# Augusta Cottlow

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**Augusta Cottlow** (April 2, 1878 — April 11, 1954) was an American pianist of the early 20th century, and a child musical prodigy in the 1880s.

## Early life

Augusta Cottlow was born and raised in [Shelbyville, Illinois](/source/Shelbyville,_Illinois), the daughter of Morris Cottlow and Selina Cottlow. Her mother was her first piano teacher. From the age of six years, she was recognized as a child musical prodigy;[1] she gave a series of concerts to raise money for her further study in Berlin and Vienna.[2] In Chicago, she studied piano with Carl Wolfsohn and composition with [Frederick Grant Gleason](/source/Frederick_Grant_Gleason). [Ferruccio Busoni](/source/Ferruccio_Busoni) was one of her mentors while in Europe. [3]

## Career

As an adult performer, Cottlow toured in the United States, while based in [Bronxville, New York](/source/Bronxville,_New_York).[4] "If one would characterize Miss Cottlow in a single phrase," proposed one critic, "he would say that she is positively an ascetic in her devotion to the beautiful piano tone."[5] She played at [Carnegie Hall](/source/Carnegie_Hall) in 1901, at a hospital benefit.[6] In 1912, she gave a recital at the [White House](/source/White_House) for President [William Howard Taft](/source/William_Howard_Taft). Augusta Cottlow rarely gave public performances after 1925, but continued performing privately, and taught piano.[7]

## Personal life

Augusta Cottlow married a fellow musician, Edgar Anspacher Gerst of California,[8] in 1912, in New York City.[9] They had a daughter, Selina Adelaide (1915–1916), while living in Germany.[10][11] Late in life, Augusta Cottlow corresponded with [Harry S Truman](/source/Harry_S_Truman), who had heard her perform three times in Kansas City as a young man.[7] She died in 1954, in [White Plains, New York](/source/White_Plains,_New_York), aged 76 years. A trunk marked with Cottlow's name is in the collection of the Ogle County Historical Society in [Oregon, Illinois](/source/Oregon,_Illinois).[12]

## References

1. ["Augusta Cottlow: Prodigy"](https://books.google.com/books?id=y-w6AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA12-PA24) *Musical Courier* (March 11, 1920): 24.

1. ["Augusta Cottlow; First a Child Wonder, Now a Queen of the Keyboard"](https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19031023.2.120) *Los Angeles Herald* (October 23, 1903): 7. via California Digital Newspapers Collection

1. ["Miss Augusta Cottlow"](https://books.google.com/books?id=XfEEAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA289) *Music: A Monthly Magazine* (January 1901): 289.

1. ["Augusta Cottlow To Tour Again After Holiday"](https://books.google.com/books?id=pjg_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA17) *Musical America* (January 1, 1921): 17.

1. ["Augusta Cottlow, Pianist"](https://books.google.com/books?id=y-w6AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA13-PA34) *Musical Courier* (March 18, 1920): 35.

1. Program, ["Benefit: St. Mark's Hospital"](https://www.carnegiehall.org/widgets/opas/concert.aspx?id=3712&pid=4294996644)[dead link] *Carnegie Hall* (November 30, 1901).

1. D. M. Giangreco, Kathryn Moore, [*Dear Harry–: Truman's Mailroom, 1945-1953: the Truman Administration Through Correspondence with "Everyday Americans"*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0Fuo7sslvOsC&pg=PA181) (Stackpole Books 1999): 181-182. ISBN 9780811704823

1. ["Augusta Cottlow's Husband an American"](https://books.google.com/books?id=7SIqQHZL2_wC&pg=RA4-PA38) *Musical Courier* (July 31, 1919): 38.

1. ["Society Meetings and Entertainments"](http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1912/06/15/page/10/article/society-meetings-entertainments) *Chicago Tribune* (June 15, 1912): 10.

1. ["Selina Adelaida Cottlow's First Christmas"](https://books.google.com/books?id=tuo6AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA7-PA49) *Musical Courier* (February 24, 1916): 49.

1. ["Augusta Cottlow's Loss; Infant Daughter of Noted Pianist Passes Away"](https://books.google.com/books?id=tuo6AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA25-PA5) *Musical Courier* (June 22, 1916): 5.

1. Otto Dick, [*Samples of History of Oregon, Ogle County, Illinois*](http://www.historyoregonoglecountyillinois.info/pdfs/part%2005.pdf)[dead link] 5(2016): 15.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Augusta Cottlow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Cottlow) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Cottlow?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.