Marie Heritesová (March 23, 1881 – July 13, 1970), known as Madame Kohnova in the United States, was a Czech violinist and violin teacher.
Marie Heritesová | |
|---|---|
 Marie Heritesová with her violin. | |
| Born | Marie Antonie Heritesová March 23, 1881 |
| Died | July 13, 1970 Gulfport, Florida, United States |
| Nationality | Czech, American |
| Other names | M. Heritesova-Kohnova, Marie Herites-Khonova |
| Occupation | violinist |
Early life
editMarie Antonie Heritesová was born on 23 March 1881 at Vodňany č. 1, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, the daughter of writer and pharmacist František Herites.[1] She was baptized Catholic the next day.[2] As a girl she lived in Cleveland, Ohio with her family for a time, and studied violin there. On their return to Europe in 1894, she pursued further musical studies with Otakar Ševčík at the conservatory in Prague.[3][4]
Career
editHeritesová debuted as a concert violinist in the Rudolfinum in Prague, in 1902. She was invited to play at the Victor Hugo centenary observances in Paris, and at the festivities around the coronation of Edward VII in England.[5] She toured in Europe and accompanied singer Marie Gorlenko-Doline in Russia. She was a soloist with the Czech Philharmonic. In 1904, she traveled again to the United States, this time on a concert tour with pianist Jan Heřman. The duo played at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis during this tour. She made two gramophone recordings in Prague after 1909.[6]
In the United States again during World War I, this time as a widow with a daughter, she taught violin at Northwestern Conservatory of Music in Minneapolis,[7] and the Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas,[8] where she was head of the violin department.[9] She gave a recital at Coe College in Iowa during the 1916–1917 season.[10] In 1919 she appeared as M. Heritesova-Kohnova in a list of members of the Society for the Advancement of Slavic Study, an American organization.[11] Also in 1919, she supported a fellow Czech musician, singer Emmy Destinn, in a concert in Dallas.[12] A 1935 reviewer credited her performance with "deep insight and interpretive power."[13]
Personal life
editIn 1905, Marie Heritesová married Josef E. Kohn, an American industrialist; she used the married surname Kohnová. Kohn died in 1910, and Heritesová returned to her family in Prague and Vodňany with her young daughter, Marie (1906-2008).[14][15] She left as World War I began, fearful that their American citizenship would become hazardous in Central Europe. Her daughter married Frank Holecek in Chicago, the nephew of František Herites' friend, writer Josef Holeček.[16]
Kohnova died in Gulfport, Pinellas County, Florida in 1970, aged 89 years.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ "Městské muzeum a galerie Vodňany". Městské muzeum a galerie Vodňany (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ "DigiArchiv of SRA Trebon - ver. 20.06.17". digi.ceskearchivy.cz. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ^ "Marie Heritesova". Český svét (in Czech). 1: 265–266. February 1905.
- ^ "Madame Kohnova, Violinist, Was Student of Famous Sevcik". Johnson City Press. 1935-12-01. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "THE CORONATION BAZAAR". The Cardiff Times - Welsh Newspapers. 1902-07-19. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Gabriel Gössel, Filip Sir (2016). Recorded Sound in Czech Lands, 1900-1946. The Moravian Library. pp. 21–22.
- ^ "Thursday Musicale Gives Last Bi-Weekly Meeting". The Music News. 10: 40. April 26, 1918.
- ^ Kohnova, Marie (April 1922). "A Letter from Mme. Kohnova Regarding Her Work in Texas". The Musical Observer. 21: 25.
- ^ Martin, Juddie (February 8, 1930). "Voice-Violin Recital is Given". The Campus Chat. p. 1. Retrieved April 29, 2020 – via The Portal to Texas History.
- ^ Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Coe College: For the Year ... with Courses of Study. Coe College. 1913. p. 102.
- ^ Radosavljevich, Paul Rankov (1919). Who are the Slavs?: A Contribution to Race Psychology. R. G. Badger. pp. 67.
- ^ "Destinn Gives First Recital in Dallas". Musical America. 31: 22. November 29, 1919.
- ^ "Splendid Concert Given by madame Kohnova, Mrs. Burbage". Johnson City Chronicle. 1935-12-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cooper, Nedra (1929-10-18). "America is 'Fashion' in Europe, and Especially in Czecho-Slovakia, Says Denton Girl, Youngest Prague Graduate". Denton Record-Chronicle. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-04-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "OBITUARIES: Marie K. Holecek". Tampa Bay Times. October 8, 2008. Retrieved 2020-04-29.[dead link]
- ^ "Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920". FamilySearch. 1935.
- ^ "Florida Death Index, 1877-1998". FamilySearch. 1970.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida on July 15, 1970 · 27". Newspapers.com. 15 July 1970. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
External links
edit- Photographs of Maria Heritesová as a young woman with her violin, in the Langhans online archive.
- Marie Heritesová at Find a Grave
