Minnie "Maud" Powell (August 22, 1867 – January 8, 1920) was an American

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist who gained international acclaim for her skill and virtuosity.

Biography

Powell was born in Peru, Illinois. Her mother was Wilhelmina "Minnie" Bengelstraeter Powell, and her father was William Bramwell Powell. W.B. Powell wrote numerous books such as ''The Normal Course of Reading'' and served as superintendent of Peru Elementary School District 124 from 1862 to 1870. She was the niece of

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

hero and famed explorer of the Grand Canyon. He made his first scientific exploration of the Colorado River in 1869, when Maud was two years old. Around the age of 7, she began violin and piano lessons in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

, located in

Kane County, Illinois Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora. Kane County ...

, a western suburb of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She was soon recognized as a prodigy and at age 9 began four years of being taken to Chicago for piano study with Agnes Ingersoll and violin study with William Lewis. When she was 13, her parents sold the family home to raise funds to continue her musical education. With her father remaining behind in rented rooms, she traveled with her mother and younger brother William to Europe. There she studied under

Henry Schradieck Henry Schradieck (29 April 1846 – 25 May 1918) was a German violinist, music pedagogue and composer. He was one of the foremost violin teachers of his day. He wrote a series of etude books for the violin which are still in common use tod ...

at the

Leipzig Conservatoire The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...

, Charles Dancla at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

(after placing first in the entrance exam), and

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

at the

Berlin Hochschule Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituen ...

, among others. In 1885 she played Bruch's G minor concerto in her debut with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic (german: Berliner Philharmoniker, links=no, italic=no) is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. History The Berlin Philharmonic was fo ...

under Joachim's baton, and again with the New York Philharmonic under Theodore Thomas after she returned to the United States. She premiered violin concertos by

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

and Sibelius in the United States, and performed Dvořák's Violin Concerto on April 7, 1894, with the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

under the baton of

Anton Seidl Anton Seidl (7 May 185028 March 1898) was a famous Hungarian Wagner conductor, best known for his association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and the New York Philharmonic. Biography He was born in Pest, Austria-Hungary, where ...

in Carnegie Hall under the supervision of the composer. Powell was a powerful advocate for music by Americans, women, and black composers, including the British composer

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (15 August 18751 September 1912) was a British composer and conductor. Of mixed-race birth, Coleridge-Taylor achieved such success that he was referred to by white New York musicians as the "African Mahler" when ...

, from whom she commissioned a violin concerto. Powell was a committed champion of the

Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

Violin Concerto and played it into the repertoire.

Max Liebling Max Liebling (1845 – September 24, 1927) was a German-born American concert pianist, composer, conductor, and music educator. He was the patriarch of a prominent Jewish American musical family in New York City. Several of his children had succ ...

's ''Fantasia On Sousa Themes'' for violin and piano was dedicated to her. In January 1894, she was initiated honorably into musical women's fraternity

Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Chi Omega (, also known as Alpha Chi or A Chi O) is a national women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. As of 2018, there are 132 collegiate and 279 alumnae chapters represented across the United States, and the fraternity counts ...

. On October 31, 1916, she performed in

Ottawa, Illinois Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the navigable Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The Illinois River is a conduit for river barges and connects Lake Michigan at Chicago, to the Mississippi Ri ...

, on the occasion of the dedication of the Ottawa High School building. On November 27, 1919 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, she collapsed on stage of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. On January 8, 1920, she died after another heart attack in

Uniontown, Pennsylvania Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Greater Pittsburgh Region. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census, down from 12,422 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and ...

while on tour.

Legacy

Powell was the first American violinist to achieve international rank. She was among the first instrumentalists to make Red Seal records for the

Victor Talking Machine Company The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

, starting in 1904 until 1919. With these recordings she set an enduring standard for violin performance. In 1986, Powell's biographer Karen A. Shaffer founded the Maud Powell Society for Music and Education to further knowledge of Powell and her significant role in music both in the United States and abroad. In 1995, her home town of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

dedicated an 8-foot bronze statue of Powell, sculpted by Joseph Heyd. In 2007, American violinist

Rachel Barton Pine Rachel Barton Pine (born Rachel Elizabeth Barton, October 11, 1974) is an American violinist. She debuted with the Chicago Symphony at age 10, and was the first American and youngest ever gold medal winner of the International Johann Sebastian Ba ...

released a CD of music transcribed by, commissioned by or dedicated to Maud Powell. In 2009, Maud Powell Favorites, a 4-volume set of Powell's transcriptions and works commissioned by her or dedicated to her was published by the Maud Powell Society for Music and Education. The music was compiled by Karen A. Shaffer who wrote the extensive historical introduction and annotations while Rachel Barton Pine served as the music editor. Maud Powell was posthumously granted the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award on January 25, 2014, at the Recording Academy's 2014 Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception. The award was accepted on behalf of Powell by biographer Karen A. Shaffer and Rachel Barton Pine.

Recordings

*''American Virtuosa: Tribute to Maud Powell''. Rachel Barton Pine (violin), Matthew Hagle (piano).

Cedille Records Cedille Records () is the independent record label of the Chicago Classical Recording Foundation. History In 1989, James Ginsburg, the son of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, founded Cedille Records as a for-profit c ...

, 2006: CDR 90000 097 *''Powell, Maud: Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 (1904–1917)''. Naxos Records, 2001: 8.110961 *''Powell, Maud: Complete Recordings, Vol. 2 (1904–1917)''. Naxos Records, 2001: 8.110962 *''Powell, Maud: Complete Recordings, Vol. 3 (1904–1917)''. Naxos Records, 2001: 8.110963 *''Powell, Maud: Complete Recordings, Vol. 4 (1904–1917)''. Naxos Records, 2004: 8.110993

References

External links

Maud Powell biography

Maud Powell society

Musical Festival dedicated to Maud Powell

Maud Powell recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
Recordings of Maud Powell
on the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

Jukebox *
Maud Powell

Chicago Symphony Orchestra: 125 Moments
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Maud 1867 births 1920 deaths American classical violinists Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners People from Aurora, Illinois Pupils of Joseph Joachim Victor Records artists Women classical violinists 19th-century classical violinists 19th-century American musicians 19th-century American women musicians 20th-century classical violinists 20th-century American women musicians People from Peru, Illinois Classical musicians from Illinois 20th-century American violinists

Biography

Legacy

Recordings

See also

References

External links