Viola Klaiss Explained

Viola Klaiss
Other Names:Viola Spotts
Birth Name:Viola Frances Klaiss
Birth Date:August 31, 1891
Birth Place:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Death Date:August 5, 1978
Death Place:West Palm Beach, Florida
Occupation:Organist, pianist

Viola Frances Klaiss Spotts (August 31, 1891 – August 5, 1978) was an American organist. She was a theatre organist in Philadelphia, and made several recordings in the 1920s. She was also "leader of an all-female orchestra".[1]

Early life and education

Klaiss was born in Philadelphia, the daughter of Martin M. Klaiss[2] and Anna Blanche Rayford Klaiss. Her father was a piano tuner and musician from Germany, and her older brother William Klaiss was a theatre organist. She appeared in concerts from childhood with the Klaiss Family Orchestra.[3] She trained at the Leefson-Hille Conservatory in Philadelphia with, and with organists Ralph Kinder and Walter Baker.[4] [5]

Career

Klaiss was a theatre organist in Philadelphia.[6] [7] "Miss Klaiss has become a recognized attraction in the theatre," reported Musical Courier in 1927, "and she attributes her success not only to what and how she plays, but to how she attires herself as well."[8] She made several recordings for Victor in 1928, including recordings with singers Gene Austin and Nina Koshetz.[9] She wrote for professional journals,[10] and taught organ, piano, and music theory.[11] [12] After the silent film era, Klaiss led an "all-girl orchestra", the Musigals.[13] [14] She played at USO shows for the troops in Europe during and after World War II,[15] on radio programs,[16] and at hotels and clubs on the New Jersey shore.[17] She composed songs, including "After All These Years" (1940).[18]

Klaiss was the founding president of the Philadelphia Club of Women Organists in 1926.[19] [20] In her later years, she was based in Florida, where she continued as a church organist[21] [22] and gave recitals and concerts in the 1950s and 1960s.[23] [24]

Personal life

Klaiss married singer Samuel Calvin Spotts in 1920. Her husband died in 1941,[25] and she died in 1978, at the age of 87, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=QSQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Viola%20Klaiss&pg=PT135 "Deaths"
  2. News: 1953-04-12 . Concert Slated for Legion Home . 16 . The Palm Beach Post . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  3. April 17, 1924 . Klaiss Orchestra in Concert . Musical Courier . 88 . 16 . 64 . Internet Archive.
  4. News: 1960-12-20 . Miss Viola Klaiss Holds Organ Recital . 10 . The Palm Beach Post . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  5. June 1927 . Distinction for Miss Klaiss . The Diapason . 18 . 7 . 6 . Internet Archive.
  6. December 20, 1923 . Viola Klaiss an Ambitious Organist . Musical Courier . 87 . 25 . 16.
  7. January 6, 1927 . Viola Klaiss Praised as Organist . Musical Courier . 94 . 1 . 8 . Internet Archive.
  8. August 11, 1927 . Viola Klaiss Featured in Philadelphia . Musical Courier . 95 . 6 . 15 . Internet Archive.
  9. Web site: Viola Klaiss . 2023-04-27 . Discography of American Historical Recordings.
  10. December 13, 1923 . Praising the Other Fellow . Musical Courier . 87 . 24 . 63.
  11. http://www.markhermanproductions.com/uploads/7/3/6/6/7366751/atos_1976_philadelphia_pa.pdf "The Stars of the Show: Vi Egger"
  12. March 6, 1924 . Viola Klaiss Pupil Made Associate Organist . Musical Courier . 88 . 10 . 13 . Internet Archive.
  13. News: June 4, 1937 . All-Girl Orchestra at the Cafe Royal . 4 . Virginia Beach News . April 27, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  14. News: 1941-04-05 . Hamilton Hotel (advertisement) . 2 . The Daily Journal . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  15. News: 1948-09-23 . Viola Klaiss . 10 . Press of Atlantic City . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  16. News: 1940-07-05 . Radio Features Today (listings) . 7 . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  17. News: November 8, 1947 . Mirth Maids & Melody is Holiday Show . 1 . The Oak Leaf . April 27, 2023 . Internet Archive.
  18. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries Musical compositions . 1941 . Library of Congress, Copyright Office. . University of California . 135 . English.
  19. August 1926 . Philadelphia Women Succeed with Club . The Diapason . 17 . 9 . 6 . Internet Archive.
  20. January 28, 1926 . Viola Klaiss Appointed President . Musical Courier . 92 . 4 . 6 . Internet Archive.
  21. News: 1958-12-22 . Jupiter Churches . 9 . The Palm Beach Post . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  22. News: 1960-12-27 . Miss Klaiss Entertains at Concert . 17 . The Palm Beach Post . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  23. News: 1953-04-17 . Klaiss Recital Slated Tonight . 6 . The Palm Beach Post . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  24. News: 1961-03-18 . Viola Klaiss to Perform in Concert . 5 . Fort Lauderdale News . 2023-04-28 . Newspapers.com.
  25. News: 1941-11-07 . Samuel C. Spotts (death notice) . 43 . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 2023-04-27 . Newspapers.com.

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