Charlotte Enty Catlin

Charlotte Dyer Enty Catlin (1903 – November 13, 1968) was an American pianist based in Pittsburgh, who worked with Lena Horne. Among her piano students was jazz pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn.

Charlotte Enty Catlin
Charlotte Enty Catlin, from a 1923 publication.
Born
Charlotte Dyer Enty

1903
Pittsburgh
DiedNovember 13, 1968
OccupationPianist, music educator

Early life

Charlotte Dyer Enty was born in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Clever "Frank" Enty and Mary Jane Little Enty. Her father was a contractor. Her mother played church organ. She completed an undergraduate degree in music education at Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1923,[1] and was one of the eight founding members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority's graduate chapter in Pittsburgh, in 1927.[2]

Career

Catlin taught piano at Volkwein's Music Store in Pittsburgh,[3] served as music director at a dance school,[4] and frequently entertained at society parties.[5][6] In 1924, she accompanied tenor Ruby Blakey at a music festival,[7] and soprano Florence Cole Talbert at the People's Tabernacle.[8] In 1925, she performed at an American Music Day event sponsored by the Outlook Alliance.[9] She was active in the Society for Music Study, a music club in Pittsburgh.[10] In 1934, she played music at a Bahá'i event in Pittsburgh.[11] One of her students was Billy Strayhorn.[12] She began accompanying Lena Horne in 1939.[13][14]

In 1942, Catlin retired from her music career and began working for the City Recreation Bureau.[15] She was director of the Ammon Recreation Center from 1950 until her death in 1968.[16][17]

Personal life

In 1931, Charlotte Enty married Charles William Catlin, a post office employee.[18] In mid-life, Catlin was known for her distinctive hairstyle--parted center, with two coils of braids covering her ears.[2] She died suddenly in November 1968, aged 65 years, in Pittsburgh.[19][20]

References

  1. "The Horizon" The Crisis 26(August 1923): 178-179.
  2. Whitaker, Mark (2018-01-30). Smoketown: The Untold Story of the Other Great Black Renaissance. Simon and Schuster. pp. 127–129. ISBN 978-1-5011-2243-9.
  3. "Music Legacy". History of Westinghouse High School. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  4. Calvin, Floyd J. (1928-11-17). "Musical Director in German Dancing Master's School". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Buckley, Gail Lumet (2002). The Hornes: An American Family. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-55783-564-2.
  6. "Pittsburgh Matron Feted in California". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1936-08-22. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Tenor and Pianist in Recital". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1924-05-17. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Brilliant Artists in Recital Tuesday Evening". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1924-08-23. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Enty-Deppe on Music Day Programme". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1925-03-14. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Popular Devotees of the Masters Among Members". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1933-12-16. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "B'hai Programs to Foster Universal Peace Movement Open Series on Sunday". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1934-05-19. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  12. "About – Billy Strayhorn". Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  13. Whitaker, Mark (2018-02-24). "Mysteries of Pittsburgh: Where Lena Horne and Billy Strayhorn's Chaste Musical Love Affair Began". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  14. Allison, John (Spring 2018). "A Terrific Look at the Sophisticated History of Black Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Quarterly. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  15. Jule (1942-03-21). "Talk o' the Town". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  16. Heimbuecher, Ruth (1968-07-18). "Ammon Center Director On Mark for Youth Olympiad Program". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 27. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  17. Cohen, Harold V. (1965-10-28). "Lena Horne Comes Back to What Once was Home". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Enty-Catlin Wedding is Charming". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1931-01-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  19. Johnson, Toki Shalk (1968-11-30). "Toki Types". The Pittsburgh Courier. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Catlin (death notice)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1968-11-15. p. 29. Retrieved 2020-08-22 via Newspapers.com.
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