STERNBERG, Constantin Ivanovitch Elder von, pianist, composer, educator and author: b. Saint Petersburg, Russia, 9 July 1852. He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory under Moscheles, Reinecke, Richter, Hauptmann and David in 1856-67; later under Kullak at the Berlin Academy of Music in 1872-74, also in Weimar and Rome under Liszt. Became conductor of operas in the Bruehl Theatre in Leipzig and assistant chorus master at the Mu nicipal Theatre there from 1867 to 1869. In 1870 he conducted opera in Wurnburg, Kissin gen and became conductor of the Court Theatre in Mecklenburg-Strelitz, 1873. Here intervened his study of the piano under Kullak and Liszt, and' from 1875 to 1878 he was director of the Academic Music School and pianist to the Court at Mecldenburg-Schwerin, which posi tions permitted him to fill a large number of engagements for concerts in all the large music centres of Germany. In the following year his concert tours extended over the most of continental Europe, Russia, Asia Minor and part of central Asia, also northern Egypt. At the end of this tour he was summoned to play for Emperor William I, who distinguished him so markedly as to spread his fame' across the ocean. He received and, after some hesitation due to his being engaged to marry, accepted an offer to play in the United States and Canada 100 concerts within five months. He was re engaged season after season until 1886 his wife's ill-health obliged him to locate in the South (Atlanta, Ga.), where he conducted ,a college
of music, which. however, did not prevent him from making several concert tours. His depart ure to Philadelphia (1890) called forth a public request to remain in Atlanta, which request, published in the Constitution (11 May 1890), was signed by the governor, the entire legis lature of Georgia, the mayor of Atlanta and 1-50 of the prominent women of the State and city. Coming to Philadelphia he acquired full citizenship of the United States and founded the Sternberg School of Music, which has de veloped many pianists and composers who have gained national reputation. Withdrawing grad ually from the concert stage he devoted his time to composition and has so far published over 300 pieces for the piano (many of which are in the concert programs of the present pianistic celebrities), a number of works for chamber music, which have had many public performances in Petrograd, Paris, Leipzig, Ber lin and London, also several choral worls and songs, amounting up to the present writing to 116 in opus numbers, many of these contain from 3 to 10 separate pieces. Sternberg is an accomplished linguist, the author of 'Ethics and Esthetics of Piano Playing' and a frequent contributor of essays to musical and other periodicals.