[ From the NY Times, subscription required ] I found a copy of this article sitting in the waiting area of my daughter’s piano teacher. It talks about the works of Carl Czerny, a student and later assistant to Beethoven. What was interesting was to see the musical family tree drawn along the side of the article. Apparently Mālia’s piano teacher comes from the same line as the author of this article. Here is the lineage:
Ludwig Van Beethoven
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Carl Czerny
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Theodor Leschetizky
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Arthur Schnabell
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Leonard Shure Sundling
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Glenn Jacobson
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Malia Donaghy
Geneaology is of great importance in the Hawaiian culture. Unlike western adoption, children who are given to other family members to raise (a practice known as hānai) still know who their biological parents are, and usually there is still contact. So while this musical geneaology many not be of much significance, it sure is interesting – her teacher’s teacher’s teacher’s teacher’s teacher was Beethoven himself! I’m glad that Glenn has let his students know this and made them aware of their place in this musical lineage so that they get a sense of their responsibility to perpetuate the tradition.
