Way back in 13 July, 2017, there appeared a thing by myself responding
to that of another, titled "Unknown Composition on Welte Licensee Roll,"
and within the text of it, sub-titled as "A Mignon Mystery Not Really
A Mystery".  [See links below.  -- Robbie]

What with the subject's mysteriousness having been plumbed there (or,
perhaps not), was this following little temptation I'd left as dangling:

"As for the Palindrome Girl, Irene-Eneri, herself, Prokofieff and Rimsky
made known some opinionation as to her compositional prowess, and it was
not sterling."

For any of my fellow dedicated Mignonites sitting on the very edges of
their seats still, waiting to hear just what that might have been, here
it is with Prokofieff himself speaking and quoting:

    52.
    One day after orchestration class, Rimsky-Korsakov asked a student
of his, Shakhovskya, if it was true that she was giving lessons to a
young girl-composer named Irena Eneri.
    S. "Yes, it's quite true.  She is taking private lessons with me."
    R.-K. "Is she a talented girl?"
    S. "In my opinion, she is."
    R.-K. "And what about those variations on a theme by Rimsky-Korsakov
she has composed?"
    S. "I haven't heard of them.  But I'll try to find out and bring
them next time."
    R.-K. "Yes, do bring them."
    I had already heard of Irena Eneri as a very capable and nervous
girl of about ten who had written a lot of publications that were
immediately published.  Either some publisher was interested in her,
or her parents had money and were publishing the music at their own
expense.  "Eneri" was a pseudonym: her name in French, Irène, spelled
backwards.
    Shakhovskaya did in fact bring Eneri's variations on a theme by
Rimsky-Korsakov to the next class, but they were disappointing.
   "Uh-huh," Rimsky Korsakov said, tugging at his beard.  "She took
a theme from my harmony textbook.  Well, play it anyway."
    Shakovskaya played the piece but it was very naïve.

Now we know. (As extracted from Prokofieff's "Prokofiev by Prokofiev /
A Composer's Memoir / A unique recollection of youth and education in
Imperial Russia." - Doubleday & Company, 1979, pg. 191.  Included image
from book, sans coloration.)

Our ever-eagle-eyed editor, Mr. Rhodes, added much after what I'd done,
that served well to fill-in and -out, our ever-developing picture nicely
and, including too a picture per se, of a supposed by myself pianistical
Lolita.  (As well, after having seen various of other fine photos of
her, it was all I could do to resist having put it as "The Bad Seed"
but, I did and thus avoided enduring some likely ugly feedback, or 
worse, as coming from admiring, exception-taking dissenters.)

The second link there-provided proved illuminating, to put it leastwise.

Yes.  Irene-Eneri seems to have be really 'in-tight' with the Princely
House of Youssoupovs.  This family is said to have been the wealthiest
family in Russia after that of the Czar's!  Is it any wonder, then, that
her music just happened  to be published uniformly, as Prokofieff had
noted?

From the second link, as editorially provided with this writer's sincere
thanks, came this shocker:

   "His [Prince Chagodaev's] sister, the well known pianist Irina Eneri,
who was married to lieutenant Sukhotin of the Life Guards Infantry
(Rifle) Regiment, was a very good friend of princess Yusupov and spent
long days with her at her palace.  So Sukhotin became befriended with
prince Yusupov and took active part in the conspiracy against Rasputin.
I heard about all this from Chagodaev, as well as about all the details
on the day of the murder.  It is generally believed, and written by all,
that Purishkevich killed Rasputin.  In fact Rasputin was shot and killed
by Sukhotin. ...

    "Irina Eneri, pseudonym for Irina Goryainova-Chegodaeva (1897-1980),
performed in concert halls since she was twelve.  In 1909 she also
performed in Tolstoy's Yasnaya Polyana.  She and Sergej Sukhotin had
a daughter called Natasha.  However, one year later she left her husband
and moved to the west.  Nikolaj Gumilev mentions her in one of his
poems. . . ."

And so, by this we learn that our Welte-Mignon recordist was essentially
a princess and, that she was married to a co-assassin of mystic and
priest Rasputin, he along with Prince Felix Felixovich Youssoupov
(1887-1967) as written-of copiously by himself, post he and his family's
(and his riches) wise move to Paris, around the time of the "Glorious"
Russian Revolution of 1917.  (But, did the palaces W-M escape also?
This, naturally, would be 'the' question of them all.)

In addition, we can see also that the Welte catalogs that have her
as Irene-Eneri Gorainoff could have, I believe, made it "Goryainova"
instead but, it is easy to understand why they did not.

She lived until 1980, dying at age 83.  The Youssoupov family is still
well and with us.  A Les Youssoupov, even, has posted some film footage
on YouTube.  This will have to be reviewed.

My guess is that the last word on our Irene-Eneri, pianist and Mignon
recordist, is yet-to-be.  The stories, legends and lore of the Welte-
Mignon promise additions forever, so it would seem.  The exploring and
uncovering of these myriads, has only yet-begun.

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

 [ Irene-Eneri Gorainoff with Alexander Glazounov
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/19/01/26/190126_054901_ENERI,%20Irene,%20PC%20at%20piano%20w.%20Glazounov.jpg 

 [ Here are links to the discussion thread about "Unknown Composition
 [ on Welte Licensee Roll" and pianist Irene Eneri Gorainoff:
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201707/2017.07.08.05.html 
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201707/2017.07.10.07.html 
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201707/2017.07.10.08.html 
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201707/2017.07.11.03.html 
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201707/2017.07.13.07.html 
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/201707/2017.07.13.08.html 
 [ -- Robbie