Volkwein Brothers Explained

Volkwein Brothers, also known as Volkwein's Music, is a music business in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Was continuously run by the same family for three generations until the early 2020s when the family sold their shares to the DiIanni family.[1] It was opened in 1905 by immigrants from Germany, brothers Jacob C. Volkwein (1880-1984) and Rudolph G. Volkwein (1882-1954).

Rudolph and J. C. Volkwein worked for F. Bechtel before acquiring his sheet music and small goods businesses.[2] [3] Photographs of the storefront and center column were taken in 1915.[4] [5] In 1923 the store's window was taken up with a display for an oriental foxtrot called "Fate".[6]

Volkwein acquired Joseph Erskine Agnew's music business in 1939.[7]

Vollwein Brothers published James V. Colonna's "America Forever" march after Pearl Harbor was attacked.[8] In 1960, they published Gertrude Rohrer’s state song “Pennsylvania.”[9]

The University of Maryland has a collection of their band music.[10] The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has a box of Volkwein music books.[11]

The store sells sheet music, instruments,[12] and has offered lessons. One of its instructors was prominent pianist Charlotte Enty Catlin.[13] Billy Strayhorn was a customer[14] and took lessons from Catlin.

The Andy Warhol Museum took over the store's building.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Obituary: Carl W. Volkwein / Ran longtime family music store. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  2. Web site: Volkwein Bros Music Established in Pittsburgh PA 1905. July 30, 1905. 2. newspapers.com.
  3. Web site: PTM.. July 11, 1967. Piano Trade Publishing [etc.] June. Google Books.
  4. Web site: Volkwein Brothers Store Front | Historic Pittsburgh. historicpittsburgh.org.
  5. Web site: Volkwein Brothers Center Column | Historic Pittsburgh. historicpittsburgh.org.
  6. Web site: Music Trades. November 11, 1923. Music Trades Corporation. Google Books.
  7. From "Hawk-Eye March and Quick Step" to "Caprice Hongrois": Music Publishing in Iowa. Walker, Diane Parr. 1983. American Music. 1. 4. 42–62. JSTOR. 10.2307/3051779. 3051779.
  8. Book: Kittanning. Acerni. Diane. Armstrong County Historical. Society. November 2, 2009. Arcadia Publishing. 9781439622162. Google Books.
  9. Web site: Pittsburgh Sheet Music Collection . 2024-04-04 . Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh . en-US.
  10. Web site: Collection: Volkwein Bros. Band collection | Archival Collections. archives.lib.umd.edu.
  11. Web site: Pittsburgh Sheet Music Collection.
  12. Book: Margittai, Michele. Insiders' Guide® to Pittsburgh. July 17, 2008. Rowman & Littlefield. 9781461746867. Google Books.
  13. Book: Whitaker, Mark. Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance. January 30, 2018. Simon and Schuster. 9781501122439. Google Books.
  14. Book: Hajdu, David. Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn. June 28, 1996. Macmillan. 9780374194383. Google Books.
  15. Web site: STEEL CITY TO OFFER BIGGEST PICTURE OF WARHOL'S ART. Tom Hundley, Chicago. Tribune. chicagotribune.com.

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