Nikolai Medtner 1880-1951

Nicholai Karlovich Medtner was a respected composer at the turn of the century and to the time of his death in 1951. In the book 'Nicholas Medtner: His Life and Music' by Barrie Martin, he states 'Nicholas Medtner (1880-1951) has always been a neglected figure in the history of Russian music, and yet, his long time friend Sergei Rachmaninov considered Medtner 'the greatest of contemporary composers.' In Medtners Biography 'Nicholas Medtner: his Life and Music by Barrie Martyn, he stated, Medtner ' wrote three fine piano concertos, more than one hundred solo piano compositions, including a cycle of fourteen sonatas fully worthy to be set alongside those of Scriabin and Prokofiev, and many beautiful songs.  He was also a great pianist.  Leaving Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution, Medtner lived for a time in Germany and France before settling in London, where he passed the final sixteen years of his life.'

Nicholas Medtner was also a cousin of the artist, Stember.  There are several instances in Stembers diary where he mentions his cousins, Nicholas and Alexander.    The geneology is:

Nicholas' Grandparents were Peter Medtner and Maria Marian who had two children, Emily (Emilia portrait # 148)  who married Karl Shtemler (Stember) and are the parents of the artist, Victor Stember and Karl who married Alexandra Goedike and who had 5 children: Emily, Karl (who married Elena Bratensky) Alexander (who married Kira Terskaya) Sophie (who married ? Suburoff) and Nicholas (1874-1951) who married Anna Bratnsky.  So Victor Stember, the artist was the cousin of Nicholas Medtner, the composer.

This painting is sometimes referenced as being a self-portrait of the artist, Stember.  This is not true and is documented in the family album as a picture of Stembers cousin, Medtner. Stember also did an oil painting of Nicholas' older brother Emil (Emilii).  See painting # 21 on this site.