May Aufderheide

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

May Aufderheide was born in 1888 and was an American ragtime composer. She is probably the best-known woman among ragtime composers. She had received a classical musical education and made a grand tour of Europe, but still chose to write ragtime. She belonged to the ragtime community of Indianapolis, which also included Paul Pratt, J. Russel Robinson, Will B. Morrison, Julia Lee Niebergall and Gladys Yelvington.

Music and breakthrough

Her first published rag, Dusty, appeared in 1908. Its success convinced her father, the financier John H. Aufderheide, to start a music publishing house, J. H. Aufderheide Music Publisher. She then composed and published Richmond Rag, The Thriller, Buzzer Rag, Blue Ribbon Rag, A Totally Different Rag and Novelty Rag, besides waltzes and songs such as I'll Pledge My Heart To You. A song version of A Totally Different Rag also appeared, with lyrics by Earle C. Jones. With others she wrote songs such as I Want A Patriotic Girl and I Want A Real Lovin' Man.

Influence

In 1908 she married the architect Thomas M. Kaufman and moved to Richmond, Indiana. Because of problems in the family she stopped publishing early. In 1947 the family left for California. Aufderheide died in 1972 in Pasadena. She was one of the first women to turn the rhythm of piano music into a composition of its own in ragtime, at a time when that genre was still mostly written by men.

Listening

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• After Hours: Session 1^NL Reader