Mendelssohn’s Birthday

On February 3, 1899, on the 90th anniversary of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, Dr. William A. Wolf opened a premier piano studio in Lancaster City. For the next six decades, students would travel from far and wide to attend lessons at the Wolf Institute of Pianoforte and Organ Playing. Dr. Wolf founded the Pennsylvania Council of the National Association of Organists. He was the founder and director of the American Guild of Master-singers in Lancaster. Dr. Wolf loved to travel and was the director of the Lancaster Travel Club. He was the author of numerous compositions for piano, and many sacred works, including a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D and Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in G. He composed many other compositions including anthems, canticles, hymn-tunes, carols, chorales and works for pianoforte, organ, and voice.

From 1913 until his death in 1965, Dr. Wolf operated the institute in the Emlen Urban designed house at 423 West Chestnut Street. His wife, Francis Harkness Wolf continued to operate the institute until her death in 1973. In her will, she established a public charity known as the Wolf Museum of Music and Art. The museum operated for 50 years until the house and contents were sold in 2023. The trustees used the proceeds to establish the Dr. William A. and Frances Harkness Wolf Music Scholarship. This scholarship is made available to aspiring Lancaster County musicians via the Lancaster Music Teachers’ Association (LMTA).

To learn more about this historic Lancaster institution, including photos from the interior of the studio, you can browse the website at https://wolfinstituteofmusic.org/.

For information about the LMTA, visit their site at https://www.lancastermusicteachers.org.

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