Teresa Carreno (1853-1917) was one of the most accomplished pianists and composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s Musician was one of the most accomplished pianists and composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A child prodigy, she spent her entire life performing for audiences around the globe at a time when that was especially unusual for a woman. She was also a brilliant and prolific composer who wrote and published approximately 75 works starting at the age of six. Please welcome Teresa Carreño.
María Teresa Carreño García de Sena was born on December 22, 1853 in Caracas, Venezuela to a musical family. Her father, Manuel Antonio, was a politician and passionate amateur pianist and her grandfather was a famous Venezuelan composer.
From a very young age, Teresa showed prodigious musical talent. She began composing short piano pieces at the age of six, and gave her first public performance when she was only eight. Teresa played quite a few instruments but was partial to the piano, which apparently came very naturally to her. Her father recognized her talent early on and taught her to play piano himself before hiring a series of renowned teachers to train her. A number of these instructors noted that teaching a prodigy like Teresa didn’t require much effort as she quickly and easily picked up everything they taught.
Teresa’s family had high hopes for their brilliant daughter. In 1862, when Teresa was eight, the family decided to move from Caracas to New York City in order to provide her with greater musical opportunities. Just a few months later, Teresa gave her debut performance at New York’s Irving Hall.
The following year, Teresa performed in concert halls across the East Coast while also spending significant time composing. She published her first composition, Gottschalk Waltz, in late 1863 before traveling with her family down to Cuba. Towards the end of 1863, Teresa was invited to perform for President Abraham Lincoln at the White House.
In 1866, when Teresa was 13, her family moved to Europe, and eventually settled down in Paris. There, Teresa had the opportunity to meet and play for some of the greatest composers of the era, including Franz Liszt and Gioachino Rossini.
Sadly, toward the end of 1866, Teresa’s mother died of cholera. At just 13 years old, this hit Teresa very hard. After spending a period of time in deep mourning, she eventually traveled to Spain with her father to put on a number of concerts.
Though Teresa was barely a teenager, she had already gained renown as both a brilliant pianist and composer. During the late 1860s and 1870s, many of her compositions were published in Paris, and became quite popular. At the same time, she continued to perform across Europe, to great acclaim.
In 1873, at the age of 20, Teresa married a fellow musician, the composer and violinist Emile Sauret. Soon after, the newlyweds moved to London, where Teresa gave birth to their first child. Just a few months later, Teresa’s father died and the young family decided to move back to the United States.
There, Teresa went on tour performing in concert halls across America. The stress of such a rigorous schedule, however, took its toll on Teresa’s marriage and she and her husband eventually decided to divorce.
In 1885, Teresa returned to her home country of Venezuela for the first time since her family left many years earlier. Over the course of a year, Teresa performed across the country, spent significant time composing, put together the plans for a Venezuelan conservatory of music, and managed an opera company.
In 1889, Teresa returned to Europe to begin touring again. She moved to Paris first before eventually settling in Germany. At her debut performance with the Berlin Philharmonic, she charmed the stoic German audience with a brilliant performance of Grieg's Piano Concerto.
That same year, Teresa met the renowned composer and pianist Eugen d’Albert. The two quickly fell in love and married, and Teresa subsequently gave birth to two daughters. The marriage was rocky from the start and was further stressed by the pair’s demanding schedules. In 1895, the two divorced.
As the 20th century rolled around, Teresa continued to perform and compose at an impressive rate. From 1907-1911, Teresa went on two major world tours. The first tour was to Australia and New Zealand, and the second was to Africa.
With the start of World War I in 1914, Teresa’s career was significantly hampered due to travel restrictions that made touring in Europe exceedingly difficult, if not entirely impossible. Two years in, she decided to move back to the United States. Teresa travelled across America and down to Cuba to perform at major concert halls, and even returned to the White House.
While performing in Cuba, Teresa fell ill and was forced to return to her home in New York City. Her condition rapidly declined and on June 12, 1917 she died in her New York apartment. She was 63 years old.
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