Viola Klaiss
A white woman with short dark hair, in profile, wearing a corsage
Viola Klaiss, from a 1927 publication
Born
Viola Frances Klaiss

August 31, 1891
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 5, 1978
West Palm Beach, Florida
Other namesViola Spotts
Occupation(s)Organist, pianist

Viola Frances Klaiss Spotts (August 31, 1891 – August 5, 1978) was an American organist. She was a theatre organist in Philadelphia, and made several recordings in the 1920s. She was also "leader of an all-female orchestra".[1]

Early life and education

Klaiss was born in Philadelphia, the daughter of Martin M. Klaiss[2] and Anna Blanche Rayford Klaiss. Her father was a piano tuner and musician from Germany, and her older brother William Klaiss was a theatre organist. She appeared in concerts from childhood with the Klaiss Family Orchestra.[3] She trained at the Leefson-Hille Conservatory in Philadelphia with Maurits Leefson, and with organists Ralph Kinder and Walter Baker.[4][5]

Career

Klaiss was a theatre organist in Philadelphia.[6][7] "Miss Klaiss has become a recognized attraction in the theatre," reported Musical Courier in 1927, "and she attributes her success not only to what and how she plays, but to how she attires herself as well."[8] She made several recordings for Victor in 1928, including recordings with singers Gene Austin and Nina Koshetz.[9] She wrote for professional journals,[10] and taught organ, piano, and music theory.[11][12] After the silent film era, Klaiss led an "all-girl orchestra", the Musigals.[13][14] She played at USO shows for the troops in Europe during and after World War II,[4][15] on radio programs,[16] and at hotels and clubs on the New Jersey shore.[17] She composed songs, including "After All These Years" (1940).[18]

Klaiss was the founding president of the Philadelphia Club of Women Organists in 1926.[19][20] In her later years, she was based in Florida, where she continued as a church organist[21][22] and gave recitals and concerts in the 1950s and 1960s.[4][23][24]

Personal life

Klaiss married singer Samuel Calvin Spotts in 1920. Her husband died in 1941,[25] and she died in 1978, at the age of 87, in West Palm Beach, Florida.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Deaths" Billboard (August 26, 1978): 107.
  2. ↑ "Concert Slated for Legion Home". The Palm Beach Post. 1953-04-12. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Klaiss Orchestra in Concert". Musical Courier. 88 (16): 64. April 17, 1924 – via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 3 "Miss Viola Klaiss Holds Organ Recital". The Palm Beach Post. 1960-12-20. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Distinction for Miss Klaiss". The Diapason. 18 (7): 6. June 1927 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ↑ "Viola Klaiss an Ambitious Organist". Musical Courier. 87 (25): 16. December 20, 1923.
  7. ↑ "Viola Klaiss Praised as Organist". Musical Courier. 94 (1): 8. January 6, 1927 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "Viola Klaiss Featured in Philadelphia". Musical Courier. 95 (6): 15. August 11, 1927 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ↑ "Viola Klaiss". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  10. ↑ "Praising the Other Fellow". Musical Courier. 87 (24): 63. December 13, 1923.
  11. ↑ "The Stars of the Show: Vi Egger" American Theatre Organ Society, 21st National Convention (July 16-21, 1976): 5.
  12. ↑ "Viola Klaiss Pupil Made Associate Organist". Musical Courier. 88 (10): 13. March 6, 1924 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ "All-Girl Orchestra at the Cafe Royal". Virginia Beach News. June 4, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved April 27, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ↑ "Hamilton Hotel (advertisement)". The Daily Journal. 1941-04-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Viola Klaiss". Press of Atlantic City. 1948-09-23. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Radio Features Today (listings)". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1940-07-05. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Mirth Maids & Melody is Holiday Show". The Oak Leaf. November 8, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved April 27, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  18. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries Musical compositions. University of California. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 1941. p. 135.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ↑ "Philadelphia Women Succeed with Club". The Diapason. 17 (9): 6. August 1926 – via Internet Archive.
  20. ↑ "Viola Klaiss Appointed President". Musical Courier. 92 (4): 6. January 28, 1926 – via Internet Archive.
  21. ↑ "Jupiter Churches". The Palm Beach Post. 1958-12-22. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Miss Klaiss Entertains at Concert". The Palm Beach Post. 1960-12-27. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "Klaiss Recital Slated Tonight". The Palm Beach Post. 1953-04-17. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Viola Klaiss to Perform in Concert". Fort Lauderdale News. 1961-03-18. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-04-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Samuel C. Spotts (death notice)". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1941-11-07. p. 43. Retrieved 2023-04-27 – via Newspapers.com.
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