"If I showed signs of wanting to be just an ordinary little girl, like wanting to cuddle my sisters' dolls or make a little noise or jump up and down and run with the neighbourhood kids, father would come down on me with his pail of ice-cold water: 'That's all baby stuff! You're not a baby. You're a musician. Stay away from those kids and their stupid games. It's all a waste of time! You've got to act like a grown-up young lady.'"
Ruth Slenczynska, last surviving pupil of Rachmaninov, dies aged 101