Amandus Oscar Babel

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Descendants of Amandus Babel
by Donna Schulte Loth

Amandus Oscar Babel

Birth:	30 Dec 1856 in Guadalupe County, Texas ¹
Death:	19 Jan 1896 in Cattaraugus County, New York ¹
Sex:	M
Father:	Amandus Babel b. 10 Jun 1815 in Matzwitz, Grothkau, Silescia, Prussia
Mother:	Amalia Seiffert b. 25 May 1836 in Prussia

Also Known As: The Original & Famous Texas Cowboy Pianist

Census: 1860 Guadalupe County, Texas

Census: 1870 New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas

Obituary: Needed

Occupation: Bet 1885 and 1896 The Original and Famous Texas Cowboy Pianist

Performance: 3 Sep 1885 Chicago, Illinois

Performance: 11 Feb 1886 Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Performance: 12 Mar 1886 New York, New York

Performance: 13 Feb 1891 Bangor Maine

Performance: 13 Sep 1895 Oil City, Pennsylvania

Spouses & Children

None

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Notes

Individual:
On December 30, 1856, Amandus Oscar Babel was born in Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas. The third son of German immigrants, “Oscar”, as he was called by the family, was also the third of nine children. His father, Amandus Babel, had been born in Prussia in 1815, and had immigrated to the United States in 1852, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1855.

According to census records and to local history sources, Amandus, Sr. was a music teacher, giving lessons in violin, flute and guitar at a cost of $5.00 per student. With such a talented father, it is safe to assume that the nine Babel children all grew up with more or less musical knowledge.

Whether or not Oscar ever married is unknown. There are references in later newspaper articles about a “Miss Hattie Babel” who occasionally performed with him, but since he had no sister named Harriett or Hattie, it is possible that this was his wife.

At some time between 1870 and 1880, young Oscar left home. According to his biography, he became a scout, an interpreter and a cowboy. After a fall from his horse left him with a broken arm, he was taken to Fort Sill in Oklahoma to convalesce. In the parlor of the hospital stood an old piano. One day, being bored with keeping still, Oscar went up to the piano and opened it. Again according to his biography, he was amazed to find that, after a short while, he could play recognizable songs with his single hand. Once his broken arm healed, he was able to play with both hands, and all this without benefit of piano lessons.

“A.O.”, as he was now called, began giving concerts to his fellow patients, and when he left the hospital, to a wider audience throughout Texas, California and Mexico. Finally, he made his debut in New York at Steinway Hall in September of 1886. The public went wild over this Buffalo Bill-like character who played Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel and Chopin while dressed in full buckskins and pistols. Newspaper articles extolled his “marvelous execution” and lauded his trick of covering the piano keys with a cloth and playing without being able to see the keyboard. At one point in his career, he supposedly claimed to be a spiritualist, and to play “under control”.

From 1885 until 1891, A. O. played all over the northeastern part of the United States. Newspaper articles from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maine and Illinois trace his career. In the beginning, the articles were long and full of praise. But public opinion is a fickle thing. As time went by, A.O.’s novelty began to fade. Critics began to deride his technique and the quality of his playing, and even to suggest that, being the son of a music professor, his claim to be able to play by ear and without instruction was a fraudulent statement. A. O.’s venues went from vast concert halls to vaudeville stages to circus tents.

As his career waned, A.O. seemed to be content to settle in the town of Randolph, in Cattaraugus County, New York. At some point, he added the title “Colonel” to his name, though whether this is a courtesy title, or gained in some military action, is unknown. It was during his residence in Randolph that his biography was written. The “Life of A. O. Babel, The Original and Famous Texas Cowboy Pianist” was written by an author who used only his initials “A.E.K.” and was published by Dick Publishing House of New York. The first half of the pamphlet outlines the early life of A. O., the discovery of his musical “gift” and his triumphant concerts over the years. The biography claims that the Queen of England summoned A. O. to play for her, but no evidence has yet been found that substantiates that claim. The second half of the biography is concerned with Colonel Babel’s hints and instructions about the raising and training of horses.

Finally, on January 20, 1896, the Chicago Daily Tribune contained a short and simple announcement to the effect that Colonel A. O. Babel, the famous cowboy pianist, had died at his home at the age of 39. He was buried in the cemetery in Randolph, far from his Texas birthplace and the rest of his family.

Over a hundred years later, the Honorable Rick Perry, Governor of the State of Texas, designated A. O. Babel a “Texas Music Pioneer”, thus giving the “Original and Famous Texas Cowboy Pianist” the lasting fame he so earnestly sought during his lifetime.

Sources

Title: Tombstone
Media: Tombstone