May Frances Aufderheide Kaufman (May 21, 1888 – September 1, 1972) was an American composer of
ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
music.
She was probably the best known among female ragtime composers.
She received training in
art music
Art music (alternatively called classical music, cultivated music, serious music, and canonic music) is music considered to be of high culture, high phonoaesthetic value. It typically implies advanced structural and theoretical considerationsJa ...
and visited Europe on a
grand tour, yet decided to compose in ragtime.
May Aufderheide was a member of the
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
ragtime community that included Paul Pratt,
Cecil Duane Crabb,
J. Russel Robinson,
Will B. Morrison,
Julia Lee Niebergall, and
Gladys Yelvington. The popularity of her first published rag, "Dusty", convinced her father, Indianapolis loan broker John H. Aufderheide, to enter the music publishing business forming the firm J. H. Aufderheide Music Publisher.
Songs
She went on to compose and publish "Richmond Rag", "The Thriller", "Buzzer Rag," "Blue Ribbon Rag", "A Totally Different Rag," "Novelty Rag", and "Dusty Rag," plus a number of waltzes and other songs including "I'll Pledge My Heart To You," and a song version of "A Totally Different Rag" with lyrics by Earle C. Jones. Other songs include: "I Want A Patriotic Girl" with Bobby Jones, "I Want A Real Lovin' Man" with Paul Pratt, and "Dusty Rag" with
J. Will Callahan.
Marriage
She married Thomas M. Kaufman, son of architect
William S. Kaufman in 1908, the year her first rag was published and moved to
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond () is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana, United States. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,720. It is the principal c ...
where her husband was an architect in practice with his father.
She stopped publishing early due to family difficulties with an alcoholic husband and a troubled adopted child.
The family moved to California in 1947 where they lived in a home called "Rose Villa", designed by May's husband, on the grounds of the
Huntington Sheraton Hotel in Pasadena. Though she spent the last several years of her life using a wheelchair due to debilitating arthritis, she outlived her husband and daughter, dying in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
, aged 84. She is interred next to her husband in Mountain View Mausoleum in
Altadena, California
Altadena () is an unincorporated area, and census-designated place in the San Gabriel Valley and the Verdugos regions of Los Angeles County, California. Directly north of Pasadena, California, Pasadena, it is located approximately from Downtow ...
.
Gallery
File:The Buzzer Rag.jpg, Cover page for the sheet music of "The Buzzer Rag", 1909.
File:Blue Ribbon Rag 1.jpg, Cover page to the sheet music of "Blue Ribbon Rag", 1910.
See also
*
List of ragtime composers
A list of ragtime composers, including one or more famous or characteristic compositions.
Pre-1940
*Felix Arndt (1889–1918),"Desecration Rag" (1914), "Nola" (1916), "Operatic Nightmare" (1916)
*May Aufderheide (1888–1972), "Dusty Rag" (1908)
...
References
* ''Rags and Ragtime'' by Jasen and Tichenor, Dover, 1978.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aufderheide, May
1888 births
1972 deaths
American women composers
American composers
Musicians from Pasadena, California
Musicians from Indianapolis
Musicians from Richmond, Indiana
Ragtime composers
Songwriters from Indiana
Writers from Richmond, Indiana
Songwriters from California
20th-century American women musicians
20th-century American songwriters