May Aufderheide

May Aufderheide
Background information
Birth nameMay Frances Aufderheide
Born(1888-05-21)May 21, 1888
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 1972(1972-09-01) (aged 84)
Pasadena, California
GenresRagtime
OccupationComposer

May Frances Aufderheide Kaufman (May 21, 1888 – September 1, 1972) was an American composer of ragtime music.[1] She was probably the best known among female ragtime composers.[2] She received training in art music and visited Europe on a grand tour, yet decided to compose in ragtime.[2]

May Aufderheide was a member of the Indianapolis ragtime community that included Paul Pratt, Cecil Duane Crabb, J. Russel Robinson, Will B. Morrison, Julia Lee Niebergall, and Gladys Yelvington. The popularity of her first published rag, "Dusty", convinced her father, Indianapolis loan broker John H. Aufderheide, to enter the music publishing business forming the firm J. H. Aufderheide Music Publisher.

  1. ^ arwulf, arwulf. "May Aufderheide". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "May Aufderheide, 1888-1972 (biography)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2008-09-24.