Vita Witek
A white woman with light-colored bouffant hair, seated, wearing a loose satiny robe-like dress over a white high-collared blouse
Vita Witek, from a 1915 publication
Born
Vita Friese

September 27, 1868
Copenhagen
DiedJune 25, 1925
Bayreuth
Other namesVita Gerhardt
OccupationPianist
SpouseAnton Witek
ChildrenHjalmar Gerhardt

Vita Friese Gerhardt Witek (September 27, 1868 – June 25, 1925) was a Danish pianist, based in Berlin from 1884 to 1909, and in the United States from 1910.

Early life and education

Vita Friese was born in Copenhagen. She trained as a pianist with Theodor Leschetizky and Teresa Carreño.[1]

Career

In Europe

Vita and Anton Vitek, on the cover of Musical Courier in 1911

Gerhardt made her Berlin debut in 1884. She often performed with violinist Anton Witek; they toured together in Europe, and gave the first public performance of Richard Gompertz's "Violin Sonata in G Minor", in 1901.[2] With Russian cellist Joseph Malkin, they formed the Berlin Philharmonic Trio in 1903.[3] She was also known as a conductor in Berlin.[4]

In the United States

Soon after she married Anton Witek in 1909,[5] she moved to the United States,[6] where her husband was concert master of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They gave recitals together in New York City,[7][8] Baltimore,[9] and Boston.[10] They also continued to play with Joseph Malkin, as the Witek-Malkin Trio.[11][12] She endorsed Mason & Hamlin pianos in advertisements in 1911.[13] She taught piano at the Von Ende School of Music in New York beginning in 1912, and served on the school's board of examiners.[14][15]

Personal life

Vita Friese married twice. She married Anton Witek in 1909. "Frau Witek says emphatically that a woman should not give up music just because she is married," reported The Violinist magazine in 1912.[16] Her son Hjalmar Gerhardt became a musician.[5] She died in 1925, at Bayreuth.[17] Anton Witek remarried in 1926, to an American violinist, Alma Rosengren.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Hughes, Rupert (1912). Music Lovers' Cyclopedia. Doubleday, Page for U.S. School of Music. p. 939.
  2. ↑ "Violin Sonata in G minor (Gompertz, Richard)". IMSLP. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  3. ↑ Orchestra, Boston Symphony (1917). Works Performed at the Symphony Concerts During the Season of 1917–1918. Vol. 37. p. 866.
  4. ↑ "The Witeks with Brown". Musical Courier. 63 (26): 50. December 27, 1911 – via Internet Archive.
  5. 1 2 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. 1918. p. 698.
  6. ↑ "Woman Musician of Versatility". Musical Monitor and World. 3 (1): 41. September 1913.
  7. ↑ "The Witeks in Concert". Musical Courier. 64 (4): 25. January 24, 1912 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "Witeks Play at Kriens Concert". Musical Courier. 64 (18): 8. May 1, 1912 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ↑ "Miss Baugher's Debut". The Baltimore Sun. 1913-02-19. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-04-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Witek Recital". The Boston Globe. 1910-12-14. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-04-27 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Downes, Olin (July 24, 1915). "Composers of To-Day Writing Little of Value for the Violin, says Witek". Musical America. 22: 33.
  12. ↑ "Witek-Malkin Trio". The Violinist. 20 (12): 509. December 1916.
  13. ↑ Boston Symphony Orchestra, Programme of the Fifth and Last Concert (April 4, 1910): 6.
  14. ↑ "Opening of Von Ende School of Music" Musical Courier 67 (September 10, 1913): 32.
  15. ↑ "The Witeks Return from Abroad" Musical Courier 67 (October 8, 1913): 33.
  16. ↑ "Von Ende Music School". The Violinist (35): 35. March 1912.
  17. ↑ "Frau Vita Witek". Musical Courier. 91 (4): 8. July 23, 1925 – via Internet Archive.
  18. ↑ "Anton Witek Weds Ex-Pupil; Alma Rosengren of Kansas Bride of Violinist and Concert Master". The New York Times. 1926-05-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
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