The Elusive Mr. Schmidt
The Elusive Arthur P. Schmidt Gena Branscombe's music publishers were numerous and among them was Arthur P. Schmidt of Boston, Massachusetts. In my January 2011 blog entry, I wrote the following paragraphs about him..... "German born Arthur Schmidt (1846-1921) was a trailblazer for American composers and in particular American women composers. In my mind and opinion he broke down barriers, sought out potential that could be developed into the brightest and best. He proved that the word composer had no gender bias to it….a composer is a composer whether man or woman! What I have found most interesting about Mr. Schmidt is the personal interest he took in his composers. At the Library of Congress in Washington , DC is the entirety of his business records. There are ledger books for sales of each composer’s works, royalties paid, copyright filings, renewals and expirations, inventory listings, files with each ...