Obituary: Teresa Harth / Violinist with several orchestras, including Pittsburgh Symphony
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During a given week, principal second violinist Teresa Harth might go toe-to-toe with a conductor in rehearsal of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. But after the weekend concerts, she would often serve them dessert.
"She was a marvelous entertainer and cook who would take off her violin hat and put on her chef hat," said her daughter, Laura Harth Rodriguez. "She had a recipe for chocolate tartuffe that conductors would request in advance." It is the sort of dual life that showed how Mrs. Harth "juggled career and family with aplomb and grace," as her daughter wrote, and how she was an elegant woman and a fiercely independent.
"She was a pioneer as a woman in orchestras," says Mrs. Rodriguez. "She had many male friends, at a time when women didn't hang out with guys. But she was a devoted wife to [Sidney Harth] and supported him. She married a chief and realized the importance of being a lieutenant."
Monday, Mrs. Harth died of complications from congestive heart failure in her home in Squirrel Hill. She was 82
"She was so vivacious and full of spirit," said Mr. Harth, famed conductor and violinist. "We played many concerts together all over the country."
"When she played with Sidney it was a wonderful blend," said PSO associate principal second violinist Louis Lev. "They played great together."
It didn't start out that way. When Mrs. Harth first met her future husband the two were constantly locked in battle in their native Cleveland.
"They've known each other since she was 8," said her daughter. "They were in competitions together." Born Teresa Testa, Mrs. Harth showed musical talent at an early age. Her father had lost his sight due to a factory accident and she helped to support the family from when she was 14. "She was one of the youngest women to ever join the union," says Mrs. Rodriguez.
The Harths finally got on the same team when they both enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the mid-1940s. The two began dating in her first year. "She was her high school class queen," said Mr. Harth. "She was a beauty."
She was Roman Catholic and he was raised Orthodox Jewish, but "love conquered all," said her daughter.
The young couple moved to New York City after graduating from CIM, but they decided to get married when Mr. Harth was already there and she was still at home. "They picked a midpoint and got married in Oneonta, New York." She later studied with Louis Persinger at the Juilliard School. The couple befriended cellist Pablo Casals and began a long run of regular appearances at his festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "Casals loved her playing," says Mr. Harth. "They played recitals and chamber music around the country, including at the Aspen Music Festival."
First Published February 25, 2010 10:37 am
