Cosmé McMoon

Cosmé McMoon
Born Cosmé McMunn
(1901-02-22)February 22, 1901
Mapimí, Mexico
Died August 22, 1980(1980-08-22) (aged 79)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Occupation musician

Cosmé McMoon (born Cosmé McMunn; February 22, 1901 - died August 22, 1980) was an American pianist and composer, best known as the accompanist to notably tone-deaf soprano Florence Foster Jenkins.[1][2]

Life and career

Born as Cosmé McMunn in Mapimí, Mexico in 1901,[3] he moved with his family to San Antonio, Texas around 1911. He moved to New York City around 1920 to further his musical studies, and likely adopted the McMoon surname around that time.[4] Jenkins met McMoon in the late 1920s, and knowing McMoon was a concert pianist, eventually asked him to help her prepare for her performances and accompany her.[5]

McMoon resided in New York City until shortly before his death in August 1980. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and moved to San Antonio, Texas. He was buried in San Antonio. He never married or had any children.[3][6]

Legacy

McMoon was portrayed by actor Donald Corren in Souvenir, a play about Florence Foster Jenkins' career, which ran on Broadway in 2004 and has since been staged in many regional theaters.[7][8]

He is portrayed by Simon Helberg in the feature-film about the life of Jenkins titled Florence Foster Jenkins.

References

  1. ↑ McKinnon, George (31 August 1980). Scene Changes for Two Stage Groups, Boston Globe
  2. ↑ Piano ma non solo, Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Anagramme Ed., 2012, p. 141; ISBN 978 2 35035 333 3.
  3. 1 2 (25 August 1980). Deaths, The New York Times (death notice)
  4. ↑ (23 March 1936). Cosme McMoon's Recital, The New York Times (reporting on McMoon's "first New York recital at the Town Hall" the previous night. States he was born in Texas and educated there, and than "an audience of moderate size" attended)
  5. ↑ Interview With Cosme McMoon at the Wayback Machine (archived July 6, 2006) (transcript from rebroadcast of interview in 1991)
  6. ↑ Taylor, Robert (9 September 1980). Cosme McMoon: Man of Miracles, Boston Globe
  7. ↑ Brantley, Ben. Review of Souvenir, The New York Times
  8. ↑ (7 May 2010). When Singing So Bad Wasn’t So Good, The New York Times

External links

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