Louis Zitterbart – The Americus Brass Band

Louis Zitterbart (1838 – 1899)

The name Zitterbart is well known in music circles in Pittsburgh, PA today, as well it should be. Fidelis Zitterbart Sr. (1805 – 1887), a Bohemian immigrant and early settler in the River City, made a successful career for himself as a musician, and his son Fidelis Jr. and his descendants continued that tradition of fine music in Pittsburgh into the late 20th century. There is even a nice photograph of Fidelis Jr. that has survived to this day.

But it was another Zitterbart, also from Bohemia and also a fine musician that is the focus of this history. Because, while the F. Zitterbarts have garnered all the glory, Louis Zitterbart had arguably the more notable career but until this study, was completely forgotten.

But first, a little background. In the mid 19th century, folks all across the country took great pride in having a brass band in their town. The band announced to the world, or at least the immediate area, that they “had arrived,” that they were a cultured and refined community and valued “the Arts.” Americus, Georgia was one such city and in 1860 the town hired a young itinerant musician named Louis Zitterbart to make it happen.

Edward G. Baynham’s, A History of Pittsburgh Music 1758 – 1958 states that Louis Zitterbart was born in Bohemia on January 9, 1839(8?)¹ Little is known of his early life, but Baynham reports that Louis studied music with the “celebrated conductor, Theodore Drüttner.” Louis was an only-child and when he reached the age of fourteen, he accompanied his parents, Rochus and Faleta Zitterbart when they immigrated to the United States.² The family settled in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1853, the home of Fidelis Zitterbart Sr. (1805 – 1887), a well-known professional violinist and composer who was said to have toured the US with Jenny Lind in 1850.³ And as was mentioned above, Fidelis’ son, Fidelis Jr. was one of Pittsburgh’s most prolific composers, a concert pianist, and a professional violinist for Theodore Thomas and the New York Philharmonic Society.⁴ Could they all have been related? No one knows for sure.⁵

Rochus Zitterbart found work in Pittsburgh as a tailor but the young Louis sought a career as a freelance musician and soon began performing professionally on the cornet and violin. By 1858, he seems to have left home and was traveling in the South where it is reported he was performing with the Old One Hundred Concert Troupe in Montgomery, AL.⁶ And it was at this time on the very eve of the Civil War, that his life was to change rather dramatically.

In May 1860, Louis Zitterbart was hired by the city of Americus, GA to organize and conduct a new brass band. It appears that the band, like most town bands in America in the 19th century, was sponsored by the town itself to provide musical entertainment for the residents and military music for the local militia units.⁷ By May 1861, just a year later, the Americus Brass Band as they called themselves, was ready for its debut and a flurry of announcements in the local press indicated that the band was performing and making an impact. On May 3, 1861, the Americus newspaper, The Sumter Republican, reported the following in its classified advertising:

AMERICUS BRASS BAND: This band, under the leadership and direction of Prof. Zitterbart take pleasure in announcing to their friends and the public generally, that they are now prepared to furnish music for public and private parties such as Military Parades, Masonic, Sabbath School and other celebrations: Public Speaking, Pic-nics, Serenades, etc.

Prof. Z. having been engaged for several years in teaching and directing Military and Orchestra Bands, the Americus Brass Band feel confident that under his direction, they can guarantee perfect satisfaction to all who may require their services.

Terms reasonable and made known on application to J. W. Wheatley, Sec.⁸

The article goes on to mention that Zitterbart has moved to Americus “permanently” and will “devote a portion of his time” to teaching music and repairing pianos.⁹ But despite the date of the previous announcement, the band seems to have already been performing regularly on the city square at a bandstand constructed especially for it.

The courthouse was surrounded by an octangular picket fence and everything was fine and imposing. The citizens then erected a platform inside the fence, on which the Americus Brass band sat and discoursed its brazen strains every Wednesday evening.¹⁰

As the Civil War loomed ever closer that spring, Zitterbart’s band was called upon to provide appropriate patriotic music for the local militia companies that were forming in Americus. In April 1861, they accompanied one of those units, the Sumter Light Guards, to Augusta, GA to enlist in the Confederate Army. On May 1st of 1861, the Augusta Daily Chronicle and Sentinel Newspaper published the following:

AMERICUS BRASS BAND: This excellent band, organized in May 1860, and which came here with the Sumter Light Guards, has afforded our citizens great satisfaction during their sojourn in the city, by the music they have given us. They are capital performers. On Tuesday evening they played a musical melange upon the bell tower, and the sweet harmony elicited was the theme of general remark and commendation. We regret that their engagements rendered it necessary for them to return to Americus Tuesday night and hope that we shall enjoy a visit from them again at no distant day.¹¹

The Sumter Light Guards of Americus

The article also provided a complete listing of the musicians in the band, lead by Louis (spelled “Loui” in the article) Zitterbart on Eb cornet.

The Sumter Republican Editor, Charles Hancock, stated that the band would be joining the Sumter Light Guards, calling them “the best band in the state.”¹² And later that spring, Louis Zitterbart and most of his fellow musicians, did enlist as the band for the Fourth Georgia Volunteer Infantry regiment (the same regiment as the Sumter Light Guards) in the Doles-Cook Brigade. Loui Zitterbart was the Chief Musician and also served as a bugler.

The Americus Brass Band played one final farewell concert in Americus on May 22, 1861, and then embarked for Camp Jackson at Hampton Roads in Virginia. In camp, the 4th Georgia band was augmented by men from other companies and expanded to eighteen men by late May.¹³ During their year-long stay at Camp Jackson, the routine of camp life including performing daily for drill and parades, provided the band with much time to practice and improve their musical skills. And when not involved in military duties, Zitterbart’s band became a favorite with the civilians of the area. Occasionally, a young soldier accompanied the band on their concert trips to town and Pvt. Jack Felder was one such soldier, who wrote home about his trip with the band to a concert in Norfolk, Virginia.

I will write you again soon and I am in hopes that I will have something to interest you as I expect to go to Norfolk Thursday night with the Band which will give a concert. I will give you a full history of it on my return.¹⁴

The band entertained troops and civilians with regular concerts, but as was a musician’s duty, they also assisted in the camp hospital. The winter of 1862 was brutally cold and the soldiers were ill prepared for the weather. Lt. David Winn of Company K was a doctor in Americus before the war and spent much of his time that winter taking care of sick soldiers. His letters home to his wife Fanny record the misery of that difficult time¹⁵ and Zitterbart and his musicians would have also been very active with him in the hospital.¹⁶

When their training at Camp Jackson finally ended, the 4th Georgia Regiment was attached to Gen. George Doles’ brigade and the band became a brigade band by default. Doles’ Brigade was eventually attached to Rodes’ Division in Gen. Robt. E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and for the rest of the war Louis Zitterbart’s America Brass Band was right at the center of the action.

Through it all, there were several of the band’s performances that have been preserved as particularly memorable. On May 18, 1863, shortly before the invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania, all the regiments in General Rodes’s Division participated in a grand review. Pvt. Jack Felder wrote home that the review was led by his very own 4th Georgia Regiment with its band in front, in the place of honor, followed by the “whole division at 2 o’clock to be reviewed by General Roads [sic] .”¹⁷ Then in the summer of 1863, during the long marches of the northern invasion, the reputation for musical excellence of the Fourth Georgia Band was enhanced. Veterans lauded the Georgia musicians for their lively music as the Confederate armies made their way toward Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Henry Thomas, a Confederate soldier, remembered the band music as Rodes’ Division marched through Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

On the 24th, starting early, we passed through Chambersburg, with bands at the head of the regiments playing “Dixie” and other Southern airs, arms at the right-shoulder-shift, the boys stepping out lively to the music, laughing, and shouting to the gloomy-faced citizens, “Here’s your played out rebellion.”¹⁸

Later in June, just past Petersburg, Pennsylvania, General Lee noticed the weary condition of his troops. He commanded Colonel Taylor to order the Fourth Georgia Regimental Band to the front of the march to play for the men. C. D. Grace, another Confederate soldier, witnessed the incident.

The music had a most exhilarating effect, and off marched the men, inspired by the presence of the generals and the strains of “Tom March On” by the band. I never saw anything so magical in its effect.¹⁹

On January 22, 1864, Zitterbart’s band was allowed to return to Americus on furlough. The public was made aware that the band was home and that they were preparing to perform a concert during their visit. The Sumter Republican wrote the following:

The Brass Band attached to General Doles’ brigade, many of whom belonged to the original Brass Band of Americus, has arrived and will give a grand concert Saturday night at the College Chapel. They richly deserve a full house, and let them have it. And we know of no surer way to secure it than for every man in town to be sure to go, and take two ladies with him.²⁰

Finally, on May 10, 1864, the band was involved in a historic “battle of the bands” that took place during a lull in the battle of Spotsylvania. A Union soldier, George Estes, wrote about the event.

When night closed in on us, we were back in our breastworks all awake and ready for a renewal of the engagement at any moment, for we knew the battle had not been fought to a finish. By midnight our wounded had been moved off the field, leaving only the dead of both armies scattered in front and rear of our breastworks. The situation was a sad one, and to vary the monotony a little, a Confederate band (the 4th Georgia band) moved up to an elevated position on the line and played “Nearer My God to Thee.” The sound of this beautiful piece of music had scarcely died away when a Yankee band over the line gave us the “Dead March.” This was followed by the Confederate band playing “The Bonnie Blue Flag.” As the last notes were wafted out on the crisp night air a grand old style rebel yell went up. The Yankee band then played “The Star Spangled Banner,” when it seemed, by the responsive yell, that every man in the Union Army of the Potomac was awake and listening to the music. The Confederate band then rendered “Home, Sweet Home,” when a united yell went up in concert from the men on both sides such a one as was never heard among the hills of Spotsylvania County before or since.²¹

While bands and bandsmen were usually considered to be noncombatants, at least four 4th Georgia bandsmen, including Louis Zitterbart, were wounded in action during the war. According to his service record, Louis Zitterbart was serving as bugler for the brigade sharpshooters when he was severely wounded during the Virginia Valley campaign in 1864.

He recovered from his wounds enough to return to duty²² but on April 9, 1865 when the band surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, Louis Zitterbart was not among six bandsmen that are listed on the surrender roll. And he did not return to Americus after the war either. Thomas’ Brigade history says that he returned to Pennsylvania (presumably his home in Pittsburgh) and makes no further mention of him.

Louis Zitterbart’s Post War Career

One of only two known photos of Louis Zitterbart.

As the war came to a close in April 1865, Louis Zitterbart returned to his parent’s home in Pittsburgh and restarted his career as a freelance musician. One of his first jobs in 1865 seems to have been as a charter member of the Great Western Band of Pittsburgh. This legendary ensemble grew out of the first professional musical organization in the city, Young’s Band (1852) which served in the Civil War as the 12th Regiment band. The Great Western Band was highly sought after in the upper midwest in the second half of the 19th century and formed the nucleus of many later ensembles in Pittsburgh.²³

Louis next appears professionally in a photograph taken c.1868 of founding members of the Germania Orchestra in Pittsburgh. This photo also includes Fidelis Zitterbart Sr.²⁴ so there may have been contact between these two musical families. The next published reference to Louis Zitterbart appears six years later in the gigantic list of musicians associated with Patrick Gilmore’s World Peace Jubilee held in Boston in 1872. He is listed (along with Fidelis Zitterbart (Jr.?) as a viola player in the Monster Orchestra of two thousand pieces that Gilmore put together for the event.²⁵

At some time in the five or six years, after Louis returned to Pittsburgh, he married Ms. Philomena Keller of that city and they had five children. Their first child, Eugene Pius Zitterbart was born in 1874 in Pittsburgh and at some point between the birth of their second child, Laura in 1876 and the third, Emily, two years later, the family moved to Cleveland, OH. Almost certainly, Louis moved the family to take the reins of the newly formed Cleveland Orchestra. The Cleveland Leader newspaper announced its “Grand Opening Concert” on June 1, 1878.

It has been heretofore announced, the grand opening concert of the Cleveland Orchestra occurs to-night, on the occasion of the opening of Haltnorth’s Gardens for the summer season. The full orchestra, under the conductorship of Professor Louis Zitterbart, will be assisted by the Philharmonic Quartet in the rendition of a fine program…

This was not the beginning of the modern Cleveland Orchestra, that traces its origins to 1918, but certainly this was one of the first orchestras in the city and Louis Zitterbart was its first conductor. And this wasn’t just a summer pops orchestra, another Cleveland Leader article from November 1878 mentioned a “Matinee at the Opera House.” “To-morrow afternoon a musical matinee will take place at the Opera House, comprising the following talent:…(including) the Cleveland Orchestra.” Louis Zitterbart was again listed as Director. The program, which included vocalists and a string quartet, was much more of a serious nature with compositions by Beethoven, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti and Mendelssohn.²⁶ The orchestra returned to its summer venue at Haltnorth’s Gardens in 1879, but with a new name: “Mr. Hogg’s Orchestra,” but still under the leadership of Louis Zitterbart.²⁷

Zitterbart’s reputation as a conductor was on the rise in Cleveland and the next year he was asked to take over the leadership of the venerable Cleveland Grays Militia Band. This historic brass band dated back to 1840, but had fallen on hard times until Zitterbart was brought on in 1879. The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote the following:

The Cleveland Grays Band was reorganized April 2nd. It now has twenty-two pieces as follows: Louis Zitterbart, Eb cornet… (lists all the bandsmen and instrumentation). “Professor Louis Zitterbart is the musical director and Professor J. M. Leland is the leader. The Grays Band has long been one of the finest musical organizations in the West but by the reorganization has been greatly improved.²⁸

The above-mentioned Jackson Miller Leland was one of the most respected band concert producers in Cleveland in the mid-19th century and his association with Louis Zitterbart at this time is noteworthy.²⁹ That summer, the band became regular performers at the Cleveland Club Races. The Races were held in late July each year and the Grays Band was contracted to play each day.

The reorganized and enlarged Cleveland Grays Band (Professor Louis Zitterbart, conductor, and Professor J.M. Leland, leader), one of the very finest musical organizations in the United States, will furnish a rich concert of new and popular music each day of the races before the start and between heats.

The article goes on to list the complete musical program for each day indicating that the band’s concerts themselves, were also a considerable “draw” for these events!³⁰

In 1880, Louis Zitterbart was contracted to lead the famous Germania Orchestra of Cleveland. The orchestra was on tour in Akron, Ohio when a concert by the group was advertised in the Repository newspaper of Canton.³¹ The Summit County Beacon reviewed the concert the next day and lauded the ensemble’s performance, but lamented the small audience.

Though only a small audience gathered at Saenger Halle last night to hear the concert by the Germania Orchestra of Cleveland, yet they were richly rewarded. Under the skillful baton of their director, Mr. Louis Zitterbart, they produced harmony that was as sweet and delightful as it was perfect.³²

With his growing family, Louis supplemented his income by arranging music for performance in ensembles he was conducting. An article in the Cleveland Leader in 1879 reviews a performance of a mass in G by Millard at St. John’s Church and specifically mentions Louis Zitterbart as the arranger of the orchestral parts. While it doesn’t say so, he no doubt conducted the orchestra as well.³³

Despite these successes, it would appear that the Cleveland conducting jobs were not all that Louis wanted or needed to support his family, and the birth of the Zitterbart’s fourth child, Toletta (called “Dot”) was recorded to have taken place back in Pittsburgh in 1881. And it may be significant that the next mention of Louis Zitterbart in print is as a performer rather than as a conductor. An article in the Wheeling Register lists him as a bassoonist (?) in the Opera House Orchestra for a concert in 1884.³⁴ Wheeling, OH seems to have been a regular stop for Louis in his later years and his musical exploits are mentioned in the Register several more times.³⁵

Despite the report that he played the bassoon, Louis’s main instrument was the violin and he and B. Vogel, with whom he occasionally performed, were called the best violinists in the city.³⁶ So maybe it is not too surprising that in 1896, Louis Zitterbart was appointed to the position of Principal Second Violin in the brand new Pittsburgh Orchestra and appears in one of only two known photographs of him in that ensemble.³⁷

But it seems that Louis was still in demand as a conductor as well. In 1884, the city of Allegheny, PA, right across the river from Pittsburgh, formed the Allegheny Musical Club and listed Louis Zitterbart as its orchestra conductor. Edward “Doc” Baynham, in his A History of Pittsburg Music 1758 – 1958, described Zitterbart as “one of the prime movers in the organization” whose goal was to develop a “first-class orchestra” for the city. The orchestra began with twenty performers and later the number increased to thirty. Their first public appearance was in Masonic Hall in Pittsburgh, on November 12, 1884, and it was judged highly successful. Zitterbart continued as its music director until the disbanding of the orchestra in 1889.³⁸ A notice in the Pittsburgh Dispatch newspaper describes a concert by the group held in that final year.

“The Allegheny Musical Club, Mr. Louis Zitterbart, conductor, will give its second regular concert of the season next Tuesday evening at Masonic Hall, Allegheny. (The program included the Mendelssohn G minor piano concerto) “in addition to the orchestral selections by the club.³⁹

Louis’s conducting duties occasionally brought him into collaboration with Fidelis Zitterbart Jr. The Pittsburgh Bulletin on July 23, 1887, reviewed a series of concerts by the Central Saenger-Bund that featured a grand chorus of “600 trained voices” from all over Ohio, and among other performers, lists Fidelis Zitterbart Jr. as the featured piano soloist. Louis Zitterbart conducted the orchestra, presumably the Allegheny Musical Club ensemble just described. The review follows:

The midsummer musical event that filled Allegheny during the week with German lovers of melody, passed into history…The opening number, Mozart’s “Don Juan” overture, was one of the best efforts of the orchestra, the forty pieces evincing capability and playing with force and precision… Mr. F. Zitterbart’s masterly playing of Liszt’s first concerto was a treat to all lovers of music, and was a feature of the concert. In this number the orchestra, led by Mr. Louis Zitterbart showed itself capable of capital work… (the review concluded with more praise for Louis’s orchestra) The rest of the program showed a succession of excellent and of indifferent efforts. To the former class belong the “Jupiter” symphony, by the orchestra, which in some respects was the best performance by local talent heard here for a long time.⁴⁰

Finally, and appropriately, Louis Zitterbart seems to have ended his career, as it began, conducting Civil War brass bands, specifically the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) bands of Allegheny and Pittsburgh. The G.A.R. was the most important organization in the country for Union veterans of the Civil War and there were posts in nearly every city. Many of these posts supported brass bands and they provided the military music that they still enjoyed. In 1893, the National G.A.R. Encampment was held in Indianapolis, Indiana from September 4th – 9th. The five day event was filled with activities for the veterans and other visitors to the city and included parades, reunions, dances, and fireworks. Louis Zitterbart’s Allegheny G.A.R. band was present at this event and the Indianapolis Journal newspaper described their performance in glowing terms. “One of the best bands in the city is the G.A.R. band of Allegheny City, PA which is under the direction of Prof. Louis Zitterbart… It accompanied the G.A.R. post from that city.”⁴¹ And several years later, in the last year of Louis’s life, these announcements of concerts by the Pittsburgh G.A.R. band, possibly the same group he conducted previously, offers a fitting tribute to a man who made music his life’s work. The Wheeling Register wrote:

Sunday afternoon and evening the G.A.R. Band of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Louis Zitterbart, will give two concerts at Mozart Park. Mr. Zitterbart, it will be remembered, was one of the leading violinists at the Saengerfest held here some years ago, and is well known throughout the entire country as being an artist of a very high order… During the G.A.R. Encampment at Cincinnati the Grand Army Band played a week’s engagement and the Enquirer said of it: ‘Zitterbart has all he claims, one of the finest military bands in the country.’⁴²

Then, on the day of the concert the Register wrote the following in even more glowing terms:

The G.A.R. Band of Pittsburgh, that comes to Mozart Park to-day, is almost too well known to require extensive notice. The mere announcement of the fact will no doubt attract large crowds to both concerts, and it is safe to say that everyone will be satisfied with their outlay of time and money. The band is without a rival in this section of the country, being made up of the best musicians that can be obtained, many of whom are recognized as artists of unusual ability. Under the leadership of Mr. Louis Zitterbart, who has a national reputation, this splendid organization has made such rapid strides that it now easily rivals any big band in the country. Wherever the band has been heard the press notices have been extremely flattering and the musical critics have pronounced it equal to any band west of the Alleghenies. Its support in Pittsburgh and vicinity has been of such a nature as to enable its management to bring from foreign cities new musicians to add to the already splendid corps of artists… The programs as published below, are of unusual merit, and will no doubt be rendered in a faultless manner:⁴³

Sadly, Louis Zitterbart died just one year later on August 6, 1899, and is buried at Saint Mary Cemetery in Pittsburgh. The cause of his death is unknown and his last direct descendant died in 1990 and even Ralph Zitterbart, Fidelis Zitterbart Jr.’s grandson, had no knowledge of Louis’s existence when I interviewed him in 1996.⁴⁴ And while history remembers his (probable) cousin Fidelis Zitterbart Jr. in more detail, Louis Zitterbart’s career, both as a conductor and performer, was perhaps more notable. Beginning with his extensive service and personal sacrifice in the Civil War as director of the Americus Brass Band, to his career performing with and often leading many of the oldest and most venerable musical ensembles in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Louis Zitterbart should definitely be added to the list of the most influential musicians in America in the 19th century.

Author – Dr. Richard Birkemeier, Professor emeritus
Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, California State University, Long Beach
Musical Director – Americus Brass Band