1. Elly Ney was a German romantic pianist who specialized in Beethoven, and was especially popular in Germany.
10 Facts About Elly Ney
1. 2.
Elly Ney was born in Dusseldorf, where her mother was a music instructor and her father was a registrar.
3.
Elly Ney's grandmother introduced her to the works of Beethoven, and supported her piano playing.
4.
Elly Ney studied at Cologne with Isidor Seiss and Karl Botcher.
5.
Elly Ney taught at the Cologne Conservatory for three years, then became a touring virtuoso.
6.
Elly Ney traveled to many parts of the world, including the USA, playing in Carnegie Hall in New York City.
7.
Elly Ney recited quotations from Hitler between performances of Beethoven sonatas and honored the composer's bust with a Hitler salute.
8.
Elly Ney held antisemitic views: in 1933, Ney refused to perform in Hamburg after she was asked to replace a Jewish pianist, although she did record at least one Mendelssohn Song without Words in 1960 or shortly afterward.
9.
In 1952 a request for lifting the ban was rejected, stating that Elly Ney was a "pronounced National Socialist".
10.
Elly Ney was married twice; first, in 1911, to the Dutch conductor Willem van Hoogstraten.