Lydia Kunz Venth Explained

Lydia Kunz Venth (1858 – 23 May 1931)^[1] was an American composer^[2] and pianist.^[3]

Venth was born in Pennsylvania to John Jacob and Henrietta Schlatter Kunz. She was a largely self-taught pianist and composer^[4] who married violinist Carl Venth when she was 18 years old. They had a daughter named Elsa,^[5] and later divorced.

Lydia and Carl established the Venth Music School in Brooklyn in 1888. Lydia worked as an accompanist^{[6] [7]} and taught piano at the school and privately after she and Carl divorced.^[8] He remarried in 1899 and moved to Texas.^[9]

Lydia's compositions^[10] for piano and organ include:

• Air de Ballet ^[11]
• Barcarolle
• Brooklet ^[12]
• Chanson du Berçeau
• Evening
• Lilalith
• Mazurka^[13]
• Moments Musicale^[14]
• Pieviot
• Serenta
• Sonatina^[15]
• Spring Song

Notes and References

1. News: Venth. Lydia Kunz. 25 May 1931. Obituary. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 24 Mar 2021.
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: Stewart-Green, Miriam. Women Composers: A Checklist of Works for the Solo Voice. 1980. G.K. Hall. 978-0-8161-8498-9. en.
5. Web site: Venth. Lydia Kunz. 1931. ancestry.com. 24 Mar 2021.
6. Book: The Musical Yearbook of the United States. 1891. G.H. Wilson. en.
7. Book: The Citizen Almanac. 1893. Brooklyn Citizen.. en.
8. Book: Spillane, Daniel. History of the American Pianoforte: Its Technical Development, and the Trade. 1890. D. Spillane. en.
9. News: Venth. Carl. 30 Jan 1938. Obituary. New York Times. 24 Mar 2021.
10. Book: Musical Courier. 1903. en.
11. Book: Sutro, Florence Edith Clinton. Women in Music and Law. 1895. Author's Publishing Company. en.
12. Book: Laurence, Anya. Women of notes : 1,000 women composers born before 1900. 1978. R. Rosen Press. 0823904636. 1st. New York. 3844781.
13. Book: Ebel, Otto. Les femmes compositeurs de musique: dictionnaire biographique. 1910. P. Rosier. fr.
14. Book: Music for the Orchestrelle & Aeolian Grand. 1901. Aeolian Company. en.
15. Book: Cohen, Aaron I.. International encyclopedia of women composers. 1987. 0-9617485-2-4. Second edition, revised and enlarged. New York. 16714846.