From living in George St to fleeing occupied France, the remarkable story of an internationally esteemed Dunedin pianist can now be read in English for the first time.
Born in Dunedin in 1896, Vera Moore is considered one of the first New Zealand concert pianists to gain international recognition - moving overseas to study in London and later touring around Australasia, the United Kingdom and Europe until the outbreak of World War 2.
Thought to be the first and only literary work dedicated to the pianist, Christophe Baillat’s Vera Moore, Pianist, From Dunedin to Jouy-en-Josas was originally published in French in 2012.
When Vivienne Sands - Moore’s great-niece - first read the biography about two years ago, she said she was quite taken by the way the story flowed.
‘‘I told my family and friends about it and they said, ‘Oh, pity we can’t speak French or read French, but it would be nice to have it in English, wouldn’t it?’
‘‘So, I thought about it, and then after a while I decided to translate it for their benefit -which I did.’’
That translation was published last year by independent UK-based publishing house Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie.
Mrs Sands, also a music tutor and former Auckland secondary school teacher, said it was good people in Dunedin could now read about Moore’s life and her connections with France.
That was the main purpose of her translation and she expected people to be curious.
‘‘I think it’s quite important. It’s a part of New Zealand’s musical history that shouldn’t really be ignored.’’
Moore was staying at her country cottage in Chandon when the Germans invaded; she escaped with her young son and lived as a refugee in unoccupied France.
The biography detailed this escape, Moore’s later teaching career and also included accounts from some of her former pupils.
Mrs Sands said she had visited Jouy-en-Josas, where Moore lived from 1958 until her death in 1997, aged 101.
She was even shown around the small commune in Northern France by Baillat himself, the pair also visiting Moore’s grave together.
Baillat had ‘‘quite a lively style of writing’’ and she had tried replicate his momentum as best she could.
Moore was a ‘‘very important’’ figure in Dunedin history, Mrs Sands said.
‘‘I can’t think of any other musicians who have surpassed her in importance.’’
Copies of the book are available from the Dunedin City Library, Hocken Collections and the University Book Shop.
