My mother always said that if our Steinway
Grand Piano could talk, it would have a tale to tell. So I will endeavour to
tell it myself.
The Steinway initially belonged to my grandfather,
Victor Hollaender, in Germany.
My grandparents were Polish, from Upper Silesia.
They moved to Hamburg
where my mother was born. Victor had two sons and two daughters. My mother was
Ellen Karin Hollaender then she had a sister called Vera Hollaender. The girls
had two brothers called Friedrich and Heinrich Hollaender. Victor, Friedrich
and Heinrich all became German Cabaret composers in Berlin. And they were socialites and hosted
many parties. The Hollaenders were all Jewish and the whole family played the
Steinway.
The three men fought against the political
system of the time. They composed under different names, using their music as a
political tool. The family hid under the piano during bomb raids. It was the
strongest refuge in their home. They even ate their meals under the piano.
The Hollaenders were banned from Germany
and they all came over to England in a boat, along with the piano, two
sideboards, gold and silver ornaments and other antiques. I can't begin to
imagine what they were thinking.
The Hollaenders managed to get a flat in
Hampstead Garden Suburb: 20
Montrose Court. It was huge. We often visited my
grandmother, Martha Hollaender, whose maiden name was Finke. The Hollaender’s
were a family of animal lovers and our dogs would visit them whenever we did, climbing
the many stairs to reach grandparent’s flat.
In my granny's kitchen was a series of
bells. They were servants’ bells. I would ring the bells from any room then
hide from my granny, making her run through the huge flat trying to find me! Sometimes
I swapped rooms and tried to confuse her.
When my grandfather, Victor, died he left
the Steinway to my oldest brother, Jonathan, in his will. We bought our first
home and built an extension to house the piano. And my father had made some
shelves to accommodate all our music. My grandfather had leather bound pieces
of German cabaret composers. He had his name engraved on the front cover V J
Hollaender. As a child I would try to play his music on both my grandfather's
violin and piano. In some of them he wrote inscriptions to others. I have kept
these music books. Years later my adult piano pupil, Derek, also played
Victor's music from the books on the Steinway. It was as though Victor and his
music were being kept alive.
I fell in love with the piano. It made a
magical sound. My grandmother would sit by my side and watch me play. People
say I make a magical sound on any piano. This, I think, is due to spending my
childhood on the magical Steinway.
Growing up I had many piano teachers.
Howard Arman, a friend of my brother, Jonathan, taught me the piano during my
teenage years. I managed to persuade Howard to teach me light music and the
Hollaenders' music also. I had school music teachers who encouraged my violin
and piano playing. I was developing a jazz technique whilst going through the
ABRSM exam music system.
My mother told me stories about Victor's
violin and piano playing. Apparently he played for hours on end by ear and
without using any music. He always played by heart. My grandfather could pick
up the violin and Steinway piano and just play it. He was a fine musician. But
both of my grandparents gave their musical glory to their children and grandchildren.
They never took the glory for themselves.
My uncle Friedrich Hollaender wrote the
song 'Falling In Love Again' sung by Marlene Dietrich in 'The Blue Angel'. As a
child, he fascinated me. For my music degree at Dartington College Of Arts I
produced and directed the musical play, 'Cabaret.' It was a tribute to the
Hollaender side of my family.
Now I own their Steinway which is my
greatest pride and joy. I am classically musically trained but have ended up
being a light music expert, just like the Hollaenders. My work as a dance
pianist taught me to play and sight read and teach in any musical style. I
learnt also to improvise and compose. My CD called 'Crotchets In Love' is based
on my Steinway grand piano. My piano pupil Zoe drew a picture and named it
'Piano Is Love' with two crotchets surrounded by hearts and a piano. That night
I started to compose the music and wrote the story 'Crotchets In Love' having
been inspired by my pupil’s picture. The piano piece 'Hope' in the CD was
originally written for a dance teacher called 'Hope.' She greatly inspired me
to write a piece of 'Hope' for the world.
My earliest childhood memory of the
Steinway was of my brother, Jonathan, playing Mendlessohn's Wedding March to me
on the piano. It was this that prompted me to ask my mother for piano lessons.
She said that they were very poor and that they couldn't afford this. But I
wanted to play like my brother. So I told my mother that I would do all the
chores around my home to pay for my piano lessons. And I stuck to my word.
Every morning I would get up at 6 am. I would feed the dog and cat and polish
everyone's shoes. I would lay the breakfast table and make tea and toast. After
breakfast I would practise the violin and piano, all before school. Then I
would practise again after school. I found out years later that Martha paid for
my piano and violin lessons.
On Saturdays I would go to Hillingdon Music School.
I immersed myself in music. I played the recorder, violin, sang in the choir
and played in the orchestra. I also took ballet and drama lessons. And every
lunch time at school I took part in a musical and dramatic society, mainly
choir or orchestra. The school hosted a full size Steinway which I was allowed
to play. It was similar to mine at home. I was involved in many a concert and
festival with all my Schools and won many a competition. I always practised on
my grandfather's Steinway and his violin.
My mother could also play the piano. She
was a nursery teacher. My mother gave me and my two brothers home schooling.
She held a nursery school within her home. My father hand built a Wendy house
which we loved to play in.
Later, she was asked to run and open a nursery
with Social Services, Highgrove House in Ruislip, Middx. Her Bridge playing
friends all ended up working for her. One day, she asked me if I minded her
working. I said that I was very proud of her to work, and that I would encourage
this. So her life consisted of working at her own school as a nursery teacher,
looking after three children and her mother and hosting parties with her circle
of friends. She was an excellent cook. Every Sunday my mother cooked a roast
dinner and invited family or friends to join us. That also included both of my grandmothers.
We always played the piano to them.
On Christmas Day, the presents would be
placed on top of or under the Steinway. It was the centre of attraction. Also,
on top of the Steinway was a porcelain statue of a raven. My mother said that
it was always listening to the piano playing. My grandmother, Martha Hollaender,
always joined us on Christmas Day. It was a special time with us all gathered
around the piano. My mother always cooked a lovely Christmas meal. It was a
special day.
When I was at primary school, I lost the
use of my legs. So I had to stay at home for about a year. I practised on the
Steinway and played on my grandfather, Victor’s, violin. I watched all the old
films my uncle composed for and learnt from them.
My mother, Ellen Karin, had bought me a
puppy to aid my mobility, and this cure worked. We also got a cat. Whenever I
played the Steinway, my dog would lie by my feet and the cat would either sit
on the piano or window sill. They always listened to my piano playing.
Every summer holiday I would practise the
piano and violin early in the morning. Then we would go swimming every day. We
would take our dog, Tessa, and picnic and walk her during lunch hour in the fields
with the wild horses. My father created a lovely garden with every fruit and
vegetable imaginable. It was like a paradise. My father built a Wendy House in
the tree at the end of our garden and I used to escape there.
When I was 24 years old I bought my first
home and moved from my family home in Pinner to my flat in Northolt. My
brother, Jonathan, went to America to live and everyone agreed that the piano
must go with me to my new flat. So the piano moved with me. When we arrived at
my first floor maisonette we took the legs off the piano and turned it on its
side. Half way up the stairs the piano got stuck. So new recruits had to be
called in. The removal men kept bright and cheerful. We couldn't go up or down
with the piano. We were all wedged in. So I called my other brother, Ric. He
had to raise the ceiling which fell on us and the piano. Years later Ric told
me that he didn't know what he was doing but he knew that he had to do
something as we were all stuck. In fact I was so upset that my brother sent me
shopping. When I came back the piano had been moved into the music room and I
had no ceiling. Ric said that the piano was in the flat and wasn't moving
again. That was 1986 and the piano is still there in 2012 at the time of
writing. One must always listen to one’s elder brothers.
My father had a dream on the night the
piano moved into my home in Northolt. He dreamt that he put one book into my
music room and the whole flat collapsed. My neighbours living downstairs also thought
the piano would fall on top of them.
I use the Steinway to teach my pupils and
also accompany many singers and instrumentalists. Also, every Sunday my piano
pupils would come to play the Steinway at my flat in Northolt. It had such a
magic about it. My neighbours have all been very good and fair about my
Steinway. Whenever the neighbours didn't like the music they would turn their own
music up or noisily decorate inside their home or garden. On the other hand
when my neighbours liked the music they would listen and silence would fall!
These are some of the tales that my piano
tells, but probably not all. I know it has some secrets that it is keeping to
itself!
Shirley
Salzedo is a London based composer, accompanist and music teacher. She has a
Music BA (Hons) from Dartington, and holds PGCE LGSM qualifications. Radio 4
Home Truths Programme made a broadcast about the Steinway in Northolt which can
be heard on her website: www.magicpiano.co.uk.
I think it is no surprise why her website is called this!! She can be contacted at MB: 07446 294507 for interviews and CD purchases.
