Vivian Scott

Vivian Eileen Scott (1926–2010) was an American classical pianist and music educator. After obtaining an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a master's degree from Juilliard, she performed with distinction internationally throughout the 1950s. She was also involved in the desegregation of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Vivian Scott
Scott at her 1946 graduation
Born	Vivian Eileen Scott 1926 Pontiac, Michigan, US
Died	2010 (aged 83–84) Southfield, Michigan, US
Other names	Vivian Scott Ramsey
Occupation	pianist, music educator
Children	2

Biography

Vivian Eileen Scott was born in 1926 in Pontiac, Michigan.[1][2] She grew up in a home which included her mother, Mary Belle (née Riddick) Scott, sister Phyllis, her grandmother Bertha Riddick, her uncle Cedric Riddick and his family, and in her early years, her aunt Hortense Riddick.[2][3] Scott gave her first piano recital at age 12. She completed high school in 1943 and went on to pursue music studies at Howard University. Graduating magna cum laude in 1946, Scott went on to continue her studies at Juilliard and completed her master's degree in 1949.[1][4][5]

Scott married Andrew Ramsey around the time of her graduation and had two children, Rheva and Drew.[1][6] In 1951, she appeared in two episodes of the Skitch Henderson Show and that year opened Howard University's season of concerts.[7] In 1953, Scott was awarded the John Hay Whitney Fellowship and continued post-graduate studies in Paris.[1][8] She returned to the United States the following year and performed at a benefit concert for the Harlem Mission Project. Her performance, described in the Paterson, New Jersey, Morning Call included Chopin's "Etude" Opus 24 No. 10 and "Polonaise", and Howard Swanson's "Sonata".[9]

In 1955, Scott was granted a concert appearance by the philanthropic organization Jugg, Inc., which financed debut recitals for young, trained musicians.[1] Her debut occurred at The Town Hall in New York City on March 20. She played works from Bach, Busoni, Chopin, Schumann, and Swanson in a two-hour event.[1][10] In 1956, she became a faculty member of Howard University[11] and moved from New York City to Washington, D.C. When she tried to enroll her daughter Rheva in her Michigan Park neighborhood Girl Scout troop, Scott was told there were no openings. She waited until the fall and tried again, but was told that the troop had decided that they would be a "white only" group. Scott wrote to the national headquarters to enlist their help in desegregating the Girl Scout Movement in Washington, D. C.[12]

At the end of 1956, Scott appeared in Atlanta, playing selections of music by Albéniz, Czerny, Debussy, Mompou, Prokofiev, and Ravel, as well as Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Chopin's Études, and Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze, leaving the audience "spellbound" by her "technical excellence".[11] In 1957, she held a second performance at The Town Hall, containing much of the same repertoire as she had in Atlanta. The New York Times critic said of the Czerny Toccata Op. 92, "the brilliance of her playing and bravura spirit won shouts of approval" from the audience.[13] She continued to play throughout the United States and Canada, into the early 1960s.[14][15][16] Scott is remembered as one of the few black women who have played classical music on the piano internationally with distinction.[17]

References

Citations

1. The Daily News 1955, p. 497.
2. US Census 1930, p. 4A.
3. US Census 1940, p. 3B.
4. Wilkins 1946, p. 238.
5. The Age 1957, p. 12.
6. The Berkeley Daily Gazette 1950, p. 5.
7. The Age 1951, p. 5.
8. The Age 1953, p. 13.
9. The Morning Call 1954, p. 27.
10. The Pittsburgh Courier 1955, p. 15.
11. The Montgomery Advertiser 1956, p. 15.
12. Carey 2017, p. 53.
13. The New York Times 1957, p. 26.
14. The Windsor Star 1956, p. 21.
15. The Detroit Free Press 1960, p. 10.
16. Jones 1961, p. 2.
17. Mitchell 2000, p. 89.

Bibliography

• Carey, Miya (Fall 2017). "Becoming "a Force for Desegregation": The Girl Scouts and Civil Rights in the Nation's Capital". Washington History. Washington, D.C.: Historical Society of Washington, D.C. 29 (2): 52–60. ISSN 1042-9719. JSTOR 90015025.
• Jones, John (December 8, 1961). "Scott Displays Flawless Technique". The Hilltop. 44 (9). Washington, D. C. p. 2. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
• Mitchell, Mark (2000). Virtuosi: A Defense and a (Sometimes Erotic) Celebration of Great Pianists. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-02854-9.
• Wilkins, Roy, ed. (August 1946). "The American Negro in College 1945-1946". The Crisis. New York, New York: The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc. 53 (8): 237–248. ISSN 0011-1422.
• "1930 U. S. Census, Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan". FamilySearch. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 4, 1930. p. 4A. NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 1018, lines 37–44. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
• "1940 U. S. Census, Pontiac, Oakland County, Michigan". FamilySearch. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. April 1940. p. 3B. NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 1801, lines 44–50. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
• "Her Town Hall Recital Fulfills Lifelong Dream". The Daily News. New York, New York. February 20, 1955. p. 497. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "New York Choirs to Give Concert to Aid Mission". The Morning Call. Paterson, New Jersey. April 8, 1954. p. 27. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "N. Y. town Hall Concert Set for Vivian Scott". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. March 5, 1955. p. 15. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Off to Paris". The Age. New York, New York. May 9, 1953. p. 13. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Pianist Scott Guest Soloist". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. March 13, 1956. p. 21. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Pianist, Tenor in Recital". The Age. New York, New York. November 24, 1951. p. 5. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Piano Concert Well Received". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. December 12, 1956. p. 15. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Second Town Hall Recital". The Age. New York, New York. October 5, 1957. p. 12. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Sorority Convention Hears Address by Admiral Nimitz". The Berkeley Daily Gazette. Berkeley, California. August 16, 1950. p. 5. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
• "Vivian Scott". The Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. July 20, 1960. p. 10. Retrieved July 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Vivian Scott in Recital: Pianist Confirms Promise of Debut". The New York Times. New York City. September 30, 1957. p. 26. – via The New York Times (subscription required)