David Mannes was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

ist, conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

, and educator.

Mannes studied in Berlin with Karol Haliř and was a violinist in the New York Symphony Orchestra

New York Symphony Orchestra

The New York Symphony Orchestra was founded as the New York Symphony Society in New York City by Leopold Damrosch in 1878. For many years it was a fierce rival to the older Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was supported by Andrew Carnegie who built Carnegie Hall expressly for the...

 from 1891 and its concertmaster from 1898 to 1912. In 1912 he helped found the Colored Music Settlement School

Colored Music Settlement School

The Colored Musical Settlement School was a New York City school established and operated to provide music education for African-American children, who were generally excluded from other music schools....

  and in 1916, with his wife, the Mannes Music School, both in New York City

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. Music Is My Faith is his autobiography. Mannes is also discussed in Maurice Peress

Maurice Peress

Maurice Peress is an American orchestra conductor, educator and author. After serving as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein beginning in 1961, Peress went on to stand as leader of the orchestra in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1962. In 1970, he also became leader...

' "Dvorak to Duke Ellington: A Conductor Explores America's Music and Its African American Roots."

Sources

• Mannes, David (1938). Music is My Faith: An Autobiography W.W. Norton. New York. ISBN 0-306-77595-6 (1978 reprint)
• Peress, Maurice (2004). Dvorak to Duke Ellington: A Conductor Explores America's Music and Its African American Roots Oxford. New York. ISBN 0195098226