J. Louis von der Mehden Papers

J. Louis von der Mehden, Jr. was born 20 July 1873 in San Francisco, California. He entered the Royal Conservatory at Leipzig, Germany, on 21 April 1892 and graduated in 1894, having studied music theory and composition, piano and cello. He had no formal high school education, and in 1915 began a high school equivalency correspondence course through the University of Chicago, which he completed in 1922. In June 1922, Oskaloosa College in Iowa conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Music Degree. He began studying music composition and history at Yale University in October 1922 and received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1924. In November 1923, he began correspondence courses at the Chicago School of Law and earned his law degree in 1927.

J. Louis von der Mehden married Susan Evelyn Bates (1874-1955) 26 March 1899 in Palo Alto, California. Susan graduated from the San José State Normal School. In later years she gave French and music lessons and also tried to publish children's verse. In 1908, Louis composed several series of Musical Pictures for the Young, piano pieces that were preceded by one of Susan's poems, and in 1909 they worked together in the creation of several sets of children's verses called Little Bagatelles.

Before the 1906 earthquake, the von der Mehdens lived in San Francisco, where Louis led band concerts at the Presidio. He was first cellist in a San Francisco orchestra for eight years, under the direction of Fritz Scheel and one year under the direction of Henry Holmes. After the earthquake, the von der Mehdens moved to New York City. Louis was steadily employed as a cellist or conductor with theatrical or commercial bands. Every year, from 1907 through 1912, von der Mehden conducted a small orchestra during business hours between Thanksgiving and Christmas at Hearn's Department Store. For several years, he played cello in Ahren's People's Symphony, a series of low- admission educational musical programs given in Carnegie Hall. In November 1908, he went to Cleveland on a one week tour with the Russian Symphony Orchestra.

Von der Mehden's early compositions were published by Carl Fischer, Inc. of New York. Several of his compositions were reviewed in the February and April 1909 issues of Musical Observer. In addition to composing, von der Mehden arranged and orchestrated music of other composers, which was also published by Fisher. Arranging and orchestrating constituted the major part of his work at Fisher after 1910, although several of his own pieces were published that year. In 1911, he began arranging and orchestrating music for the New York office of the Italian publishing house, Ricordi.

On 8 November 1910, von der Mehden was elected musical director of the Herald Square Theater, where he was conducting operettas. He had several labor disputes during his experience as operetta conductor and a quarrel with the manager of the Theater on 26 May 1911 prompted him to give up his position and move with his orchestra to the Winter Garden [a Schubert Theater]. An incident on 5 July 1911 resulted in his resignation from this position as well as his resignation from the musician's union.

Between 1912 and 1918, von der Mehden had virtually a full-time career in the recording industry, working at different times for five different phonograph studios: U.S. Phonograph, Pathé Frère, Columbia, Lyraphone and the Victor Talking Machine Company. On some recordings he played cello in the orchestra; more regularly, he would conduct performances, often arranging the music the night before the recording session. He also had some of his own compositions recorded.

As an arranger for Ricordi, von der Mehden was brought into close contact with James Reese Europe in 1915-1916. Europe was the creator of the foxtrot and was a very important transitional figure in the pre-history of jazz on the East Coast. Von der Mehden arranged and orchestrated some of Europe's music at Ricordi, often taking the music from dictation. Also in 1915, von der Mehden played cello in the production of George M. Cohan's Hello, Broadway! At this time, von der Mehden returned to the traditional European models in his compositions, giving up efforts to incorporate the current trends in popular music. Most of the works written in 1915 were composed specifically to be recorded.

In 1911, the von der Mehdens had purchased property in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, where they built a house. Until 1926, they retained both an apartment in New York City, where Susan was a representative at a toy manufacturing company, and the house in Connecticut. Susan's position was terminated in 1925 and they moved permanently to Old Saybrook. The couple spent a great deal of time working in their garden, which eventually became their major activity and a source of pride. From this time until his death, von der Mehden gave piano lessons to one or two students a year. He no longer composed steadily, and he spent considerable time practicing the piano, having given up the cello.

During the 1920s, von der Mehden was active in the local Republican party, and served for a while as special constable. He was a thirty-second degree mason and was awarded a medal in 1954, commemorating his fifty years of membership in the San Francisco lodge.

J. Louis von der Mehden, Jr. died 27 August 1954, in Middlesex Memorial Hospital and was buried in Cypress Cemetery at Saybrook Point. Susan von der Mehden died on 20 June 1955.

[Biographical information provided by the contents of the collection and James P. Pareakilas, "The Life and Works of J. Louis von der Mehden, Jr., 1873-1954" (M.A. thesis, University of Connecticut, 1974.]