# Jan Smeterlin

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{{Short description|Polish pianist}}
'''Jan Smeterlin''' (7 February 1892 in [Bielsko](/source/Bielsko), [Austro-Hungarian Empire](/source/Austro-Hungarian_Empire) – 18 January 1967 in [London](/source/London)<ref>''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'', Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schirmer Books, New York, 1984, page 2151.</ref>) was a Polish concert pianist. He is especially known as an interpreter of [Frédéric Chopin](/source/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin) and [Karol Szymanowski](/source/Karol_Szymanowski).<ref>[http://www.lib.umd.edu/ipam/collections/jan-smeterlin The International Piano Archives at The University of Maryland - Smeterlin collection], biographical description with collection, accessed 6 January 2015</ref><ref>''The New York Times'', obituary, "Jan Smeterlin, Pianist, 74, Dead," January 20, 1967, page 37</ref>

==Life==
Jan Smeterlin was born as Hans Schmetterling. His father was Dr. Julius Schmetterling, a lawyer and board member of the Jewish Religious Community in [Bielsko](/source/Bielsko) on behalf of the German assimilation party; his mother Amalia was also from the house also Schmetterling (they were first cousins). The Schmetterlings came to Bielsko from  [Grzymałów](/source/Hrymailiv) in Galicia. Under the name of Hans Schmetterling he gave concerts until 1923, when he appeared in the press as Jan Smeterling. From 1924, he used the name Jan Smeterlin.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Proszyk|first1=Jacek|title=Hans Schmetterling vel Jan Smeterlin - pianista|url=https://proszyk.blogspot.com/2018/03/hans-schmetterling-vel-jan-smeterlin.html|website=proszyk.blogspot.com|accessdate=13 March 2018}}</ref>

Smeterlin performed his first concert at age seven, but despite exhibiting talent in his youth, he was forced to study law. He won a scholarship to study with pianist [Leopold Godowsky](/source/Leopold_Godowsky) while studying in [Vienna](/source/Vienna). Godowsky was to be one of Smeterlin's most important teachers. Smeterlin made his professional debut in 1920.<ref>[The International Piano Archives](/source/International_Piano_Archives) at The University of Maryland, biographical description with collection</ref>

Smeterlin was a cooking enthusiast and authored a posthumously published book of recipes. In her book ''Chocolate is Forever'', [Maida Heatter](/source/Maida_Heatter) tells the story of how one of Smeterlin's recipes found a fan in the Queen Mother: "I originally got the recipe in 1962 from a food column by [Clementine Paddleford](/source/Clementine_Paddleford) in the [New York Herald Tribune](/source/New_York_Herald_Tribune). Jan Smeterlin, the eminent pianist, picked up the recipe on a concert tour in Austria. When the Queen Mother was invited to tea at the home of some friends of the Smeterlins', the hostess baked the cake according to the Smeterlin's recipe. The Queen Mother loved it and asked for the recipe. Then–as the story goes–she served it often at her royal parties."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heatter |first=Maida |title=Chocolate Is Forever, Classic Cakes, Cookies, Pastries, Pies, Puddings, Candies, Confections, and More |date=April 7, 2020 |publisher=[Little Brown and Company](/source/Little_Brown_and_Company) |isbn=9780316460163 |edition=e-book}}</ref>

In his later years, Smeterlin and Didi, his wife, lived in [New York City](/source/New_York_City). Shortly after the couple returned to London in 1967, Smeterlin died.<ref>The International Piano Archives at the University of Maryland, biographical description with collection.</ref>

==Szymanowski==
Over the course of his career, Smeterlin maintained a close relationship with [Polish](/source/Poland) composer [Karol Szymanowski](/source/Karol_Szymanowski), whose works he frequently performed. The two were both colleagues and friends, and Szymanowski dedicated of a volume of [mazurka](/source/mazurka)s to Smeterlin and later published the pair's letters to each other.<ref>"Correspondence and Essays," by Karol Szymanowski, Jan Smeterlin, B. M. Maciejewski, Felix Aprahamian, Allegro Press, 1969</ref>

==Recordings==
Smeterlin recorded more music of Chopin than of any other composer. Over his career, Smeterlin recorded for the [Philips](/source/Philips_Records), Mace, Allegro, [Polydor](/source/Polydor), and [RCA Victor](/source/RCA_Records) recording labels.<ref>The International Piano Archives at The University of Maryland, biographical description with collection</ref>

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smeterlin, Jan}}
Category:1892 births
Category:1967 deaths
Category:Polish male classical pianists
Category:People from Austrian Silesia
Category:20th-century Polish classical pianists
Category:20th-century Polish male musicians
Category:People from Bielsko
Category:Jews from Austria-Hungary
Category:Polish emigrants to the United States
Category:20th-century male pianists

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jan Smeterlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Smeterlin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Smeterlin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.