Gertrude Sans Souci (1873-1913) and her milieu Building a Musical Career i. Preface I. Gertie Sansouci 3 II. Berlin 22 III. Building a Career 33 IV. The Concert Organist 49 V. The Song Composer 70 VI. Tragedy 84 VII. List of Works 92 Robert Tallant Laudon Prof. Emeritus of Musicology University of Minnesota Home address 924 - 18th Ave. SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 e-mail 19J1ll()O()
[email protected],:tllllll,Q~1~! (612) 331-2710 2003 Gertrude Sans Souci Preface Not often do we get the opportunity to examme the musical career of a woman pianist-organist-song composer through a wealth of documents photographs, handwritten letters, account sheets, reports of the family, reviews, programs, lists of possible contacts, prices of lessons, contributions to local and national newspapers/journals, and records of local music societies. As a result, more information is provided in this essay and in the notes than would normally be the case. It is hoped that such detail may not only show the richness of a life, but inspire researchers to examine the careers of own talented women musicians. Music was moving westward. Harlow Gale of Minneapolis, Yankee transplant, wrote, "For 'On to the West with all that is best' peals up from the earth to the sky." In the story of Sans Souci's life, we have one building block in documenting the westward movement of the musical art from the east coast to communities that were not lazy backwaters but energetic centers. The story relates the gradual ascent of a woman musician from the stereotype of a "pretty miss" to an accepted independent artist.