Karl Merz

A sketch of Karl Merz that was published on the front cover of The Musical Courier on February 5, 1890. Karl Merz (September 10, 1834 – January 30, 1890) was an American composer, author, editor, and arranger of German descent.

Biography Merz was born September 10, 1834, in Bensheim, near Frankfort-on-Main, Germany. . He received his early musical instruction from his father, a violinist and organist at the church in their hometown. But for the most part he is considered self-taught. By the age of eight or nine he was playing violin in a quartet club which met at the residence of Baron of Rodenstein. He is also known to have frequently played at "musical gatherings" at the castle of the baron of Rodenstein. At the age of eleven he had "assumed his father's duties as organist" at the church. After returning to the North, around September 1861 he became a professor of music at Oxford Female College in Oxford, Ohio.

He started his career as a musical writer in 1868 and made contributions to Brainard's Musical World. He became known for his "musical hints." As his popularity rose he was made assistant editor and in 1873 he became the sole editor.

During his career he wrote a vast number of musical pieces consisting of operettas, sacred pieces, choruses, songs, piano solos, waltzes, dances, and pieces in almost every vocal and instrumental form. Legacy After his death a group of music lovers contributed $2,000 to purchase his library of approximately 1,450 titles and they became a part of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Works

A partial list of his works from "A Handbook of American Music and Musicians: containing biographies of American musicians, and histories of the principal musical institutions, firms and societies" (1886):

Karl Merz' Piano Method: A Complete Course Of Instruction For The Pianoforte, Karl Merz S. Brainard's Sons, 1885 Music and culture : comprising a number of lectures and essays, Karl Merz, T. Presser, ©1890 Last will & testament; a comic operetta designed for amateurs, Karl Merz, Cincinnati, Church, 1877. Karl Merz' improved modern method for the parlor organ : containing complete elementary department, exercises in all keys, hints to the pupils and teachers. Voluntaries, preludes, popular airs, waltzes and beautiful songs. To which is added a complete course of thorough bass instruction, Karl Merz, Chicago, Ill., S. Brainard, ©1880 Catalogue of the Karl Merz Musical Library : held by the Academy of Science and Art, in trust for the Carnegie Free Library of Pittsburgh, Karl Merz Musical Library, Academy of Science and Art of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Press of Chas. F. Foster & Co., 1892.