swinging panel, a string frame and a sliding lid for upright pianos, and piano key
levelling.
STERNBERG
Life
Constantine von Sternberg (1852-1924) was born in St Petersburg, Russia, on 9 July
1852 and died in 1924. He was a pupil of Ignaz Moscheles in Leipzig and Karl Reinecke
at Leipzig Conservatory. He later studied with Theodore Kullak in Berlin and became a
pupil of Liszt in 1874. He conducted opera, toured as a pianist and taught. His tours
took him through Europe, Asia and America. Following the USA tours in 1880-85 he
was Director of the College of Music at Atlanta for four years. In 1890 he opened the
Sternberg School of music in Philadelphia, with branches at West Philadelphia, Tioga,
Camden NJ, Reading PA and Haddonfield NJ.
Constantine von Sternberg wrote ‘The Ethics and Aesthetics of Piano Playing’ in 1917
and more than 200 salon pieces for solo piano. His pupils included George Antheil and
Olga Samaroff. He did not make any discs and did not make any Liszt rolls.
Sternberg & Liszt
Carl Lachmund wrote to Constantin Sternberg on 20 April 1917 requesting information
regarding Sternberg’s personal relations with Liszt and Sternberg replied on 25
September 1917:
‘My first visit of three weeks with the dear old master was in Weimar during June 1874,
when Sherwood, Liebling, Moszkowski, X. Scharwenka, Nicode, Dori Petersen (later
Zarembski) were there. In the autumn of ’75 I repeated my visit by the master’s
invitation, this time in Rome where I met Latelli, Sgambati, Carl Pohlig (the predecessor
of the present conductor of our symphony concerts) and where I failed to meet Adele aus
der Ohe although I knew that she, too, was a frequent visitor at the ‘Villa d’Este’. His
student visitors at that time were but few. Brief as my stay was in both instances – owing
to my concert tours – I learned a great deal fron the master and was so fortunate as to
receive many signs of his particular interest in my compositions; especially in my
‘Hochzeits-Polonaise’. Op. 9, for which he suggested two very piquant additions which,
unfortunately, came too late as the piece was already published. I must confess that
however much I learned from the master, it was not derived from his actual teaching – of
which as you may know, there was not much of a strictly pedagogical way – but rather
from his talks in his music room and while walking in the wonderful gardens with him.
As you know, the master took a complete musical knowledge for granted and it was, of
course, not for that that I went to him; but in regard to his art-ethical views, to freedom of
conception and interpretation, to distinguishing between the letter and the spirit I learned
more than ever before or since. I think that in my case, this last mentioned distinction
was perhaps the strongest point of his teaching. I saw the master again in 1882 (or was it