Verdi Karns facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Verdi Karns
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Verdi Karns, from an 1899 publication.
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| Born | April 30, 1882 Bluffton, Indiana
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| Died | April 5, 1925 Phoenix, Arizona
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Verdi Karns Sturgis |
| Occupation | composer |
Verdi Karns was an American composer who wrote popular songs. She was born in 1882 and passed away in 1925. After she got married in 1908, she was also known as Verdi Karns Sturgis.
Contents
Early Life and Music
Growing Up in Indiana
Verdi Karns was born in Bluffton, Indiana, in 1882. Her parents were Lewis Henry Karns and Olive Covert Karns. She was named after a famous composer named Giuseppe Verdi. Her father worked as a marble cutter.
Sadly, Verdi's mother passed away in 1884 when Verdi was very young. After her father remarried and moved to Kansas, Verdi was raised by her aunt and uncle.
Learning Music
Verdi Karns finished high school at Bluffton High School in 1901. She loved music and went to a special music school in Indianapolis. There, she learned to play both the piano and the violin.
Her Music Career
Verdi Karns started writing and publishing her own music when she was still in high school! She created many popular tunes.
Popular Compositions
Some of the songs Verdi Karns wrote include:
- "Giuseppe March" (1898)
- "Kentucky Rag" (1898)
- "Bluffton Carnival Rag" (1899)
- "Ragamuffin" (1899)
- "Blufftonian Waltzes" (1900)
- "Yo' Got to Hab a License or Yo' Can't Get In" (1905), which had words written by Laverne Brown.
Her Music Today
Even today, people still enjoy Verdi Karns's music. A pianist named Nora Hulse has played Verdi's songs on several of her music CDs. These include Cake Walks, Two Steps and Rags by Women Composers (1999), Ragtime Refreshments (2002), and 60 Years of Ragtime Piano.
Personal Life
Family and Moving West
In 1908, Verdi Karns married her neighbor, a lawyer named Raymond R. Sturgis. They had a daughter named Olive Diana Sturgis, who was born in 1912.
Later, Verdi and Raymond moved to the American Southwest. They first lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then settled in Phoenix, Arizona. They moved for health reasons.
Verdi Karns Sturgis passed away in Phoenix in 1925. She was 42 years old.
