Susi Jeans

Susi, Lady Jeans ( Susanne Hock; 25 January 1911 – 7 January 1993) was an Austrian-born professional organist, teacher and musicologist.

Personal life and education Born in Vienna, she was the oldest child of Oskar and Jekaterina Hock. She was of Jewish descent through her father. She trained as a ballet dancer by the modernist teacher Gertrud Bodenwieser but growing rather rapidly, switched to the piano.

From 1925 to 1931, she studied piano at the Vienna Conservatory, with organ as a second study. This became her first instrument from about 1928, when she began studies with the composer Franz Schmidt and the organist Franz Schütz. In 1931, she was heard by the organist and composer Charles-Marie Widor. After criticising her pedal technique, which he thought not legato enough, Widor invited her to become a student. She accepted his offer but did not report on his lessons' effects other than to say that he was a very old man at the time. Lady Jeans continued to live at the house until she died in 1993.

Susi Jeans' concert tours took her throughout Europe, the United States and Western Australia. She adjudicated major international competitions and from 1967 held a post at the University of Colorado. She championed informed performances and authentic restoration and use of harpsichords, clavichords and organs. Jeans approved of many modern composers from German-speaking countries including her teacher, Franz Schmidt and played works dedicated to her by such composers as Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter (Toccata Francese) and Hendrik Andriessen (Thema met Varieties, written at Cleveland Lodge). Jeans was a recreational player and public exponent of the clavichord. She performed early and contemporary works on her favourite clavichord, a single-strung instrument by Thomas Goff and maintained that "clavichord technique is the backbone of all keyboard playing, whether this be organ, piano or harpsichord." and it was itself restored and modified using National Lottery money. However the Royal School of Church Music relocated and concentrated its site on Sarum College and it was sold to property developers to raise further charitable funds.