Over the years of working on my Gena Project, the number of
surprise moments has never ceased to amaze me.
People contact me whether former members of the Branscombe Choral, relatives
of Branscombe Choral members, a researcher who years ago interviewed her in
person, relatives of Miss Branscombe and more.
Always these moments take me by surprise since they open new doors of
understanding the past and enhance my connection to Gena Branscombe….always.
Two weeks ago I received an e-mail from Dr. Derek Strykowski, Associate Teaching Professor, Historical Musicology at the University of Buffalo. Dr. Strykowski is writing a book about Arthur P. Schmidt, his personal life and career in the music publishing business.
My blog postings extolling the publisher’s passion for promoting American women composers in a day when women were thought to be second class musicians caught Derek’s interest. Margaret Ruthven Lang, Clara Kathleen Rogers, Gena Branscombe, Amy Beach, Marion Bauer, and Mary Turner Salter, to name a few, were the women whose music was on music store shelves for sale. With a sale, they received royalties because Arthur P. Schmidt believed in women composers!
The music world is a small world of people connections. In my blog Derek read that I knew Arthur Schmidt’s great, great granddaughter, Linda Johnson. Would I please connect him with Linda? I was more than happy to make that connection.
Over a Zoom call, Derek and I discussed Gena Branscombe’s
relationship with Mr. Schmidt and her published works. I learned a great deal about Mr. Schmidt, his wife, daughter, his finances and
about Linda’s great, great grandmother who was not Mr. Schmidt’s wife. Oh, the family intrigue!
Linda was eager to meet Derek. A Zoom meeting was set - what a meeting it was. Information flowed between Derek and Linda who shared with one another documents, pictures, copies of postcards and their individual research. Each learned something new from the other.
Onward they will go unraveling the life of Arthur P. Schmidt, music publisher.
Derek’s book is to be published in 2027!
Research always brings new connections and opens doors to
expanding our individual learning curve.
#BringingBackBranscombe
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