Valia Arenberg left Tiraspol, Moldova in order to study music at the Odessa Conservatory for a period
of time in the early 1920s. At some point she met Naum Tovbin, whom she
married in 1927. Valia and Naum first lived in Kharkov and Kiev.
Naum worked in Odessa from 1929 to 1934. Valia worked a little in a
savings bank as operator and also at the bonbon fabrique as a"worker",
wrapping up the bonbons. She was gay and witty and always had her
admirers. The family had many friends and they often met and danced and
listened to the disks of Vertinsky and Leschenko (these disks were not
sold officially in the USSR because the chansonniers were emigrants, but
people had their disks and loved them for their romantic style), and
also danced to the chansons of Leschenko. During these years there was
only the gramophone, so a person who could play piano was appreciated
and admired. Valia could play classical music, but may be not have been
very exact, playing "con brio" (Chopin, Skriabin). She also played and
sang the then popular songs and dances,
especially gypsy (or rather pseudo-gypsy, which was very popular in the
pre- and post-revolution period), such as Ziganochka, Troika, Dorogoi
dlinnoiu. To sum it all up, Valia was a "kindling woman", good-hearted,
and a good wife and friend. |
