Ref.: http://beststudentviolins.com/pizinger.html
Joseph Pizinger
Harmonica on Homestead Starts Career in Music
Transcription of newspaper article from the column "Wichita
Silhouettes", c. 1965
Mr. Pizinger and Ms. Sunday
"A name like mine makes it easy for folks to get on a first-name
basis," laughed Joe Pizinger, Wichita violinist since 1918.
He tells with pride how his parents, who were from Bohemia, came to
Kansas in 1876 from Chicago and homesteaded in Barton County , 24
miles west of Great Bend, where he was born. There were five brothers
and two sisters in the family and his father drove oxen to Great Bend,
nearest railroad point, for supplies.
Establishment of the town of Olmitz, five miles from his parents'
farm, was a real event.
Pizinger's love for music began at age eight, when he learned to play
a harmonica. When he was 10 years old he played a harmonica for a
square dance and earned a nickel.
By the time he was 13 he had learned to play three square dance tunes
on a borrowed violin. He was hired to play for a square dance and
earned $3.50 for an evening's work. With that sum he ordered a violin
from New York City and received a fairly good fiddle.
Tunes Learned
When he heard new tunes, he managed to learn them and kept on playing.
He received his first lesson at Cripple Creek, Colorado. He later
studied with Theo Lindsborg at Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas. He
studied alter with Karl Weiland, Kansas City, and with Dan Banta, who
now reside sin New York City.
In addition to his teaching and theater playing, Pizinger took up the
hobby of collecting and repairing violins, which he has followed for
50 years. He opened a downtown shop in 1945 at 130 =BD N. Main. He moved
it to his present location at 902 E. Douglas in February 1959.
He married Anna Suichy at Olmitz and they resided in that community
for five years before moving to Great Bend, Kansas, in 1912. He took a
job of playing in a picture show and teaching violin. With different
partners he later operated picture shows at Hoisington, Kansas and
Great Bend.
The Pizingers had a family of five children, all of whom were talented
and active musicians. Mrs. Pizinger died March 26, 1961.
When he came to Wichita he played violin with an orchestra in
Hartman=92s Dance Hall and Dancing School which was located over the old
Princess Theater.
Orchestra Started
Pizinger started his own orchestra, which included his two daughters
and son, Arthur, who later played with several national name bands. He
died six years ago as a result of injuries received in an automobile
accident.
The Pizinger family orchestra filled radio and many other kinds of
musical engagements. He also taught violin in schools and had a large
private class. He now limits himself to eight pupils so that he will
have more time for his violin shop where he works on many rare
violins.
He comments on the great number of fine people whom he has met through
music. His friends and family keep trying to get him to retire and he
would like to please them but he states frankly, "I don=92t see how I am
going to do it."
The musician who farmed until he was 30 years old, and played ball and
boxed and high jumped appears to be in condition and keeps a fast pace
with men 20 years his junior.
He has a rich fund of stories about the days when there was no music
teacher within 100 miles and would-be musicians rode a horse or a mule
to lessons and saw rattles****s, prairie chickens and prairie dogs en
route. With the op****tunities which people in Wichita now have for
musical training he thinks that nearly every child could become a
musician.
One of his hobbies is collecting coins and he has some 38 books.
His family consists of a sister, Mrs. Anna Milberger, San Diego,
California; and four daughters, Mrs. Lillian Harlan, 1612 E. Orne,
Mrs. William P. Warren, 3516 Hiram, Mrs. Emerson Smith, Houston,
Texas, and Mrs. L.L. Sorrells, Kansas City; four grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
Published works:
My Sweet Dream Waltz
F.L.T. March and Two-Step
* * * * *
Ed. Note: I started piano lessons with Mr. Pizinger=92s daughter in
1957, and Mr. Pizinger was my private violin teacher for six years
during the period 1958-1964, at which time my family moved from
Wichita to Tulsa. To him I owe a through grounding in classical etude
literature; starting with Laoureux, Wohlfahrt, Kayser, Mazas, etc. We
frequently had three-hour lessons on Saturday morning, for which he
charged my mother I believe it was $3.00.
My love and appreciation for him is pretty much boundless, though as a
child I of course took it for granted and had no idea what advantages
I was enjoying. Only when I became an adult teacher and musician did I
begin to understand.
Any family member of Mr. Pizinger who would like to get in touch with
me, please do so at my email.
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