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Antonette Ruth Sabel

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American music educator, composer and arts administrator
Antonette Ruth Sabe
Born(1894-04-23)April 23, 1894
DiedApril 6, 1974(1974-04-06) (aged 79)
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Music educator
  • composer
  • arts administrator

Antonette Ruth Sabel (April 23, 1894 – April 6, 1974), also seen as Antoinette Ruth Sabel, was an American music educator, composer, and arts administrator. She founded and directed the first "municipal bureau of industrial music" in the United States, in Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Antonette Ruth "Nettie" Sabelwitz had her early education in Wisconsin, with further musical studies in Chicago. Her sister Elsbeth Sara Sabel Mahan was also in music education, as head of the music department at the Washington State normal school in Ellensburg, Washington.

Career

Sabel was head of the music department at Pasadena High School until she resigned in 1919. In 1918, she was chosen to dress as the Statue of Liberty and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Rose Bowl, an early instance of the national anthem being performed at American football events. Later in 1918, she became the second woman commissioned by the War Department as "camp musical director", when she served in that position at the Arcadia Balloon Camp and March Field in Riverside, California.

In 1921, Sabel established a "municipal bureau of industrial music", tasked with developing musical groups among the city's workers, including choruses, glee clubs, brass bands, and orchestras. It was the first endeavor of its kind in the United States, and was commended by the Secretary of Labor and the National Federation of Music Clubs. The bureau operated under the auspices of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, as "a wholesome outlet for expression of the individual", intended to improve workplace morale and efficiency. She directed a "Pageant of Progress" for "Theodore Thomas Day" in 1922. She compiled a booklet about the bureau's work, Culture and the Community (1927), as a record and a guide for other municipalities. She also served as executive secretary of the Los Angeles Music Federation, and in that work led fundraising for summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

Songs composed by Sabel included "We're One for Uncle Sam" (1917, with words by Robert Freeman). Although she wrote and performed popular music, she considered jazz music "sordid" and did not include jazz in concerts performed under her bureau's direction.

Personal life

Antonette Sabel married lawyer Walter Kilbourne Tuller in 1930, as his second wife. She was widowed when he died in 1939. Antonette Ruth Sabel died in 1974, just before her 80th birthday.

References

  1. ^ E. Everett Hollingsworth, "Interesting Westerners" Sunset Magazine (December 1922): 29.
  2. "Forty Years Ago" La Crosse Tribune (January 25, 1951): 6. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  3. Willey Francis Gates, Who's Who in Music in California (Pacific Coast Musician 1920): 118.
  4. "Washington State Notes" Music and Musicians (November 1917): 13.
  5. "Miss Sabel Resigns" Los Angeles Times (April 25, 1919): 10. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  6. Joe Blackstock, "Rose Bowl 2018: Playing the Game and Patriotism 100 Years Ago" Pasadena Star News (December 22, 2017).
  7. "Miss Sabel to Direct Music at Balloon Camp" Los Angeles Times (September 20, 1918): II5. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  8. "Industrial Choruses" Southwestern Purchasing Agent (October 1921): 34.
  9. "Music in Industry Winning" Los Angeles Times (July 6, 1924): A1.
  10. Kenneth Sherman Clark, Municipal Aid to Music in America (National Bureau for the Advancement of Music 1925): 116.
  11. "Industrial Music" The Survey (September 15, 1922): 721.
  12. "Birthday Celebration of Mrs. Theodore Thomas" Music News (September 1, 1922): 18-19.
  13. "Cultural Assets of Los Angeles Described" The Argus (April 15, 1927): 7.
  14. "Civic Music Gets Boost" Los Angeles Times (December 3, 1923): II1.
  15. "Girl Whistlers in Music Body" Los Angeles Times (June 22, 1924): A14.
  16. "Aid Asked for Bowl Concerts" Los Angeles Times (May 18, 1924): A6.
  17. Antonette R. Sabel, "We're One for Uncle Sam: March Song " (1917), World War I Sheet Music, Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
  18. "Jazz Music is Banned in L. A." Madera Mercury (September 21, 1923): 2. via California Digital Newspaper Collection Open access icon
  19. "Wedding Announced" Los Angeles Times (June 16, 1930): 25. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  20. "Tuller Leaves Estate to Family" Los Angeles Times (October 11, 1939): 32. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
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