Marguerite Volavy, also known as Madame Volavy (1886 - 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. ^{[2] [3]} She graduated first in her class in piano at the age of 15. ^[4] 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. ^[4] She performed in New York City, multiple times. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

In addition to her live performances, Volavy recorded piano rolls and talked with newspaper reporters about how the piano rolls were made and edited. ^[3] She recorded piano songs under the name Volavy and two pseudonyms (Felix Gerdts and George Kerr). ^[1] 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. ^[1] 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, ^[1] 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, ^[4] 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. ^[1]

References