Florence Austin
Florence Austin | |
|---|---|
 Austin from a 1908 publication | |
| Background information | |
| Born | March 11, 1884 Galesburg, Michigan |
| Died | September 1, 1927 (aged 43) Fairchild, Wisconsin |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Concert performer, violin teacher |
| Instrument | Violin |
Florence Austin (March 11, 1884 – September 1, 1927) was an American violinist.
Early life and education
[edit]Austin was born in Galesburg, Michigan,[1] the daughter of Edward Eldee Austin and Ella J. Austin. Her father was a surgeon and medical school professor; her sister Marion became an organist and composer under the name M. Austin Dunn.[2]
Austin began studying the violin in Minneapolis at age seven, and went to New York at age 14.[3] There, she studied for several years under Henry Schradieck (1846–1918) and Camilla Urso (1840–1902).[3] She concluded her musical studies under Ovide Musin (1854–1929), with whom she went abroad to enter the Royal Conservatory at Liège (Belgium), under his instruction.[3] The following year she received the first prize in the violin contest with the largest number of competitors in the history of that institute.[3] She received the medal from Eugène Ysaÿe, who was one of the judges.[4]
Career
[edit]After her graduation from the Liège Conservatory, she made a successful European debut, followed by performances throughout the United States, including as a member of the Women's String Quartet.[5] She made a coast-to-coast tour in 1910 and 1911.[3] In 1914, she played to acclaim at the Maine Music Festival; later in 1914, she gave a recital at New York's Aeolian Hall.[6] She made another Western tour for the 1916-1917 concert season.[7] In 1920, she toured in a trio with a soprano and a pianist, sponsored by the National Society for Broader Education.[8][9] Her sister sometimes accompanied her on piano. In 1922, after the sisters performed together in Minneapolis, a reviewer noted Florence Austin's "large and beautiful tone, artistic phrasing, and ample technic".[10]
She was selected by Ovide Musin to serve at the head of the violin department of the “Musin Virtuoso School” of Newark.[3] Her students gave a recital at Aeolian Hall in 1908.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Austin died in 1927 in a railroad accident in Fairchild, Wisconsin, aged 43 years.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Baker, Theodore; Remy, Alfred (1919). Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. G. Schirmer. p. 35. OCLC 19940414.
- ^ "Dr. Edward Eldee Austin". Musical Courier. 87: 17. August 23, 1923.
- ^ a b c d e f Hanaford, Harry Prescott; Hines, Dixie (1914). Who's who in Music and Drama: An Encyclopedia of Biography of Notable Men and Women in Music and the Drama. H.P. Hanaford. p. 29.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Florence Austin, Violinist". Musical Courier. 56: 32. January 29, 1908.
- ^ "Late Greater New York News". Musical Courier. 56: 26. January 8, 1908.
- ^ "Florence Austin's Maine Success". Musical Courier. 69: 36. October 28, 1914.
- ^ "Florence Austin". The Violinist. 20: 384. September 1916.
- ^ "Florence Austin and Concert Party on Successful Tour". Musical America. 31: 36. March 20, 1920.
- ^ "Florence Austin in West". Musical America. 31: 17. April 24, 1920.
- ^ "The Thursday Musicale Presents Artists". Musical Courier. 85: 46. December 7, 1922.
- ^ "Florence Austin Students' Recital". Musical Courier. 56: 27. May 27, 1908.
- ^ "Austin, Florence" in Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, Eighth Edition, revised by Nicolas Slonimsky (New York: Schirmer Books, 1992), p. 67.
External links
[edit]- Beth Abelson Macleod, Women Performing Music: The Emergence of American Women as Classical Instrumentalists and Conductors (McFarland 2000).