Berta Markovna Kozel was a Soviet pianist and accompanist, born in 1907. She became known above all as a highly skilled collaborative pianist, working with prominent Soviet singers and instrumentalists. Among the artists she accompanied were Sergei Lemeshev, Zara Dolukhanova, Tamara Milashkina, Irina Maslennikova, and Yakov Kaplun.
Kozel studied in Odessa with B. M. Reingbald and later continued her training in Moscow with Heinrich Neuhaus. This education placed her within the major traditions of Soviet piano performance and prepared her for a distinguished career as a concertmaster and accompanist.
She is especially remembered for her partnership with Zara Dolukhanova. Together they gave the first public performances of works by Mikael Tariverdiev in the Tchaikovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. Contemporary commentary emphasized the exceptional level of her artistry: Aleksandr Yudin wrote that legends circulated about her mastery, and that reviews of Dolukhanova's concerts rarely failed to mention the pianist separately.
Although the profession of accompanist often remained in the shadow of more famous soloists, Kozel's contribution was substantial and widely respected by musicians and critics. Her name appeared on radio broadcasts and recordings alongside celebrated performers, even if she remained less known to the broader public than the singers she supported.
Kozel participated in numerous gramophone recordings, accompanying a broad vocal repertoire by composers such as Dargomyzhsky, Grieg, Glinka, Richard Strauss, Shaporin, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Liszt, Schubert, Mozart, Varlamov, and Gurilyov. These recordings document her central role in Russian and European art song performance and show the breadth of her collaborative work.
Her year of death is not specified in the source. Her ashes are kept in columbarium no. 21 of the New Donskoy Cemetery in Moscow.