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Marguerite Volavy

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Marguerite Volavy
A white woman with dark wavy hair, photographed in profile
Marguerite Volavy, from a 1922 publication
Born28 December 1886
Brno, Moravia
DiedJuly 30, 1951(1951-07-30) (aged 64) [1]
Valhalla, New York, U.S.
Other namesFelix Gerdts
George Kerr
OccupationPianist

Marguerite Volavy, also known as Madame Volavy (28 December 1886 – 30 July 1951), was a pianist known for her recordings of Czech music and composers.

Early life

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Volavy was born in Brno, Moravia, and studied at the Vienna Conservatory under Anton Door.[2][3] She graduated first in her class in piano at the age of 15.[4] In 1902 she began playing with the Prague Orchestra, and then in 1912 she moved to the United States where she played her first concert at Carnegie Hall in 1915.[4] She performed in New York City, multiple times.[5][6][7]

In addition to her live performances, Volavy recorded piano rolls and talked with newspaper reporters about how the piano rolls were made and edited.[3] She recorded piano songs under the name Volavy and two pseudonyms (Felix Gerdts and George Kerr).[1] Her piano rolls were recorded by the American Piano Company also known as Ampico.[8] On the piano rolls, the pieces she recorded included works by Robert Schumann[9][10] and Ludwig van Beethoven.[11]

Volavy's hand was damaged in an accident on the subway in New York City.[1] She received financial compensation for the injury[12] and she was unable to continue playing the piano. In 1926 she began working as a music editor with the American Piano Company,[1] where she was responsible for making sure recordings produced the musician's music correctly.[13] She also lectured about music,[14] and started teaching in 1932,[4] Some said she was known as Madame Volavy because she resembled a madam as might be found in a brothel,[15] while other publications noted "her proportions" were such that the name seemed appropriate.[16]

Volavy died in Valhalla, New York in 1951.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Kučinskas, Darius (2021-05-19). Ethnic Piano Rolls in the United States. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-1-5275-6987-4.
  2. ^ The Washington Post 1928-03-22: Iss 18907. 1928-03-22.
  3. ^ a b "What you'll hear at the Del-Mar". The Daily Sentinel-Tribune. 1923-03-12. pp. [1], [2], [3]. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  4. ^ a b c Jr, Miloslav Rechcigl (November 2, 2021). Notable Americans of Czechoslovak Ancestry in Arts and Letters and in Education. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781665540063 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Marguerite Volavy, Pianist, Heard". The New York Times. January 31, 1922.
  6. ^ H.t (1932-01-06). "Recital by Marguerite Volavy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  7. ^ "Marguerite Volavy, Pianist, Plays". The New York Times. 1917-01-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  8. ^ American Piano Co (1922). A Catalogue of Music for the Ampico: A List of the Recordings of Pianists Whose Art is Thus Preserved for Present Day Music Lovers and for Posterity : Together with Short Biographies of Many of the Composers and Artists and Notes on the Music. American Piano Company. pp. 172–180.
  9. ^ "Player-Piano Rolls". Music & Letters. 7 (2). 1926. ISSN 0027-4224. JSTOR 725878.
  10. ^ G., D. (1929). "Player-Piano Notes". The Musical Times. 70 (1034): 328. doi:10.2307/914559. ISSN 0027-4666. JSTOR 914559.
  11. ^ Grew, Sydney (1927). "Beethoven's Music in Player-Piano Music-Roll and Gramophone Record". Music & Letters. 8 (2): 290–294. doi:10.1093/ml/VIII.2.290. ISSN 0027-4224. JSTOR 726543.
  12. ^ Variety (March 1930). Media History Digital Library Media History Digital Library. New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. 1930.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. ^ "Marguerite Volavy To Give Recital Here". Scarsdale Inquirer. 12 October 1928. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  14. ^ "Marguerite Volavy Plans Music Lecture Recitals — HRVH Historical Newspapers". news.hrvh.org. Scarsdale Inquirer. 15 November 1935.
  15. ^ "Ampico Re-Enacting Piano - The Pianola Institute". www.pianola.org. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  16. ^ Brown, Vernon (1972). "A tribute to Margaret Volavy". AMICA Bulletin. 9 (9). Retrieved 2022-12-14.
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