Charlotte Dyer Enty Catlin (1903 – November 13, 1968) was an American pianist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who worked with Lena Horne. Among her piano students was jazz pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn.
Charlotte Enty Catlin | |
|---|---|
 Charlotte Enty Catlin, from a 1923 publication. | |
| Born | Charlotte Dyer Enty 1903 Pittsburgh |
| Died | November 13, 1968 |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, music educator |
Early life
editCharlotte Dyer Enty was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Clever "Frank" Enty and Mary Jane Little Enty. Her father was a contractor. Her mother played church organ. She completed an undergraduate degree in music education at Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1923,[1] and was one of the eight founding members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority's graduate chapter in Pittsburgh, in 1927.[2]
Career
editCatlin taught piano at Volkwein's Music Store in Pittsburgh,[3] served as music director at a dance school,[4] and frequently entertained at society parties where Catlin also encouraged Lena Horne to accompany her with her singing. [5][6] In 1924, she accompanied tenor Ruby Blakey at a music festival,[7] and soprano Florence Cole Talbert at the People's Tabernacle.[8] In 1925, she performed at an American Music Day event sponsored by the Outlook Alliance.[9] She was active in the Society for Music Study, a music club in Pittsburgh.[10] In 1934, she played music at a Bahá'i event in Pittsburgh.[11] One of her students was Billy Strayhorn.[12] She began accompanying Lena Horne in 1939.[13][14]
In 1942, Catlin retired from her music career and began working for the City Recreation Bureau.[15] She was director of the Ammon Recreation Center from 1950 until her death in 1968.[16][17]
Personal life
editIn 1931, Charlotte Enty married Charles William Catlin, a post office employee.[18] In mid-life, Catlin was known for her distinctive hairstyle—parted center, with two coils of braids covering her ears.[2] She died suddenly in November 1968, aged 65 years, in Pittsburgh.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ "The Horizon" The Crisis 26(August 1923): 178-179.
- ^ a b Whitaker, Mark (2018-01-30). Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance. Simon and Schuster. pp. 127–129. ISBN 978-1-5011-2243-9.
- ^ "Music Legacy". History of Westinghouse High School. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ Calvin, Floyd J. (1928-11-17). "Musical Director in German Dancing Master's School". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Whitaker, Mark (2019-01-29). Smoketown. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5011-2242-2.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Matron Feted in California". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1936-08-22. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tenor and Pianist in Recital". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1924-05-17. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brilliant Artists in Recital Tuesday Evening". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1924-08-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Enty-Deppe on Music Day Programme". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1925-03-14. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Popular Devotees of the Masters Among Members". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1933-12-16. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "B'hai Programs to Foster Universal Peace Movement Open Series on Sunday". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1934-05-19. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "About – Billy Strayhorn". 22 June 2017. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ Whitaker, Mark (2018-02-24). "Mysteries of Pittsburgh: Where Lena Horne and Billy Strayhorn's Chaste Musical Love Affair Began". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ Allison, John (Spring 2018). "A Terrific Look at the Sophisticated History of Black Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Quarterly. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- ^ Jule (1942-03-21). "Talk o' the Town". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Heimbuecher, Ruth (1968-07-18). "Ammon Center Director On Mark for Youth Olympiad Program". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 27. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cohen, Harold V. (1965-10-28). "Lena Horne Comes Back to What Once was Home". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Enty-Catlin Wedding is Charming". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1931-01-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Toki Shalk (1968-11-30). "Toki Types". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Catlin (death notice)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1968-11-15. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-08-22 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Charles "Teenie" Harris, "Portrait of Charlotte Enty Catlin" (1940s or 1950s), a photograph in the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
