Mana-Zucca

Mana-Zucca [Augusta Zuckerman] (1890–1981)

Born Augusta Zuckerman in New York City on December 25, 1890 ( or 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894 or 1895, depending on which  biography you read), was a child piano prodigy who performed as soloist in the Beethoven Piano Concerto #1 with the New York  Symphony Orchestra at the age of 8. Her studies at the piano were with Ferruccio Busoni, Leopold Godowsky and Alexander Lambert,  and she was a pupil of Hermann Spielter for composition. She began composing at an early age and was giving regular piano recitals by the  time she was a teenager.

She married department store tycoon Irwin Cassel and gave birth to her only child ("my greatest creation") Marwin in 1925. The name was  formed by the first 2 letters in her name and the last 4 from Irwin's. Irwin died in 1971, ending a happy marriage that lasted 49 years. The  marriage was also one of musical collaboration at times, as Irwin wrote the words for Mana's most popular song, "I Love LIfe."

Another area in which Mana-Zucca shone was musical theatre, and she made her stage debut acting and singing in the soprano role in  Lehar's "Countess of Luxembourg" in 1914. Following this appearance she starred in many operettas in Europe and America.

For several years Mana-Zucca was the grande dame of music in Miami, Florida, and at one time had a concert hall, "Mazica," which could  accommodate an audience of 300 people and where she presented more than 500 concerts over the years. These concerts would feature  guest soloists and many very fine artists performed there, including Efrem Zimbalist, Mischa Elman, Jan Peerce and pianist Jose Iturbi.

Mana-Zucca's compositions numbered over 1,000 and included a 4-act opera, Hypatica, a 1-act Chinese opera, a violin concerto, a  piano concerto, a piano trio and hunderds of songs. Mana-Zucca was the soloist in the recording of her Piano Concerto.

During World War II she gave many war bond concerts and succeeded in raising nearly a million dollars for the war effort.

Mana died on March 8, 1981 in Florida, and at the time of her death, her son Marwin was left in charge of her memorabilia and papers  worth approximately $50,000, which finally found their way into a collection.

Anya Laurence

[78RPM]

Rachem (Max S. Brown - Mana-Zucca) Dorothy Jardon Brunswick 20037-A 1922

Rachem (Max S. Brown - Mana-Zucca) Yossele Rosenblatt Columbia E5198 1919

[33RPM]

Rachem (Max S. Brown - Mana-Zucca) Yossele Rosenblatt Shirim S-100

Rachem (Max S. Brown - Mana-Zucca) Yossele Rosenblatt The Greater Recording GRC 76 1966

Last update 21-05-2021