Anthony John Stastny (June 3, 1885 – April 17, 1923) was an American composer and founder of one of the largest music publishing firms in North America during the 1920s — A. J. Stasny Music Co. Sometime after 1910, he modified the original

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

spelling of his surname to Stasny.

Biography

Anthony was the born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, to Frank Stastny (1857–1913) and Barbara Stastny (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Barbara Aneska Vlk; 1863–1945), both immigrants from

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. He had a brother, Frank W. Stastny, Jr. (1883–1936), and a sister, Mary M. Stastny (Mrs. Edward Frank Soika) (1882–1967). Anthony and his publishing company were originally located in Cleveland. In 1910, he relocated to New York City. He composed numerous popular songs and piano solo works. Stasny had also been the musical director for

Howard Thurston Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 – April 13, 1936) was a stage Magic (illusion), magician from Columbus, Ohio, United States. As a child, he ran away to join the circus, where his future partner Harry Kellar also performed. Thurston was deeply i ...

, magician. His wife — Betty (Bessie) Stasny (''

'' Fisher; died November 19, 1974), — had served as president of the publishing company after his death. Prior to marrying Anthony, she had been on the stage, playing with Eddy Foy,

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

, and

Nora Bayes Nora Bayes (born Rachel Eleonora "Dora" Goldberg; October 3, 1880March 19, 1928) was an American singer and vaudeville performer who was popular internationally between the 1900s and 1920s. She is credited with co-writing the song " Shine On, Har ...

. Anthony died in

Manhattan, New York Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, and was buried at

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

. Betty Stastny was interred at Fairview Cemetery

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York metro ...

Selected compositions

* ''Rose dreams'', song, founded on the melody of the famous Rose dreams reverie, poem by J.R. Shannon, music by A.J. Stasny (1916) * ''The Cactus and the Rose: a Western Idyl'', by A.J. Stastny & M.T. Bohannon, A.J. Stastny Music Co. (1918) * ''Dance Of The Moon Birds'', by A. J. Stanstny, A. J. Stastny Music Co., Cleveland (1911) * ''High Stepper March & Two Step'', arr. by A. L. Maresh (1907) * ''An Arabian Fantasy'' (1923) * ''Don't Waste Your Tears Over Me'', words and music by A.J. Stasny (1923)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stastny, Anthony J Music publishers (people) 1885 births 1923 deaths Musicians from Cleveland American people of Czech descent