BERG, Lily

Lily Berg was a Hungarian pianist, composer, and music teacher. Born in 1893, Lily Berg pursued her musical education at the prestigious Budapest Academy of Music between 1920 and 1925. During her time there, she had the privilege of studying under some of Hungary's most legendary musical figures, including Béla Bartók, Hans Koessler, and Leó Weiner. Berg performed extensively as a concert pianist throughout Hungary and frequently broadcasted recitals on international radio stations. She maintained a close artistic relationship with her former mentor, Béla Bartók. In 1933, she traveled to Paris to perform a full-evening concert dedicated entirely to Bartók’s work, with the composer himself introducing and presenting the performance. Aside from her concert career, Berg was a highly regarded music educator, teaching piano at the Fodor Music School in Budapest. In April 1941, her contributions to both performance and composition were recognized with an artistic prize. That same year, she published an article titled "Der sechzigjährige Béla Bartók" (The Sixty-Year-Old Béla Bartók) in the cultural journal Ungarn, celebrating her teacher's 60th birthday.