On Beethoven s 250th birth anniversary, a look at the life of Nannette Streicher, the woman who built his pianos At eight, Nannette played in front of Mozart, who criticised her posture and grimacing, but admitted that she had “genius.” Two years later, she had mastered many of her father’s building techniques, earning a reputation as a mechanical wunderkind.
The Morgan Library & Museum owns part of an original sketch of Beethoven’s
Hammerklavier Piano Sonata. In the margin, British publisher Vincent Novello writes that the document was given to him by “Mrs. Streiker” “one of Beethoven’s oldest and most sincere friends.”
Lynn Cullen Live Audio & Video Archive
Video Archive
Beginning on a slightly different note today, Lynn is talking about the stories of some extraordinary women she s read about recently. Two of these women are Nannette Streicher, piano maker and Beethoven s best friend, and Lidia Menapace, an Italian resistance member in WWII, and women s rights activist. Later in the show Pittsburgh City Paper s Ryan Deto will be checking in to give a local update.