p. 19. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Helena Lewyn Composes Song". Musical Courier. 61 (17): 18. October 26, 1910 – via Internet Archive.
  24. "Antique Piano Loaned by Helena Lewyn for Display". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. December 4, 1952. p. 31. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. "Obituary for Helena LEWYN". The Los Angeles Times. September 2, 1980. p. 26. Retrieved October 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.


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