Cecil Cowles facts for kids
Cecil Marion Cowles (born around 1893 – died 1968) was an amazing American musician. She was a talented pianist, a creative composer, and even an actress! From a very young age, Cecil showed incredible musical talent. She was known as a child prodigy, meaning she had special skills far beyond her age. She played the piano beautifully and wrote her own music. In 1911, she started her professional career in a musical show.
Early Life and Musical Talent
Cecil Cowles was truly special. She was called a child prodigy because of her amazing musical gifts. When she was only 8 years old, she played her first big piano concert. Her mother was also a famous musician. Her father could play any song just by hearing it. Cecil had this same special ability from a very young age.
She went to music schools to learn even more. She studied at the Von Einde School in New York. Later, she attended the Von Meyernick School in California. Her piano teachers were Hugo Mansfeldt and Sigismund Stojowski. For composing music, she learned from Carl Deis.
Cecil's Amazing Music Career
On February 8, 1907, a newspaper writer named Thomas Nunan wrote about Cecil. He worked for The San Francisco Examiner. He said Cecil was not just a prodigy, but a true genius. At that time, Cecil was only 14 years old. She had already written 24 musical pieces! These included parts of an opera and a ragtime song.
The night before the newspaper article came out, Cecil played piano at Lyric Hall. The hall was completely full of people. After her concert, many people stayed for a special reception. This gathering lasted for over 30 minutes!
On November 22, 1910, Cecil played her own songs at a concert. This event was at the Century Club Music Hall. The San Francisco Call newspaper called it "one of the memorable music affairs of the season." A famous singer, Helen Colburn Heath, sang Cecil's songs at the concert.
Cecil made her first professional appearance on August 20, 1911. She acted as a duchess in a musical called The Rich Mr. Guggenhelmer. In the show, she even sang one of her own songs!
A True Musical Genius
Cecil Cowles is even mentioned in a book. It's called Fifty local prodigies, 1906–1940. This book features talented young people from San Francisco. Thomas Nunan, the reporter, wrote more about her. He said, "Prodigies are numerous; they are found everywhere. But Cecil Cowles is a genius." He also wrote in November 1910 that Cecil was a genius at 17 years old.
People asked Nunan to compare Cecil to another famous composer, Liza Lehmann. Nunan thought that Cecil was a much better piano player. However, he also said that Liza Lehmann knew more about music theory. He believed Cecil needed more training in the "grammar of music" to be even better.
