Wilma Neruda

Wilhelmine Maria Franziska Neruda, also known as Wilma Norman-Neruda and Wilma, Lady Hallé, was a Moravian virtuoso violinist, chamber musician, and teacher. Life and career Born in Brno, Moravia, then part of the Austrian Empire, Neruda came from a musical family. Her great-great-grandfather was the noted Bohemian composer Johann Baptist Georg Neruda (1708–1780), and her father, Josef Neruda (1807–1875), was the organist of the cathedral of Brno. Her father taught her piano, yet she desired to play the violin. At the time, the violin was considered better suited for men, and therefore it was uncommon for women to study the violin. Apparently, Josef caught his daughter playing on her older brother's violin in secret and was so surprised at her natural ability that he allowed her to study violin instead. Neruda, like many other influential musicians of the 19th century, was a child prodigy. Several of her siblings, including Maria Neruda and Franz Xaver Neruda, were also child prodigies in their own right, and pursued professional musical careers in adulthood. During her career as a child prodigy, Neruda's birth year was reported in different years, between 1838 and 1840. Lying about the age of a child musician wasn't uncommon; the appearance of being younger made their talents seem more impressive.