Edna White

Flora Edna White (October 23, 1892 – June 25, 1992), known professionally as Edna White and privately for much of her life as Edna White Chandler, was an American trumpet soloist, chamber musician, vaudeville performer, and composer. A child prodigy, White began her professional career as a soloist in 1901 at the age of eight and graduated from the Institute of Musical Art (which would later become the Juilliard School) in 1907. White, who switched from cornet to trumpet during her studies at the institute, was one of the first soloists to perform on trumpet rather than cornet.

White formed a number of all-female brass quartets, including the Aida Quartet, the Edna White Trumpeters (which also performed as the Edna White Quartet), the Liberty Belles, and the Tone Weavers. Billed as the "only woman solo trumpeter in the world," White toured nationally with her chamber ensembles and performed as a soloist in recitals, vaudeville acts, with concert bands, and with orchestras. In the 1920s White made solo recordings for Edison Records, and in the 1940s and 1950s she collaborated with composers Virgil Thomson and George Antheil. Her 1949 recital in Carnegie Hall was the first given there by a trumpeter.

After retiring from performance in 1957, White remained active as a composer and writer, completing an operetta, a suite for trumpet and orchestra, a trumpet method book, and a memoir, in addition to shorter songs and poems.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 23, 1892 (Stamford), Died June 25, 1992

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1916 - 1927

Roles Represented in DAHR: trumpet, leader, arranger, cornet

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 40 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-18850 10-in. 12/14/1916 Té tév ounéi Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with orchestra arranger  
Victor B-18851 10-in. 12/14/1916 Haratch entanank Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with orchestra arranger  
Columbia 77688 10-in. 2/26/1918 Just a baby's prayer at twilight (for her daddy over there) Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 77689 10-in. 2/26/1918 Fancy you fancying me Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 77765 10-in. 4/11/1918 The old refrain Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 77766 10-in. 4/11/1918 Lullaby Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 77774 10-in. 4/17/1918 The lost chord Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 77789 10-in. 4/26/1918 Nearer, my God, to Thee Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 78020 10-in. 8/23/1918 Nearer, my God, to Thee Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 78458 10-in. 5/29/1919 O holy night Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 78468 10-in. 6/3/1919 O holy night Edna White Trumpet Quartette Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 78842 10-in. 12/4/1919 When you and I were young, Maggie Gloria Trumpeters [i.e., Edna White Trumpet Quartette] Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 78843 10-in. 12/5/1919 The sweetest story ever told Gloria Trumpeters [i.e., Edna White Trumpet Quartette] Trumpet quartet, with orchestra leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 79058 10-in. 3/19/1920 How sweet the moonlight Gloria Trumpeters Trumpet quartet, unaccompanied leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 79130 10-in. 4/19/1920 Coronation march Gloria Trumpeters Trumpet quartet leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 79195 10-in. 5/20/1920 Come where the lilies bloom Gloria Trumpeters Trumpet quartet leader, instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 85090 10-in. approximately April 1919 Noël de Déliverance Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with trumpet and organ instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 85091 10-in. approximately April 1919 Tu renaîtras Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with trumpet and organ instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87007 10-in. approximately January 1921 Santa Maria Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with trumpet and orchestra instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87008 10-in. approximately January 1921 Ave Maria Edna White Trumpet solo, with orchestra instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87009 10-in. approximately January 1921 Élégie Torcom Bézazian Male vocal solo, with trumpet and orchestra instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87143 10-in. approximately February 1921 Agnus Dei Edna White Trumpet solo, with orchestra instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87515 10-in. approximately June 1921 International medley march, part 1 Howard Kopp ; Edna White Band, with trumpet and xylophone instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87516 10-in. approximately June 1921 International medley march, part 2 Howard Kopp ; Edna White Band, with trumpet and xylophone instrumentalist, trumpet  
Columbia 87517 10-in. either 1921 or 1922 International medley march Howard Kopp ; Edna White Band, with trumpet, xylophone, and bells instrumentalist, trumpet  
(Results 1-25 of 40 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "White, Edna," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107484.

White, Edna. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107484.

"White, Edna." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107484

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.