Category: Fine Arts and Literature

PRINTING AND PUBLISHING IN CLEVELAND developed slowly and modestly, and it was not until the 1940s and the flowering of the WORLD PUBLISHING CO. that Cleveland could boast a first-class trade publisher. Although Cleveland was discovered and settled in 1796, as late as 1820 there were only 606 people.

PRUSHECK, HARVEY GREGORY (11 March 1888-7 June 1940), son of Jerney and Maria Prusheck, was a SLOVENIAN artist and art teacher who came to Cleveland from Yugoslavia at age 14.

RADDATZ, WILLIAM JOSEPH (25 Feb. 1880-29 July 1940) printing executive and Shakespeare scholar, was born in Cleveland, the son of Herman and Mary Ann (Peters) Raddatz. After graduating from ST. IGNATIUS HIGH SCHOOL, he attended St. Ignatius College (see JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY), receiving an A.B.

RHODES, JAMES FORD (1 May 1848-22 Jan. 1927), historian and businessman, was born in Cleveland to DANIEL POMEROY and Sophia Lord Russell Rhodes. He attended the University of the City of New York (1865-66) and University of Chicago (1866-67), but never graduated.

RICHARDSON, LYON NORMAN (20 July 1898-16 Aug. 1980) found time to run the university libraries while serving as a distinguished professor of American literature at CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV. Born in Andover, O., he returned following his graduation from Western Reserve Univ.

RIEMENSCHNEIDER, ALBERT (31 Aug. 1878-20 July 1950) became a world renowned authority on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and founder of the BACH FESTIVAL in BEREA, Ohio. A native of Berea, he was the son of Dr.

RINGWALL, RUDOLPH (19 Mar. 1891-26 Jan. 1978), violinist and conductor, was born in Bangor, Maine, son of Knute and Teckla Ringwall. He graduated from the New England Conservatory in 1913 and from 1913-15 and 1917-20 was a violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Karl Muck. In 1914-17 Ringwall played in a string quartet in San Mateo, Calif.

ROBERT PAGE SINGERS. See CLEVELAND SINGERS.


ROBERTSON, DONALD Q. "DON" (21 March 1929 - 21 March, 1999) was a prolific novelist who was lauded by author Stephen King and criticized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Robertson was born in Cleveland to Josephine (Wuebben) and CARL T. ROBERTSON.

RODZINSKI, ARTUR (2 Jan. 1892-27 Nov. 1958), second conductor of the CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA, was born of Polish parents in Dalmatia, Yugoslavia, graduated from the University of Vienna as a Doctor of Law to please his father, while studying music at the Vienna Academy of Music.

ROGERS, JAMES HOTCHKISS (7 Feb. 1857-28 Nov. 1940), composer, music critic, organist, and teacher, was born in Fair Haven, Conn., son of Martin L. and Harriett. Hotchkiss began piano lessons at 12 and organ lessons later, and studied in Europe from 1875-80. In 1883, Rogers moved to Cleveland, becoming organist at Euclid Ave.

RORIMER, LOUIS (12 Sept. 1872-30 Nov. 1939) was born in Cleveland, the son of Minnie (Iglauer) and Jacob Rorimer, a wealthy tobacco dealer. He was educated under sculptor Henry Matzen at Manual Training School, and at 16 went to Europe to study, attending the Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich and Académie Julian in Paris for decorative arts.

ROSE, WILLIAM GANSON (29 Oct. 1878-16 Aug. 1957), author, advertising executive, and civic promoter, was born in Cleveland to William R. and Eliza F. Ganson Rose.

The ROWFANT CLUB (1892), located at 3028 Prospect Ave. is an association founded 29 Feb. 1892, whose members are interested in "primarily the critical study of books in their various capacities to please the mind of man." Membership is by invitation. The club was named for Rowfant, the home of Frederick Locker-Lampson (1821-95), near Crawley, Sussex, England.

ROY, KLAUS GEORGE  (24 Jan. 1924 - 28 May 2010) was a writer, composer, music critic, record annotator, radio interviewer, concert narrator, teacher and lecturer.

The RUBINSTEIN CLUB was a local women's chorus. Organized in Feb. 1899, the club was led by Mrs. Royce Day Fry, who had studied voice and conducting with Carl Zerrahn in Boston. It gave its first public performance at Plymouth Church in May 1899 with a chorus of 16 voices. Under Fry's direction, the club developed into a fine choral group and joined the Natl. Fed. of Music Clubs.

RUBINSTEIN, BERYL (26 Oct. 1898-29 Dec. 1952), pianist, composer, teacher, and director of the CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC from 1932-52, was born in Athens, Ga., son of Isaac and Matilda (Abrahams) Rubinstein. He began his pianist career as a child performer touring the U.S. from 1905-11 making his debut with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 1911.

RYCHLIK, CHARLES VACLAV (26 June 1875-6 Dec. 1962), Cleveland-born composer and violinist, son of Vaclav and Karoline Cermack Rychlik, was, at 14, the youngest member of the Cleveland Musicians Union. In 1891 he began studies at the Prague Conservatory, joining the Bohemian String Quartet, performing throughout Europe and meeting Brahms and Bruckner in Vienna.

RYCHTARIK, WASLAV RICHARD (20 July 1894-10 July 1982) worked in Cleveland as an artist and scenic designer from 1922 to 1944.  Born in Chocen, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), Rychtarik studied painting and architecture in Prague, where he designed sets for plays and operas at the National Theater.  He emigrated with his wife Charlotte to the United States in 1924 and settled in Cleveland, where he had already done some desig

RYDER, JAMES F. (7 Apr. 1826-2 June 1904), photographer locally best known for encouraging ARCHIBALD WILLARD to paint The SPIRIT OF '76 and popularizing it through chromolithography, was born in Ithaca, N.Y.

The SACRED MUSIC SOCIETY was an early musical organization devoted to the performance of religious works. Established in 1835 at Trinity Church on Seneca (W. 3rd) St., the group consisted of choir members of the church augmented by nonmember professional outsiders. It sang the works of Bach, Haydn, and Handel. The society dissolved in the late 1840s.


SAENGERFESTS, national gatherings of GERMAN singing societies, were a major vehicle for the development of music in Cleveland. The first Saengerfest (Singing Festival) in Cleveland took place 28-30 May 1855; it was the 7th such event in America.

The SAVEL CHOIR was one of the most prominent Finnish organizations in Cleveland for almost 30 years. Organized in 1937 and named after the Finnish word for "melody," the choir's purpose was to preserve the Finnish culture through music. Dr. Waino A. Mackey was the first director.

The SCHUBERT STRING QUARTET was an early Cleveland chamber music group, part of a growing late-19th-century interest in forms other than choral music. Directly preceded by the Cecilian String Quartet (org. 1875), the Schubert String Quartet was organized in 1878 by JOHANN BECK (1st violin), with Julius Deiss (2nd violin), Chas. Reinhart (viola), and Chas.