Draft:Leon Erdstein
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Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. BeniMineB (talk) 04:04, 18 August 2025 (UTC)
Leon Erdstein was a Jewish-Ukrainian concert pianist, professor, and composer during the early 20th century. He was a student of the esteemed pedagogue Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna, Austria.[1] During the Nazi Anschluss of 1938, Erdstein's compositions and work were outlawed as part of the persecution directed at Austria's Jewish citizens. Erdstein escaped Nazi-occupied Austria to America. where he lived out his life and career in New York City. Today he is best known for his edition of Chopin’s Nocturne in C Sharp Minor.
Life and Career
[edit]Very little is known about Leon Erdstein, as he was forgotten after World War II, a fate further sealed upon his death. Erdstein was born in what is now Odessa, Ukraine to Jewish parents Chaim and Dwora Erdstein on September 2,1874.[2] He studied at the former Conservatory of Vienna, where he graduated with high honors, and he additionally studied with Theodor Leschetizky.[3] He toured around Europe as a concert pianist for several years before settling in Vienna, where he focused on composing, teaching, and conducing a choral society. In 1896 he won the Vienna Tonkünstler-Verein Competition for his song "Helle Nacht" (Op. 11).[4] In 1906 he began publishing compositions with firms such as Friedrich Hofmeister, F.E.C Leuckhart, and Universal Edition.[5]
In 1934 Erdstein married Marianne Ziegler, to whom he dedicated his Op. 18 Capriccio. His composing and pedagogy career continued until the rise and subsequent invasion of Nazi forces into Vienna. His work was soon outlawed by the Nazi party, and as the persecution of Jews became more widespread, he was forced to flee Austria, and Europe. He settled in New York City, where he resumed teaching and performing in private recitals but not composing.
Erdstein's wife Marianne died of cancer in the early 1940s not long after the couple arrived in New York. “I never got over Marianne’s death. That was the end for me. She was the most wonderful person you can imagine.”[1] Some of his works were destroyed during or forgotten after World War II, and an effort commenced in 2025 to locate and promote his works. A few Erdstein compositions thus far remain permanently lost. In 1942, Erdstein published his edited version of Chopin’s Nocturne in C Sharp Minor that he believed to be true to the original.[1][6] He died in 1953 in New York and was buried in Staten Island.[2]
Compositions
[edit]Over the course of his life, Leon Erdstein published an estimated 18 opuses, with 13 known today. He published many lieder, with opuses 5, 7, 8, 11, 14, and 16 being works for voice and piano. The rest of his compositions were written for solo piano and include thirds etudes, a prelude, toccata, intermezzo, and many others. The solo pieces vary in style and format, and most have in common a high level of technical difficulty. Erdstein's lieder reflect his choral background, as well as a commonality with his teacher Lescheitzky’s several vocal opuses.
Students
[edit]
At this time, five of Erdstein's pupils are documented: Maria Schiller, Felix Hupka,[3]Dr. Johanna Hilkovich, Francis Mechner, and Johanna Cooper.[1] Schiller, Hupka, and Hilkovich were students in Vienna before the war. Hupka studied with Erdstein from 1905 to 1911, after which he studied with Eugen d’Albert and went on to become a prominent conductor in Germany.[7] Erdstein was a friend of the family of Francis Mechner, who studied piano and music theory with him for three to four years in Manhattan in the 1940s. Mechner went on to compose the soundtrack for his son Jordan Mechner's video games Karateka (1984) and Prince of Persia (1989). Francis Mechner's younger sister, Johanna, was also an Erdstein pupil in the early 50s.[1]
Relationships
[edit]Erdstein was a friend and colleague of Isabelle Vengerova, a fellow student of Theodor Leschetizky. The two remained in touch after the war, in New York. According to Francis Mechner, Erdstein once recalled being introduced to Anton Rubinstein by Leschetizky, and commented that Rubinstein had fingers like Würsteln (sausages).[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Mechner, Beni. “Talk with Francis Mechner.”
- ^ a b "Leon Erdstein". geni.com.
- ^ a b Prof. LEON ERDSTEIN Brochure, Personal, New York City, NY, 1951.
- ^ https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc699919/m2/1/high_res_d/dissertation.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Category:Erdstein, Leon". IMSLP. 2025.
- ^ "International Music Company". International Music Company.
- ^ "Felix Hupka". Schenker Documents Online.