Since it is Carnival time, a kind of musical joke: a very tired pony...
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Boris Berlin (born in Kharkov, Russia, 27 May 1907 – died in Toronto on 24 March 2001) was a Canadian pianist, music educator, arranger, and composer of Russian birth (naturalized Canadian on 1931). He is primarily remembered for his work within the field of piano pedagogy, having published an extensive amount of material in that area and teaching a large number of notable pianists. His more than 20 books on the subject of piano pedagogy sold more than 4 million copies. In 2000 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada with the citation "Known as the teacher of teachers, he profoundly influenced musical instruction in our country. Having taught some of Canada's most illustrious musicians, he was known for his extensive contribution to pedagogical material and for his piano pieces for young performers."
Born in Kharkov, Russian Empire, Berlin began his professional musical education at the Sebastopol Conservatory. From 1923 to 1925 he attended the Conservatoire de Genève and then pursued further studies at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik where he was a pupil of Mark Hambourg and Leonid Kreutzer. He began his career in Europe performing as a concert pianist, mainly in Germany and Switzerland, but he soon concentrated on piano pedagogy. .
Berlin toured the Ontario region in chamber music concerts with a trio in 1925. In the same year, he took a position at the Hambourg Conservatory of Music in Toronto where he remained through 1927. In 1928 he joined the piano faculty at the Toronto Conservatory of Music (now The Royal Conservatory of Music) where he remained for several decades. At his position in the conservatory, he shifted focus to writing Canadian pedagogical works for music students and published his first collaboration with Ernest MacMillan in 1930. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1931. In 1970 he joined the faculty of the University of Toronto. He also served as examiner, lecturer, and festival adjudicator throughout his career.
The Royal Conservatory of Music named Berlin a "Heritage Teacher" in a ceremony on 6 April 1990. In 1992 he was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal and was made a Member of the Order of Ontario. In 2000 he became an Officer of the Order of Canada, but died in March 2001 in Toronto before the ceremony honouring him with this title was held.

The image before the music is from M. M., and we would like to thank him for his kind permission to reproduce his painting.

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