E. A. Walter-Kühne is one of the outstanding Russian harpists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was active in performing and teaching, being a soloist at the Mariinsky Theater and a professor at St. Petersburg Conservatory. The professional biography of the St. Petersburg performer has not yet become the object of scientific research, as a result of which the significance of the activities of E. A. Walter-Kühne was obscured. This publication is for the first time devoted to the harpist's work in the pedagogy field. The archival documents presented in the article made it possible to study the system of selecting educational repertoire, requirements for performing skills, and methods of monitoring professional preparedness that Ekaterina Adolfovna used. Archival sources also helped establish that during her teaching career, E. A. Walter-Kühne was able to significantly expand her instrument repertoire, performing many arrangements of piano miniatures for the harp. Another innovation was the inclusion of pieces for solo harp in the range of works performed as part of the curriculum, as well as the first experience of class harp concerts held in the performer’s home. In this regard, the pedagogical activity of E. A. Walter-Kühne is of great importance, since the consequence of her work was a significant improvement in the conservatory educational process, as well as a significant increase of the professional level of students in the harp class of St. Petersburg Conservatory. As a result, a conclusion is made about the significant contribution of the performer to the development of domestic harp art.
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