Anita Socola Specht Explained

Anita Socola Specht (June 1871 - November 11, 1958) ^[1] was an American composer,^[2] pianist,^[3] and singer who was president of the Louisiana State Federation of Music Clubs^[4] and helped found the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.^[5]

Specht was born in Louisiana to Eliza Curien^[6] and Angelo Socola. She had five brothers who were actors.^[7] By 1889, Socola began lessons under the guidance of Marguerite Elie Samuel at the Southern Academic Institute at 216 Coliseum Street. This would have put her in touch with some of New Orleans' musical elite, including the Wehrmann family.^[8] Through Samuel, Socola had many opportunities to perform at venues and benefit concerts throughout New Orleans.^[9] She was only 13 when she made her debut at the Grunewald Opera House, where she met her future husband, conductor William Henry Bernard Specht.^[10] They married in 1906^[11] had one son.

Specht was fluent in French and Spanish. She studied music in New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City. Her teachers included Alexander Lambert, Herbert Rolling, Marguerite Samuel, and William Charles Ernest Seeboeck. She won the title “best amateur pianist in the United States” at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago,^[12] although some of the judges told her, “You are not an amateur, you are an artist!”

Specht helped found the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra (today the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1887, and was elected president of the Louisiana State Federation of Music Clubs in 1921.^[13] Her correspondence with her husband is archived in the William Russell Jazz Collection of the Historic New Orleans Collection. Her compositions include a Nocturne arranged for orchestra as well as several piano pieces. Before her death in 1958, Specht established the still-active Giunio Socola Memorial Award for excellence in public debate at the Jesuit High School of New Orleans.^[14]

Works

Nocturne. New Orleans: Grunewald Co., Ltd, 1895 [Dedicated to Louis Grunewald]^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Specht. Anita Socola. Ancestry® Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. 2022-01-18.
2. Book: Hixon, Donald L.. Women in music : an encyclopedic biobibliography. 1993. Scarecrow Press. Don A. Hennessee. 0-8108-2769-7. 2nd. Metuchen, N.J.. 28889156.
3. Book: Stern, Susan. Women composers : a handbook. 1978. Scarecrow Press. 0-8108-1138-3. Metuchen, N.J.. 3844725.
4. Book: The Musical Blue Book of America, ...: Recording in Concise Form the Activities of Leading Musicians and Those Actively and Prominently Identified with Music in Its Various Departments .... 1922. Musical Blue Book Corporation. en.
5. Book: Cohen, Aaron I.. International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. 1987. Books & Music (USA). 978-0-9617485-1-7. en.
6. Book: Mount, May W.. Some Notables of New Orleans: Biographical and Descriptive Sketches of the Artists of New Orleans, and Their Work. 1896. The Author. en.
7. Book: Zelenka, Karl. Komponierende Frauen: ihr Leben, ihre Werke. 1980. Ellenberg. 978-3-921369-77-7. de.
8. Book: Baron, John H. . Concert life in nineteenth-century New Orleans: a comprehensive reference . 2013 . Louisiana State Univ. Press . 978-0-8071-5082-5 . Baton Rouge.
9. Book: Baron, John H. . Concert life in nineteenth-century New Orleans: a comprehensive reference . 2013 . Louisiana State University Press . 978-0-8071-5082-5 . Baton Rouge.
10. Web site: The Historic New Orleans Collection The Historic New Orleans Collection. 2022-01-18. www.hnoc.org.
11. Book: American Biography: A New Cyclopedia. 1931. Pub. under the direction of the American historical society. en.
12. Book: Administration, Works Progress. New Orleans City Guide. 2011-08-15. Garrett County Press. 978-1-891053-40-5. en.
13. Book: Baron, John H.. Concert Life in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans: A Comprehensive Reference. 2013-12-09. LSU Press. 978-0-8071-5084-9. en.
14. Web site: Jaynotes Vol. 39 No. 2 Spring/Summer 2013 by Jesuit High School of New Orleans - Issuu. 2022-01-18. issuu.com. December 2013 . en.
15. LSU Libraries Special Collections. Index of Sheet Music in the LSU Libraries Special Collections. https://www.lib.lsu.edu/sites/all/files/sc/sg/sheet-music-index.pdf [accessed April 9, 2024]