Martha Goldstein Explained

Martha Goldstein
Birth Name:Martha Svendsen
Birth Date:June 10, 1919
Birth Place:Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Death Place:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Occupation:Harpsichordist and pianist
Spouse:Allen A. Goldstein

Martha Goldstein (born Martha Svendsen; June 10, 1919 – February 14, 2014)[1] was an American harpsichordist and pianist, who gave concerts in the United States, North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.[2] She performed works by George Frideric Handel, Frédéric Chopin, Georg Philipp Telemann, Franz Liszt, Ferruccio Busoni, Johann Sebastian Bach, and others.[3]

Biography

Born in Baltimore, Maryland,[1] Goldstein was trained at the Peabody Conservatory and the Juilliard School and studied with Audrey Plitt, Eliza Woods, James Friskin and Mieczysław Munz. She taught at the Peabody Conservatory for 20 years and at the Cornish College of the Arts.[2] [3] She also performed as a guest artist with the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet,[4] wind quintet-in-residence at the University of Washington School of Music since 1968.[5]

Many of Goldstein's recordings were first released on LP by Pandora Records, which was founded in 1973 and active for more than ten years. The company went out of business with the advent of the CD. The entire archive of recordings is now available for download without restriction and can be found at many download sites, including Wikipedia (see).[6] Often her recordings reflect historically informed performance, employing original period instruments and tunings.[7] [8]

She died in Seattle, Washington on February 14, 2014. She had two sons, one of whom predeceased her, and was also survived by her husband of more than fifty years, Allen A. Goldstein (University of Washington Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, who died on January 21, 2022[9]), four stepchildren, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Commercial recordings

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Martha Goldstein obituary. February 27, 2014 . . December 13, 2018.
  2. Web site: Liner notes for The Sound of the Italian Harpsichord. Pandora Records. 1973. July 27, 2010.
  3. Web site: Martha Goldstein - Pianist at Piano Society . Piano Society . September 10, 2009.
  4. http://soniventorum.com/3.html "Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet - Artists"
  5. https://search.proquest.com/docview/304627306 Megan Lyden (2000). "The Story of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet"
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20080828060124/http://pan.zipcon.net/HOMEPAGE.html Pandora Records
  7. Chopin: Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25. Played on an Erard piano from 1851. (Audio files: . Further information and biography at Duck.fm. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  8. PAN 101 is mentioned by the American Record Guide as a pioneering example of the use of historically informed tunings, in a review of Early Italian Harpsichord Music (1520 - 1670); Edward Parmentier, harpsichord; Wildboar WLBR 8001 (Harmonia Mundi): "Still in print is a Martha Goldstein recording of German and Italian music from Pandora (PAN 101). Goldstein uses a modern instrument in various tempered tunings, anticipating Parmentier's performance in his previous Wildboar release of Bach's Italian Concerto in Werckmeister temperament." American Record Guide, January/February 1986, p. 42.
  9. Web site: Allen A. Goldstein obituary. March 7, 2022 . March 2, 2023.
  10. Reviewed by Stereo Review, April 1976, pp. 110 - 111.