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Robert Schmertz
Black-and-white photograph of Robert Schmertz
Schmertz, c. 1919
Born
Robert Watson Schmertz

(1898-03-04)March 4, 1898
Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 7, 1975(1975-06-07) (aged 77)
Other namesBob
CitizenshipAmerican
Occupation(s)Architect, folk musician
Notable workSing Oh! The City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh
SpouseMildred Floyd
Children4

Robert Watson Schmertz (March 4, 1898 – June 7, 1975) was a Pittsburgh-based architect and folk musician whose music has been covered by Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Bill and Gloria Gaither, The Statler Brothers, The Cathedrals, Dailey & Vincent, the River City Brass Band, and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. Born in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Schmertz attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he wrote the Carnegie Tartans' fight song, "Fight for the Glory of Carnegie," and played the banjo in a jazz orchestra; after he graduated with an architecture degree in 1921, Schmertz designed buildings. He taught at Carnegie for more than thirty-five years before his retirement.

As a folk musician, Schmertz released four albums, with his third, Sing Oh! The City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Pittsburgh's founding; a reviewer for Keystone Folklore Quarterly called it "tuneful and well-done in the folk tradition". Before his death, Schmertz completed a book of his songs, but died before it published. Ten days after he suffered a stroke, Schmertz died on June 7, 1975.

Early life

Schmertz was born on March 4, 1898, [1] in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [2] After he completed studies at Peabody High School, where he met his future wife, Mildred, [2] Schmertz attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology (today, Carnegie Mellon University). In May 1917 Schmertz, dressed in "light flannel trousers, a girl's middy blouse and a small white hat," was arrested after he stood outside a theater and encouraged persons exiting the theater to join the navy as, according to Schmertz, a part of an initiation ritual to join a fraternity; he was charged with mocking the uniform but a magistrate later dismissed the charge. [3]

At Carnegie, Schmertz wrote the Carnegie Tartans' fight song, "Fight for the Glory of Carnegie", wrote college musicals, led a dance band, [4] played the banjo in a jazz orchestra, [5] and worked on the Carnegie yearbook staff. [6] In 1921, he graduated with a degree in architecture. [1]

Architecture and professorship

As an architect, Schmertz designed the St. Michael's of the Valley Church in Rector, Pennsylvania, and the renovation of the Unity Chapel in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. [2] In 1930, the Common Brick Manufacturers' Association of America in Cleveland, Ohio, awarded Schmertz an honorable mention in a "houses already built" contest. [7] Three years later, Schmertz served on a Pittsburgh-based American Institute of Architects executive committee that sought to identify western Pennsylvanian buildings constructed before 1860. [8] Schmertz worked as a member of Fisher and Schmertz, and, later, headed the firm of Schmertz, Erwin and Associates. [1] According to George Swetnam of The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, "many" of the buildings Schmertz designed were homes. [1]

Schmertz taught design at the Carnegie Institute of Technology for more than thirty-five years. [4] At Carnegie, Schmertz worked on a team that designed a cyclotron for the university in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. [2] Schmertz retired from his professorship in 1965 (named a professor emeritus), [1] but was teaching at the university in 1973. [4]

Folk musician

Further information: List of songs by Robert Schmertz

In 1949, Schmertz, who played the banjo in college, recorded an LP, Songs by Robert Schmertz, [9] after his friends bought him studio time. Schmertz's second studio album, Robert Schmertz Sings His Songs, was released in 1955: from the album, Burl Ives covered "Angus McFergus McTavish Dundee" on the Captain Kangaroo show. [2] [4]

By 1958, a writer for the Deadwood Pioneer-Times in Deadwood, South Dakota, wrote that Schmertz was "rapidly gaining national prominence as an interpreter of American musical and lyrical idiom" after Schmertz wrote a song, "Swing Away, Pearly Gates," for Edmund Karlsrud and the Concertmen, who performed it as a part of their 1957–1958 tour. [10] [11] In 1958, composer Elie Seigmeister and lyricist Edward Mabley cited Schmertz's "Monongahela Sal" and "Lock No. Ten" as inspiration for The Mermaid in Lock No. 7, a musical "in the folk idiom, expanded by modern, sophisticated treatment" that debuted at the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. [12] [13]

Schmertz's third album, Sing Oh! the City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh, released on Folkways Records in 1959, [2] [14] featured folk songs, such as "Celeron", named after Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville, and "The Battle of Bushy Run", after the battle of the same name, in commemoration of the bicentennial of Pittsburgh's founding. [15] A reviewer for Keystone Folklore Quarterly described the album, to which two of his children, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob and John Schmertz, contributed, [14] as "tuneful and well-done in the folk tradition". [15] A reviewer for Billboard magazine called it a "fascinating package of songs" that "will appeal to folklorists, educational groups, and, of course, residents of Pittsburgh particularly". [16] Schmertz released his final album, Ladies Beware of an Architect: Songs for Architects and Their Girlfriends, in 1960. [2] [17]

Schmertz's music has been covered by Pete Seeger, who called Schmertz a "very good songwriter", [18] Burl Ives, Tennessee Ernie Ford, [18] Bill and Gloria Gaither, The Statler Brothers, The Cathedrals, Dailey & Vincent, the River City Brass Band, and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. [19]

Later life

In 1970, Schmertz retired from his position at Schmertz, Erwin and Associates. [1] In 1973, he resided in Ben Avon, Pennsylvania. [4] With his wife, Mildred Floyd, an art teacher, [20] Schmertz had four children: [20] Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, John, Jack, and Mildred. [2]

Before his death, Schmertz compiled a book on his songs, though he died before it published. [1] Ten days prior to his death, Schmertz sustained a stroke, and, on June 7, 1975, died after a long illness. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Swetnam, George (October 1975). "Historical Society Notes and Documents: Robert Watson Schmertz". The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine. 54 (4): 537–538. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Collection Scope and Content Notes". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  3. ^ "Student is Arrested for Mocking Uniform". The Pittsburgh Sunday Post. May 27, 1917 – via Newspapers.com. First section, p. 3
  4. ^ a b c d e "Composer, Architect Entertains Avon Club". News Record. October 27–28, 1973. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Theater Memoranda". The Pittsburgh Post. May 2, 1921. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Year Book of Tech Soon to be Out". The Pittsburgh Sunday Post. May 11, 1919 – via Newspapers.com. Fifth section, p. 10
  7. ^ "Faculty Bulletin: Carnegie Mellon University". December 30, 1930. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  8. ^ "Survey Seeks Information on Buildings Erected in Community Prior to 1860". The Daily Republican. March 22, 1933. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Series X. Sound Recordings". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "Northern Hills Concert Season Ends with Outstanding Program". Deadwood Pioneer-Times. Vol. 82, no. 232. March 10, 1958. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Barber, Valerie (October 31, 1957). "Milford Opens Concert Series". The Bridgeport Post. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "American Wind Symphony Offers World Premier Productions this Summer". The Daily Republican. May 29, 1958. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Vargo, John K. (July 22, 1958). "Vargo's Views— Wind Symphony, Disney Movie". Indiana Evening Gazette. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Robert Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Eero Davidson, and John Schmertz (1959). Sing Oh! the City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh (Vinyl record). Folkways Records.
  15. ^ a b "Reviews: Records". Keystone Folklore Quarterly. 5 (3): 26. Autumn 1960. Open access icon
  16. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (May 4, 1959). "Reviews and Ratings of New Popular Albums". Billboard. Vol. 71. p. 40. {{ cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name ( help)
  17. ^ "Robert Schmertz to Sing at Point Park Concert". The Daily Republican. June 23, 1959. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b McCoy, Adrian (November 26, 2009). "NewLanders Write a Song for Folk Legend Preview". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Robert Schmertz, credits at AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Lowry, Patricia (August 14, 2001). "Art Teacher, Music Lover who Sang with Pete Seeger". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. p. B-6 – via Google News Archive.

Further reading

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