Harriet Cohen
| Harriet Cohen | |
|---|---|
Harriet Cohen, 1920.
Photographer: Alexander Binder |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harriet Cohen |
| Born |
2 December 1895 London |
| Died | 13 November 1967 (aged 71) London |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Concert pianist |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1907–1960 |
Harriet Cohen CBE (2 December 1895 – 13 November 1967) was a British pianist.
Harriet Cohen was born in London and studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music under Tobias Matthay, having won the Ada Lewis scholarship at the age of 12 followed by the Sterndale Bennett Prize in 1913. She made her debut at a Chappell's Sunday concert at the Queen's Hall a year later. Her first major appearance was in 1920 when she appeared at the Wigmore Hall in a joint recital with the tenor John Coates.
She was sister to the singer Myra Verney and a distant cousin of the pianist Irene Scharrer.
She became particularly associated with contemporary British music, giving the world premiere of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Piano Concerto (which was written for her) and recording Edward Elgar's Piano Quintet with the Stratton Quartet under the composer's supervision. A number of composers wrote music specifically for her, including John Ireland, Béla Bartók, Ernest Bloch and E. J. Moeran, and particularly Sir Arnold Bax (Cohen's lover), who wrote most of his piano pieces for her. This includes the music for David Lean's 1948 film version of Oliver Twist. He also composed Concertino for Left Hand for her after she lost the use of her right hand in 1948.
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