Dai Buell

Dai Buell, from a 1922 publication.
Dai Buell, from a 1916 publication.

Dai Buell (died July 9, 1939) was an American pianist and teacher. In 1921 she gave one of the first piano concerts heard by radio audiences.

Early life

Dai Buell was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana[1] and raised in Logansport.[2][3] She studied piano in Boston under Carl Baermann (son of the composer) and Antoinette Szumowska, and had her professional debut in that city in 1916. New York and Chicago debuts followed early in 1917.[4]

Career

Dai Buell was a concert pianist active in Boston and New York City,[5] with tours abroad in the 1920s.[6][7] She also gave lectures and wrote about music, and taught piano.[8] "She is imaginative and possesses a well-developed technique, especially in florid passages," one early reviewer noted of Buell, adding "Her stage presence is altogether charming."[9] She played benefit concerts for charities, including a settlement house in Boston[10] and the Consumers' League of Massachusetts.[11]

In November 1921, at a radio studio in Massachusetts, Dai Buell gave a piano concert that was broadcast over radio, "the first piano recital by wireless that the world – or at least a goodly part of it – has ever heard," according to the Musical Courier.[12] A few weeks later she gave a performance with the young Braggiotti sisters dancing while she played.[13]

Her home in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, called "Aloha Bungalow", was custom built for her, with a soundproof music studio and a small art gallery.[14][7] In 1924 her performances of several pieces were captured on piano rolls, and can still be heard today.[15]

Personal life

Dai Buell married Navy man Audley Earl Greenidge during World War I, but their union was a secret until 1924.[16] She died in 1939.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Ginny Billings and Bob Billings, The Billings Rollography (Rock Soup 1990): 71.
  2. ↑ "Affairs and Folks: The Art and Personality of Dai Buell" National Magazine (May 1918): 266-267.
  3. ↑ "Former Local Girl to Establish Unique Record in Musical World" Logansport Pharos-Tribune (October 31, 1921): 3. via Newspapers.com
  4. ↑ "A Newcomer Among Our Pianists" Musical America (December 23, 1916): 23.
  5. ↑ "Dai Buell Lauded in New York Recital" Musical Courier (December 15, 1921): 53.
  6. ↑ "Miss Dai Buell Sails to Conquer Europe Saturday" Boston Daily Globe (April 4, 1923): 9.
  7. 1 2 "Dai Buell, Noted Pianist, Dead at Newton Centre" Daily Boston Globe (July 10, 1939): 11.
  8. ↑ "Recitalist Adds History to Music in Series of 'Pianotalks'" Christian Science Monitor (March 26, 1924): 5.
  9. ↑ "W. H. L. "Dai Buell Delights Audience in Newtonville, Mass." Musical America (April 28, 1917): 46.
  10. ↑ "Musicale by Miss Dai Buell Pleases" Boston Daily Globe (December 7, 1922): 13.
  11. ↑ "Benefit Concert at Symphony Hall" Daily Boston Globe (December 20, 1929): 33.
  12. ↑ "Dai Buell to Send Message" Musical Courier (October 27, 1921): 27.
  13. ↑ "Dai Buell and Braggiotti Sisters Charm" Musical Courier (December 8, 1921): 35.
  14. ↑ "Double Walls of Studio to Make 'Soundless Music Room'" Boston Post (January 9, 1921): 41. via Newspapers.com
  15. ↑ Listing of Scanned Piano Rolls, International Association of Mechanical Music Preservationists (IAMMP).
  16. ↑ "Dai Buell Secretly Wed" New York Times (October 27, 1924): 19.
  17. ↑ "Dai Buell, Pianist and Writer on Music; Had Given Concerts Here and Abroad; Succumbs in Boston" New York Times (July 10, 1939): 23.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.