Elder brother of pianist Paula Szalit.

Career summary

Born in Drohobycz, near Lemberg/Lwów, Heinrich is said to have given his younger sister Paula her early piano lessons. He took her when she was eight years old to Vienna, where she studied first with Robert Fischhof, then after April 1896 briefly with Schenker followed by Eugen d’Albert then Theodor Leschetizky. In 1902–1904, he – presumably Paula, too – was living at Vienna IX, Porzellangasse 54, his profession stated in the street directory as “pianist” (however, he apparently suffered from restricted eyesight and had to relinquish hopes of a performance career). His name does not appear in the directory after 1904, and it is likely that he returned to Drohobycz. Paula was appointed to the piano faculty of the Lemberg Conservatory as the head of the advanced piano class in September 1906. Three years after that, Heinrich was living in Drobobych, as stated in an entry in the Karlsbader Kurliste (Karlsbad [=Karlovy Vary, in Bohemia] Court List) for July 22, 1909:

Name and status: Mr. Heinrich Szalit, piano teacher, with wife Adele and son Emil | Usual residence: Drohobycz | Residence here: Amor, Morgenzeile.

The Lemberg/Lwów address book for 1916 lists him as “merchant” and his address as Fumańska 8. The Drohobych directory for 1927 lists him as “bank clerk” and gives his address as Romanovicza 9. The 1938 Drohobych directory gives his address is Św. [= street] Jana 12, which was his place of business as a dealer in pianos, which we know from advertisments such as:

HENRYK SZALIT Stock of high-quality grand and upright pianos, models of international companies BECHSTEIN, IBACH, KAPS, FÖRSTER, as well as the best local companies.
— Convenient repayment terms. —
DROHOBYCH, Jana Street 12, Tel. No. 192. Nothing is known of his death.

Heinrich Szalit and Schenker

In an early but undated calling card, Paula sent “best wishes from Heinrich,” suggesting that the two men were by then acquainted, perhaps from the time Paula studied with Schenker in 1896 and 1897. Schenker’s diary for April 11, 1915 records: Mr. Heinrich Schalit arrives at my place to inquire if I might perhaps have some access to Rothschild or Springer, or someone like that, who could come with money to the aid of his sister, who was tragically injured in an accident. He takes the opportunity to inform me that Mr. Kux, Mrs. Popper, and Mrs. Eissler together provide 110 Kronen per month.

No correspondence between the two men is known to survive.

Sources

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