Marguerite Volavy Explained


Other Names:	Felix Gerdts George Kerr
Birth Date:	28 December 1886
Birth Place:	Brno, Moravia
Death Place:	Valhalla, New York, U.S.
Occupation:	Pianist

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

Volavy was born in Brno, Moravia, and studied at the Vienna Conservatory under Anton Door.^[1] ^[2] She graduated first in her class in piano at the age of 15.^[3] 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. She performed in New York City, multiple times.^[4] ^[5] ^[6]

In addition to her live performances, Volavy recorded piano rolls and talked with newspaper reporters about how the piano rolls were made and edited. She recorded piano songs under the name Volavy and two pseudonyms (Felix Gerdts and George Kerr).^[7] 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. 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, 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, 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.

Notes and References

Book: The Washington Post 1928-03-22: Iss 18907 . 1928-03-22 . English.
News: 1923-03-12 . What you'll hear at the Del-Mar . https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114488972/what-youll-hear-at-the-del-mar/,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114489044/,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114489122/ . The Daily Sentinel-Tribune . 2022-12-12.
Book: Jr, Miloslav Rechcigl. Notable Americans of Czechoslovak Ancestry in Arts and Letters and in Education. November 2, 2021. AuthorHouse. 9781665540063. Google Books.
News: Marguerite Volavy, Pianist, Heard. The New York Times. January 31, 1922.
News: H.t . 1932-01-06 . Recital by Marguerite Volavy. . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-12-14 . 0362-4331.
News: 1917-01-19 . Marguerite Volavy, Pianist, Plays. . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-12-14 . 0362-4331.
Book: Kučinskas, Darius . Ethnic Piano Rolls in the United States . 2021-05-19 . Cambridge Scholars Publishing . 978-1-5275-6987-4 . 68–69 . en.
Book: American Piano Co . 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 . 1922 . American Piano Company . 172–180 . en.
1926 . Player-Piano Rolls . Music & Letters . 7 . 2 . 725878 . 0027-4224.
G. . D. . 1929 . Player-Piano Notes . The Musical Times . 70 . 1034 . 328 . 10.2307/914559 . 914559 . 0027-4666.
Grew . Sydney . 1927 . Beethoven's Music in Player-Piano Music-Roll and Gramophone Record . Music & Letters . 8 . 2 . 290–294 . 10.1093/ml/VIII.2.290 . 726543 . 0027-4224.
Book: Variety (March 1930) . 1930 . New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company . Media History Digital Library Media History Digital Library.
News: 12 October 1928 . Marguerite Volavy To Give Recital Here . Scarsdale Inquirer. 2022-12-14.
Web site: 15 November 1935 . Marguerite Volavy Plans Music Lecture Recitals — HRVH Historical Newspapers . news.hrvh.org . Scarsdale Inquirer.
Web site: Ampico Re-Enacting Piano - The Pianola Institute . 2022-12-14 . www.pianola.org.
Brown . Vernon . 1972 . A tribute to Margaret Volavy . en . 9 . 9 . 2022-12-14 . AMICA Bulletin.