Lubov Breit Keefer papers

Lubov Breit Keefer--musician, scholar, teacher, arts activist--was born in Nikolaev in southern Russia. She emigrated to the United States with her father and brothers when their town was destroyed during World War I. Her father was a distinguished mathematics professor at the Johns Hopkins University, one brother became a doctor and the other brother became a renowned physicist at Yale. Lubov had attended school in Russia and studied piano at the tsarist Petrograd Conservatory when Alexander Glazunov was director. She earned her Ph.D. in German at the Johns Hopkins University. Her dissertation on the origins of German Romanticism was written in German. She also read fluently in French, Italian, Polish, Norwegian, Danish, and Spanish. In addition, she received a diploma in music from the Peabody Conservatory.(1) Before leaving Russia, she attended performances by Sergey Prokofiev and Alexander Scriabin.(2) In the United States, Dr. Keefer was present at the first performance of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on February 11, 1916.

She taught Russian, music appreciation, and music history at Johns Hopkins University and, for 52 years, piano at the Peabody Preparatory. She said, “I didn’t develop any virtuosos, but a great many of my students became ardent fundraisers for the Peabody.” She also taught the first foreign language class to be offered at a Baltimore public school at Edmondson High School.(3)

Her social life was rich. She enjoyed parties and good conversation. She dressed exotically, often in beautiful evening gowns of her own creation. Her home on Tudor Arms Avenue was the scene of many parties where she entertained famous musicians. It was not unusual for her to share her love of Russian culture by speaking in languages other than English because “I find eet convenient.” As a patriotic citizen, she was also an air raid warden during World War II. One freezing night, the air raid sirens interrupted a Peabody concert. Lubov, dressed in her evening gown and party shoes, immediately ran outside into the cold night to fulfill her warden duties.(4) She especially enjoyed horseback riding in Druid Hill Park. Her only marriage ended in divorce in 1935.(5) She worked hard for low pay and managed to leave $100,00 to be divided between Peabody and Johns Hopkins University.

She was named Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women’s Club of Baltimore, which later became the Baltimore Symphony Associates (BSA).(6) As chair of the Associates Adult Education Committee, she founded the Baltimore Symphony Associates concert series at the Enoch Pratt Library. Although the concerts were free to the public, the musicians were paid at her request. The BSA established the Lubov Breit Keefer Award for Young Soloists scholarship in her honor and radio station WFBR dedicated its “Concert of the Classics” to her.(7)

A prolific writer, Dr. Keefer authored several books and numerous articles. Among her books were Gogol and Music, A History of Music in Baltimore—The Haven of the American Composer, and Music Angels, which was about 1000 years of patronage of music by women. Some of her articles, published in the Peabody Bulletin, were “Mussorgsky Letters” and “The Enigma of Bach.” Her writings about travels to Russia, Greece, and Paris were spicy and humorous.

Robert Pierce, director of the Peabody, said “She was a female Mencken with a Russian accent. She had the same love of Baltimore and its achievements. Everything she did was tinged with flair and a sense of humor. She set a standard of involvement and maintained it for so many years. She had a sharp, inquisitive mind, unbounded curiosity, which she always projected. You could never get her to talk about herself, but you could always get others to talk about themselves. She always brought out the best in everyone. Her love of life, culture and gaiety were infectious.”(8)

(1) Baltimore Sun, 12/16/1956

(2) Baltimore Sun, 12/16/1956

(3) Evening Sun of Baltimore, 12/20/1962

(4) Baltimore Sun, 12/23/1982

(5) The Messenger, 1/12/1983

(6) The Messenger, 6/28/1982

(7) Baltimore Sun, 12/23/1982; Woman of the Year Award, 10/31/1969

(8) News American, 10/5/1960