Lily Reiff-Sertorius

Lily Reiff-Sertorius was born on 21 June 1866 in Bamberg (Germany), as Lily Sertorius. Her musical talent emerged early, and during her school years she began serious piano training. Her formal musical education began in Munich, where she studied at the Music Academy from approximately 1882 onward. She continued her studies in Weimar and became one of the last pupils of Franz Liszt, studying with him for about a year after moving there in 1883. She later returned to Munich to work with Ludwig Thuille and subsequently continued her education in Zurich under Friedrich Hegar and Max Conrad.
From 1885 to 1888, she pursued a professional career as a concert pianist and appeared publicly before increasingly shifting her focus toward composition and musical patronage. In 1888, she married the chemist and university professor Eugen Bamberger. During this period, she composed under the name Lily Bamberger; works up to Opus 11 were published under that designation. After the end of this marriage, she settled more permanently in Zurich and, in 1891, married the industrialist and amateur cellist Hermann Reiff.
Together with Hermann Reiff, she became one of the central private patrons of musical life in Zurich during the first half of the twentieth century. Their villa on Mythenstrasse developed into an influential salon that Thomas Mann famously referred to as a “Genie-Hospiz” (“hospice for geniuses”), and he paid literary tribute to Lily Reiff-Sertorius in his novel "Doctor Faustus". Weekly gatherings and tea concerts created opportunities for established artists and emerging talents alike. Lily Reiff-Sertorius supported younger musicians financially and personally and hosted a remarkable circle of guests that included Richard Strauss, Adolf Busch, Bruno Walter, Stefi Geyer, Volkmar Andreae, Maria Stader, Else Lasker-Schüler, and Carl Zuckmayer. She and her husband also played an important role in establishing the first Swiss chamber orchestra through their support of Alexander Schaichet and collaborated closely with his wife, Irma Schaichet. During the difficult years surrounding National Socialism and the war, their house additionally served as a place of refuge and support for artists and intellectuals.
Alongside her activities as a patron, Reiff-Sertorius maintained a substantial output as a composer. Her catalogue spans vocal, chamber, orchestral, piano, and stage works. Her music was published chiefly by Hug & Co. and Otto Halbreiter; after about 1920, most compositions appeared under the name Lily Reiff or Lily Reiff-Sertorius.
Lily Reiff-Sertorius died on 8 May 1958 in Zurich (Switzerland).

I own two autograph manuscripts by Lily Reiff-Sertorius.
The first is the song "Sonnwendlied" for voice and piano, set to her own text. The manuscript is signed “Lily Bamberger.” The work was later published by Hohn in Zurich under the name Lily Reiff-Sertorius.
The second is a Walzer for piano, signed “Lily Reiff-Sertorius” and bearing a personal inscription to the pianist Elly Ney: “Einer ganz Großen von einer ganz Kleinen.”
In addition, I also own a copyist’s manuscript of the song Der dunkle Weg for voice and piano, which forms part of the song cycle Op. 10.