Adolf von Henselt – renowned pianist, court musician to the Tsarina, resident of Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój

That moment when you find out that a renowned pianist once lived on the street you’re walking down. A friend of Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt. An inspiration to Rachmaninoff. And, of course, a court musician to the tsarina and a teacher to the tsar’s children, who split his time between St. Petersburg and Warmbrunn.

Today, we’re talking about Adolf von Henselt and Gartenstrasse in Warmbrunn, now ul. Juszczaka in Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój.

Portrait of Adolf von Henselt painted by August Grahl / Source: Wikipedia

Adolf von Henselt was born on May 9th, 1814, in Schwabach, Bavaria, at Penzendorfer Straße 13. He was the son of Philipp Eduard, a cotton manufacturer, and Karolina née Geigenmüller. At just three years old, he began learning the violin, started piano lessons at five, and gave his first public performance at the age of 14. Soon after, he received a scholarship from the King of Bavaria to continue his piano studies with Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

Birth certificate of Adolf Henselt and a contemporary view of the entrance to the building at Penzendorfer Straße 13 in Schwabach

At the age of 8, Henselt lost his mother, and by 16, his father had also passed away—these tragic events likely contributed to his later nervous breakdowns and severe stage fright, which troubled him throughout his life. In 1836, to improve his mental health, he visited the spa town of Karlsbad (now Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic) and then went to see his former teacher Hummel, who was living in Weimar. Concerned about Henselt’s condition, Hummel arranged for him to meet with court physician Vogel, whose wife, Rosalie Vogel (née Manger), Henselt married a year later.

In 1837, he settled in Breslau, now Wrocław, where he composed his famous etudes (op. 2 and op. 5). On October 24 of the same year, he married Rosalie, who was 10 years older than him, in Bad Salzbrunn (now Szczawno-Zdrój). Rosalie had left her husband and four children to be with him. The couple had one child together, Alexander, who was born in 1839.

Adolf von Henselt

A few months after the wedding, after recommendations from friends, the newlyweds traveled to St. Petersburg for Adolf’s first concert tour of Russia. On January 21, 1838, during the trip, Adolf performed a concert in Warsaw and, to commemorate the occasion, composed the piece “Souvenir de Varsovie” (Souvenir of Warsaw). His success in Russia was so immense that at the tsar’s request, he stayed in St. Petersburg and was appointed court pianist to the tsarina, Alexandra Fyodorovna. He also began teaching music to the tsar’s children. In 1861, Henselt and his family were granted Russian citizenship, and in 1876, he received a Russian noble title.

Henselt composed all of his works by the age of 30 and, at 33, withdrew entirely from public performances due to chronic stage fright. From then on, he only performed for close friends and acquaintances, and he devoted himself to teaching piano. His career in education reached its peak in 1888 when he was appointed professor of piano at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory.

Address book, Villa Henselt, 1882

In 1852, Henselt bought a palace in Gersdorf am Queis (now Gierałtów; the building no longer exists), where he hosted notable guests such as the fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen and the composer Richard Wagner. He spent every summer in Silesia and brought a silent keyboard with him on long trips so he could practice wherever he went.

In 1866, Adolf sold his property in Gierałtów and, in 1871, bought a villa in Bad Warmbrunn (now Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój), which became his summer home for the rest of his life. At Villa Henselt, he hosted intimate concerts for friends and close acquaintances. Bettina Walker mentions these gatherings in her memoirs, “My Musical Experiences”, published in 1892.

Historical view of Gartenstrasse in Bad Warmbrunn (now ul. Juszczaka in Jelenia Góra)

Their happiness was interrupted by the death of their son. On February 10, 1878, Alexander passed away from pneumonia in Samara, Russia. The news caused Rosalie to suffer a severe stroke, leaving her unable to speak, walk, or write. Thankfully, with Adolf’s devoted care, she was eventually able to recover.

Adolf died on October 10, 1889, at home, and was buried in a now-defunct cemetery near the Evangelical Church in Cieplice. Rosalie passed away four years later, on September 27, 1893, at the age of 89.

From left: a note from Gazeta Handlowa (October 19, 1889) announcing the death of Adolf von Henselt; death certificates of Adolf and Rosalie / Source: The State Archive in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch

According to the 1882 address book, Villa Henselt was located at Gartenstrasse 329, now Juszczaka Street. Unfortunately, the numbering has changed, and since there were no heirs, the Henselt name no longer appears in later address books. It is known that Villa Henselt was built in the 1870s. Based on comparisons of addresses and names in the address books, I consider buildings at the current addresses of Juszczaka 14 and 16 to be the most likely candidates. Building number 12, listed as number 330 in the 1882 address book, belonged to the Merker family, so number 14 could be the Henselt residence. However, stylistically, I would lean towards number 16 as the villa of such an artist.

From left: the building at ul. Juszczaka 14 and the building at ul. Juszczaka 16 / Photo by Marta Maćkowiak

What do you think? Perhaps someone will manage to discover which house was actually Villa Henselt?

From left: the Henselt monument in Schwabach, and the album cover by Piers Lane featuring Henselt’s etudes

Sources:

Archiwum Państwowe we Wrocławiu oddział w Jeleniej Górze (The State Archive in Wrocław, Jelenia Góra branch)
Wikipedia

Adolf von Henselt – renowned pianist, court musician to the Tsarina, resident of Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój

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