CHAPIRO, Fania

Fania Chapiro was a Dutch pianist and composer, born on 10 June 1926 in Surabaya, Java, in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), and died on 6 December 1994 in Hilversum, the Netherlands. Her father, Naum (Nohoum) Chapiro, was a Russian-Jewish violin teacher, while her mother was Dutch. Chapiro displayed exceptional musical ability from childhood: she began piano lessons with Johan Madlener at the age of five and, at seven, publicly performed Mozart’s Coronation Concerto. Donemus
In 1934 the family moved to Paris, where Chapiro studied piano for five years with the distinguished pianist and pedagogue Lazare Lévy. She also studied music theory and solfège at the Conservatoire National de Paris, receiving a medal at the age of twelve. After the outbreak of the Second World War, the family remained in the Netherlands. Chapiro studied harmony and counterpoint with the Dutch composer Sem Dresden, who became an important influence on her development as a composer. Leo Smit Foundation
Because of her Jewish background and the restrictions imposed during the German occupation, Chapiro could no longer pursue a normal public performing career. She nevertheless continued to perform at clandestine house concerts and devoted increasing attention to composition. A number of her early works date from these years, including piano pieces, chamber works, and the Sonata for Piano and Cello of 1942. forbiddenmusicregained.org
After the war, Chapiro resumed her career as a concert pianist. She moved to the United States in 1948, where she studied composition and orchestration with Jerzy Fitelberg and made her New York debut in 1949. In 1953 she returned to the Netherlands. She was appointed a principal piano teacher at the Music Lyceum in Hilversum in 1956 and subsequently maintained an active career as a performer, teacher, and composer. Donemus
From the 1960s onward Chapiro also developed a strong interest in historical keyboard instruments and historically informed performance. During the 1970s and 1980s she gave concerts on both modern piano and fortepiano and presented thematic programmes, including concerts devoted to women composers. Her achievements as a pianist were officially recognized in 1981, when she was knighted for her services to music. Leo Smit Foundation
Chapiro composed primarily piano and chamber music. Important works include Vier Miniaturen for piano four hands (1955), the Second Sonata for Cello and Piano (1956), Sonatine pour le piano (1957–59), and Sonatina for Flute and Piano (1962). Her later music makes extensive use of chromaticism, while her keyboard writing reflects her own considerable virtuosity as a pianist. Many of her scores are preserved in the Netherlands Music Institute collections in The Hague, and Donemus currently lists more than fifty works by her.