Leszetycki, Teodor (EN)

Leszetycki, Leschetizky, Teodor, Theodor, *22 June 1830 Łańcut, †14 November 1915 Dresden, Polish pianist, teacher and composer. Initially, he studied with his father, Józef Leszetycki, a music teacher at the Potocki Palace in Łańcut. He made his first public appearance in Lviv when he was 10 years old. After moving with his parents to Vienna, he studied piano with C. Czerny, composition with S. Sechter, and philosophy at the university. He was already a piano teacher at that time. In 1852, he went to St. Petersburg, where he conducted active teaching activities, and in 1862, he took over the piano class at the conservatory. After returning to Vienna in 1878, he quickly gained many disciples; he also took an active part in musical life. During concert trips to Germany, Russia and Poland, he performed both as a pianist and conductor. He was married four times, each time to one of his students; Leschetizky’s second wife (in 1880–92) was A. Jesipowa. He taught based on Czerny’s school, which he modified. Perceived by his students as a demanding teacher, he did not focus solely on the problems of piano technique but directed their attention primarily to the musical work and its details. He trained a whole range of pianists, including – apart from Jesipowa – I.J. Paderewski, A. Schnabel, O. Gabriłowicz, I. Friedman, B. Mojsiejewicz. Leszetycki’s compositions are mainly piano miniatures (nocturnes, romances, dances) of a virtuoso nature and two operas: the unperformed Die Brüder von Marco and Die erste Falte (performed in Prague 1867).

Literature: M. Brée Die Grundlage der Methode Leszetycki, Mainz 1902, 4^th ed. 1914; A. Potocka Th. Leszetycki, New York 1903; M. Prentner The Leszetycki Method, London 7^th ed. 1903; A. Hullah Th. Leszetycki, London 1906; E. Newcomb Leszetycki as I Knew him, New York 1921, reprint 1967; R.R. Gerig The Leszetycki Influence, w: Famous Pianists and their Technique, Newton Abbot 1976.