Biography

Mana-Zucca (25 December 1885--8 March 1981) was an American actress, singer, pianist and composer; born Gizella Zuccamanof (later changed to Zuccaman) in New York City on December 25, 1885; the daughter of Polish émigrés, she was a child prodigy who began composing at an early age; she studied piano with the eminent Polish pianist and pedagogue Alexander Lambert, who suggested that she take the stage name of Augusta, which she used for a while but did not like and later dropped in favor of Mana-Zucca, a rearrangement of her surname; she also studied harmony and composition with Herman Spielter; she married Irwin M. Cassel on 21 September 1921; Mana-Zucca had three distinct but interconnected careers: as a concert pianist of great renown, as a singer who performed leading roles in musical comedy, and as a prolific composer; her brochure of published music totals more than four hundred works; these include music for piano, orchestra, and voice; she also composed music for young students; she died in Miami on March 8, 1981; her papers, including copies of her compositions, are housed at Florida International University

Occupations

• Composers
• Pianists
• Singers

Places

• New York (N.Y.) (Place of Birth)
• Miami (Fla.) (Place of Death)

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records: