Monica Witni Explained

Monica Witni Cassin (Bowden; July 5, 1918 – September 7, 1982) was an American composer, pianist, playwright, and double bass player.^[1] She published music under the names Monica Witni, Monica Witni Cassin, and under the pseudonym Mirriam Bowden Henningfeld.^[2]

Witni was born in Fairfax, Minnesota. She began piano lessons at age six and studied with Jose Eschniz. She received scholarships to play double bass at Southern Illinois University and Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Witni taught briefly and played double bass in a jazz trio and with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. She married James Cassin in 1953.^[3]

Witni died in Pomona, New York on September 7, 1982, at the age of 64.^[4]

Her compositions include:^[5]

Ballet

• Zarea and the Purple Rainbow (1968)

Chamber

• Dimensions in Rhythm (viola)
• March, Fantasia, and Fugue (organ)
• Modal Etude (viola; 1948)
• String Quartet in e minor (1969)
• Summer Holiday (viola)
• Sweet One (viola)
• Twilight Serenade (viola)

Electronic

• Tapestry (English horn, harp, celeste, vibraphone, and double bass)

Musical theatre

• Wizard (1964)

Opera

• Children of the Sun (three acts; 1975)
• Dark of Summer (one act; 1967)
• El Pope (one act; 1950)

Orchestra

• Organ Concerto in c minor (1948)
• Piano Concerto in f minor
• Rhapsody Petite (oboe and string orchestra)^[6]
• Symphony #1 (1947)
• Symphony #2 (1956)
• Symphony #5^[7]
• Tambores Subsurrantes
• Viola Concerto in c minor^[8]

Play

• Black Camellia^[9]
• One of Us is Missing^[10]

Song

• "I've Got to Face the Future" (with Jack Gould)^[11]

Notes and References

1. Book: Stern, Susan. Women Composers : A Handbook. 1978. Scarecrow Press. 0-8108-1138-3. Metuchen, New Jersey. 3844725.
2. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [C] Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series ]. 1946 . en.
3. Web site: Cassin. Monica Witni. ancestry.com.
4. News: Obituaries . 21 April 2023 . The Journal News . 8 September 1982 . White Plains, New York . 14.
5. Book: Cohen, Aaron I.. International encyclopedia of women composers. 1987. 0-9617485-2-4. Second edition, revised and enlarged. New York. 16714846.
6. Book: Office, Library of Congress Copyright. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1975. en.
7. Book: Foundation, Fromm Music. Music of the Last Forty Years Not Yet Established in the Repertoire: A Survey. 1975. Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard. en.
8. Book: Office, Library of Congress Copyright. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1960. en.
9. Book: Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery. 1953. U.S. Government Printing Office. en.
10. Book: Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery. 1977. U.S. Government Printing Office. en.
11. Web site: Full text of "Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953 Unpublished Music Jan–Dec 3D Ser Vol 7 Pt 5B". 2020-07-14. archive.org. en.