Winifred Christie

Winifred Christie (b. February 26, 1882, Stirling, England – d. February 8, 1965, London, England) [cite book | last = Slonimsky | first = Nicolas | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians | publisher = Schirmer Books | date = 1984 | location = New York, New York | pages = 461 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ] was a British pianist and composer best known as an advocate of the Moór-Duplex piano.

The Moór-Duplex piano

Winifred Christie spent a significant portion of her career promoting the Moór-Duplex piano, a double keyboard with a coupler between the two manuals (an octave apart), invented by Christie’s husband, Hungarian pianist, inventor, and composer Emanuel Moór. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Piano recital given by Winifred Chrsitie | date=1934-12-14 | publisher= | url =http://www.proquest.umi.com | work =The New York Times | pages =28 | accessdate = 2008-07-31 | language = ] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Winifred Christie, Pianist, in Recital | date=1938-03-26 | publisher= | url =http://www.proquest.umi.com | work =The New York Times | pages = | accessdate = 2008-07-31 | language = ] The Moór-Duplex aided in the playing of octaves, tenths, and even chromatic glissandos. The piano makers Steinway, Bechstein, and Bösendorfer all put the mechanism into their instruments. Christie performed on the instrument frequently in Europe and the United States and published (in collaboration with Moór) a manual of technical exercises for the instrument.

Recordings

Christie also recorded selectively for the Aeolian Vocalion and Winner recording labels.

World Premiere Performances

In concert, Christie premiered Edgar Bainton’s Concerto-Fantasia and, in New York, on February 23, 1916, the piano version of Charles Tomlinson Griffes' "The White Peacock" at New York's Punch and Judy Theatre. [cite book | last = Anderson | first = Donna K. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Charles T. Griffes: A Life in Music | publisher = Smithsonian Institution Press | date = 1993 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ]

In 1946, Christie founded and endowed the [http://www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/special/music/ Westminster Central Music Library] in London, England with a gift of ₤10,000 as a memorial to her late husband. [cite book | last = Kelly | first = Thomas | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = A History of Public Libraries in Great Britain, 1845-1965 | publisher = American Library Association | date = 1973 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = ]

References

Further Reading

"The Emmanuel Moor New Duplex-Coupler Pianoforte", article by F. Gilbert Webb from "The Proceedings of the Musical Association", 48th Sess., (1921 - 1922), pp. 91-97, Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Musical Association.