Tessa Birnie
Encyclopedia
Tessa Daphne Birnie, OAM
(19 July 193413 March 2008) was an internationally acclaimed New Zealand
and Australia
n concert pianist
.
Birnie was born in Ashburton
, on the South Island
of New Zealand, in 1934. She first heard a piano in a local hall when she was three or four, and decided then that the piano was to be her destiny. Her mother Edna took her to the North Island
when she was 10, and she did not see her father again until she was an adult. She achieved the Royal School of Music's licentiate when she was 14. Instead of attending secondary school, she was taught by private tutors. Her music teachers included the Viennese Jewish refugee pianist Paul Schramm who was living in Wellington
, and French pianists Nadia Boulanger
and Yvonne Lefébure
. She gave a recital in Auckland
when she was 14, and then toured New Zealand before travelling to Europe with her mother. She lived in Paris, London and Lake Como
in Italy, where she studied with Karl Ulrich Schnabel
, the son of Artur Schnabel
. From the beginning, her mother supported and encouraged her, performing the roles of "travelling companion, business manager, concert organiser and lady-in-waiting".
She made her debut as a concert pianist in Paris
in 1960. She was reunited with her father in the 1960s, on her return from Europe, around which time the family moved to Sydney
where they lived in Middle Cove
. After her parents died she shared her house with other musicians. She founded the Sydney Camerata Orchestra in 1961 and the Australian Society for Keyboard Music in 1964.
Birnie made many recordings, including a 1977 recording of Beethoven
's Moonlight Sonata
, played at its original lower pitch with the composer's original pedals, and rediscovered numerous forgotten pieces for piano from the 17th and 18th centuries. Highly acclaimed for her marathon performances in Australia and Europe, she also performed the entire cycle of Schubert
sonatas in San Francisco in 1961 and Haydn
's complete keyboard works in 1982. Her music memory was "phenomenal". She was awarded the West German Government's Beethoven Medallion in 1974. In 1985 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
(OAM).
She wrote numerous texts on keyboard music, as well as a 1997 autobiography
entitled I'm Going to be a Pianist!. Birnie did not marry, and "her comforts were Jane Austen
's novels and chocolates".
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(19 July 193413 March 2008) was an internationally acclaimed New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n concert pianist
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
.
Birnie was born in Ashburton
Ashburton, New Zealand
Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury Region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the...
, on the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand, in 1934. She first heard a piano in a local hall when she was three or four, and decided then that the piano was to be her destiny. Her mother Edna took her to the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
when she was 10, and she did not see her father again until she was an adult. She achieved the Royal School of Music's licentiate when she was 14. Instead of attending secondary school, she was taught by private tutors. Her music teachers included the Viennese Jewish refugee pianist Paul Schramm who was living in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, and French pianists Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
and Yvonne Lefébure
Yvonne Lefébure
Yvonne Lefébure was a French pianist.Born in Ermont, she studied with Alfred Cortot at the Paris Conservatoire, taking a premier prix in piano and numerous other subjects. She soon appeared with the Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux and the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne and in recital. She...
. She gave a recital in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
when she was 14, and then toured New Zealand before travelling to Europe with her mother. She lived in Paris, London and Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
in Italy, where she studied with Karl Ulrich Schnabel
Karl Ulrich Schnabel
Karl Ulrich Schnabel was an Austrian pianist, and the son of pianist Artur Schnabel and operatic contralto and lieder singer Therese Behr.-Biography:...
, the son of Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel
Artur Schnabel was an Austrian classical pianist, who also composed and taught. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura...
. From the beginning, her mother supported and encouraged her, performing the roles of "travelling companion, business manager, concert organiser and lady-in-waiting".
She made her debut as a concert pianist in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1960. She was reunited with her father in the 1960s, on her return from Europe, around which time the family moved to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
where they lived in Middle Cove
Middle Cove, New South Wales
Middle Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Middle Cove is located 7 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby....
. After her parents died she shared her house with other musicians. She founded the Sydney Camerata Orchestra in 1961 and the Australian Society for Keyboard Music in 1964.
Birnie made many recordings, including a 1977 recording of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Moonlight Sonata
Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata , was completed in 1801...
, played at its original lower pitch with the composer's original pedals, and rediscovered numerous forgotten pieces for piano from the 17th and 18th centuries. Highly acclaimed for her marathon performances in Australia and Europe, she also performed the entire cycle of Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
sonatas in San Francisco in 1961 and Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's complete keyboard works in 1982. Her music memory was "phenomenal". She was awarded the West German Government's Beethoven Medallion in 1974. In 1985 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(OAM).
She wrote numerous texts on keyboard music, as well as a 1997 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
entitled I'm Going to be a Pianist!. Birnie did not marry, and "her comforts were Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's novels and chocolates".