Helen May Butler was born in Keene, N. H., May 17 1866,
when the lifestyle was extremely proper and decorum was the guidepost.
Her parents were Lucius M. Butler and Esther L. Butler, the former an
engineer on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, eventually being
elevated being elevated to the position of purchaser. He remained to invest
and design some of the earliest Pullman cars.
Helen May's penchant for music showed at an early age which prompted her to
study the violin under the concertmeister of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
It was from his private collection that she purchased her first "good"
violin which was of the same vintage as the stradivarius.
In 1885 the ambition young director formed the Talma Ladies Orchestra and
she and they were on their way up.
The girls performed for many functions in the homes of the socially and
financially "great" including the Heinz family. But Helen May was
dissatisfied. She wanted to direct an all ladies brass or concert band.
That's when her troubles began. She was of the opinion that no one should be
excluded from a field if she were talented just because she was a female.
But in those days, the use of the word "sex" was a no=no.
She enrolled in a directing class and her teacher asked a male band leader
if she could merely sit in for the experience. Came an immediate and
decisive "NO". Added was "One of these days women will be taking our jobs
away from us."
Finally, she organized a band of 20 to 40 women, fluid in numbers, depending
on the engagement requirement. Helen May Butler's daughter relates with glee
an ironic incident that occurred a number of years later when band contests
were staged at Madison Square Gardens in New YorkAccording to Helen May,
"There were from 6 to 8 bands and the elimination was down to 2. Mother's
band was at one end and a man's band was at the opposite end.
The director was the same who had refused to allow her to learn through his
band. Mother's band captured top honors and she was presented a gold bar set
with a diamond and from the pin was a golden harp bangle. This proved to be
a diamond studded night for Helen May Butler and her band!
Helen May Butler's name appeared with circa band greats, including Creatore
and John Phillip Sousa. She was often referred to as "The Female Sousa",
because they were both very forceful directors. Helen May Young, the
daughter, adds that Sousa had come by his name in an amusing manner. "When
he first arrived in this country, he printed on his trunk, "Mr. So. USA." It
was mistaken and was introduced as Mr. Sousa.' He became so enamored with
the name that he had his name legally changed to Sousa. It was during one of
Sousa's engagements in Cincinnati that he noted Helen May in the audience
and invited her to come to the platform and direct a number."
After her first retirement in 1912, she was requested to form a band and
play for the season at the lagoon amusement park in Ludlow. Her daughter
recalled reminiscenses of her mother. "It was fun as well as work. Each day
the band departed from Cincinnati in open street cars and all rides were
five cents."
After her second retirement she was called into action again by Barnum
Bailey Circus and described the experience as "Wonderful."
Helen May Butler's place in the Smithsonian exhibit includes one of her
prized conrnets used in her favorite closing "Semper Fidelis" which brought
down the house as a silk American flag emerged when the cornet opened. It
also includes a beautiful large hat she wore at the World's fair.
Helen May Young reports that her mother was very strict with her girls, many
of them from wealthy families who permitted their daughters to perform with
her because they would be "safe" since she was so highly recommended.
Helen May Butler spent 20 of her years in Cincinnati before moving to
Kentucky when she lived in Dayton and in Covington 46 years before she died
in 1957.
Helen May Young described herself as a "trunk baby", explaining, "I spent
the first 3 years of my life going to sleep behind the stage to the music of
from 20 to 40 bands. Mother travelled until about a month before HMY
was born and started travelling again 6 weeks after HMY was born.
Timeline
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