More on Sophie Feuermann, Emanuel’s Sister

Marika Hughes, granddaughter of cellist Emanuel Feuermann, shares her personal experiences with pianist Sophie Feuermann, Emanuel Feuermann’s sister. Sophie’s longevity, living into her nineties, enabled Marika to know her well and left a lasting impression.

She described Sophie as a determined and complex woman who lived in New York’s Lincoln Towers and preferred walking everywhere, regardless of the weather. Sophie was deeply connected to her Jewish roots and had a distinctive perspective shaped by her upbringing in a ghetto. She married a Jewish doctor in New York and retained a frugal mindset, which often clashed with her sister-in-law Eva’s more affluent lifestyle. Family tensions from the time of Feuermann existed for years, including a fallout when Sophie was dismissed as Emanuel’s accompanist—blamed on family dynamics.