Historical Publication Info
Engraving of Jacob and Charles Kunkel.
History
The music publishing firm Kunkel Brothers was established by the German-born brothers Charles Kunkel and Jacob Kunkel in St. Louis, Missouri in 1868. The brothers were concert pianists both having studied with Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Charles having also studied with Sigismond Thalberg. The firm published many of the brothers' own compositions under their own names and under various pseudonyms. Other midwest composers whose work the firm published included Julia Rive-King, Robert Goldbeck, and Ernest Richard Kroeger. After Jacob's death in 1882 Charles became the sole operator of the firm which apparently did not survive his own death in 1923.
In September, 1878 Kunkel Brothers began publishing their monthly magazine Kunkel's Musical Review. Each volume contained a significant amount of music (over fifty pages by 1899) in full sheet music size. Publication of the journal ceased with volume thirty-two in October, 1909.
Imprints, Addresses, Agencies
Editions
Imprints
- Kunkel Bros. (or Kunkel Brothers) (1868–ca.1909)
- Kunkel Brothers Music Co. (by 1909–1923?)
Addresses
- 19 North Fifth St. St. Louis, Missouri (1869–1870?) (apparently still using this address sometime afterward)
- 311 South Fifth St. St. Louis (by 1870–after 1882)
- 507 North Fourth St. St. Louis (1875?)
- 612 Olive St. St. Louis (1885)
- 3750 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis (1910s)
Plate Numbers
Plate numbers for Kunkel Brothers were issued in a fairly chronological fashion and are in the format ####. Compositions printed in Kunkel's Musical Review apparently carried no plate numbers.
| Plate |
Composer |
Work |
Year
|
| 8 |
Kunkel |
Carnival de Venice Extravaganza |
1874
|
| 10 |
Kunkel |
Silent Love |
1874
|
| 14 |
Kunkel |
Melnotte's Banjo (piano 4-hands) |
1874
|
| 16 |
Kunkel |
Melnotte's Banjo (solo piano) |
1874
|
| 55 |
Schotte |
Mignonette |
1872
|
| 59 |
Schotte |
Pegasus (4h version) |
1872
|
| 62 |
Kunkel |
Valse de Concert |
1872
|
| 65 |
Kunkel |
Love in Spring |
1872
|
| 70 |
Schotte |
3 Impromptus (no.3) |
1871
|
| 77 |
Kunkel |
Morning in the Highlands |
1871
|
| 89 |
Kunkel |
Veni, Vidi, Vici |
1871
|
| 93 |
Oesterle |
Awakening of Angels |
1871
|
| 94 |
Kunkel |
Oberon, Morceau de Concert |
1871
|
| 101 |
Kunkel |
Vive la République (solo piano) |
1870
|
| 120 |
Kunkel |
Marche Triomphale |
1870
|
| 131 |
Gottschalk |
The Dying Swan, Op.100 |
1870
|
| 211-213 |
Kunkel |
Daisies of the Meadow |
1875
|
| 223 |
Kunkel |
Heather Bells (No.2) |
1875
|
| 225 |
Kunkel |
Heather Bells (No.1) |
1875
|
| 233 |
Kunkel |
Heather Bells (No.3) |
1875
|
| 250 |
Kunkel |
Sprite of the Wind |
1876
|
| 252 |
Hérold |
Zampa (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1875
|
| 253 |
Suppé |
Dichter und Bauer (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1875
|
| 254 |
Boieldieu |
Le calife de Bagdad (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1875
|
| 255 |
Rossini |
Guillaume Tell (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1875
|
| 256 |
Auber |
La muette de Portici (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1875
|
| 261 |
Auber |
Fra Diavolo (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1875
|
| 300 |
Nicolai |
The Merry Wives of Windsor (overture arr. for piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1876
|
| 302 |
Kunkel |
The Youth by the Brook |
1876
|
| 307 |
Kunkel |
Shooting Meteor Galop |
1876
|
| 348 |
Kunkel |
Echoes from the Woods |
1878
|
| 356 |
Rive-King |
Pensees Dansantes |
1878
|
| 360 |
Rive-King |
Concert Transcriptions (Chopin: Introduction and Variations on 'La ci dram la mano') |
1878
|
| 365 |
Rive-King |
Gems of Scotland |
1878
|
| 368 |
Rive-King |
On Blooming Meadows (piano 4-hands) |
1878
|
| 379 |
Rive-King |
Bubbling Spring (possibly a revision?) |
1904
|
| 383 |
Rive-King |
Concert Transcriptions (Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in A major) |
1879
|
| 386 |
Kunkel |
Vive la République (piano 4-hands) |
1879
|
| 390 |
Goldbeck |
Dreams of Home Sweet Home |
1879
|
| 392 |
Goldbeck |
La Melodia d'Amore |
1879
|
| 396 |
Goldbeck |
Abendglocken |
1879
|
| 397 |
Rive-King |
Old Hundred |
1879
|
| 400 |
Rive-King |
March of the Goblins |
1879
|
| 401 |
Goldbeck |
Sweet Laughter, Morceau de Concert |
1879
|
| 402 |
Rive-King |
Mazurka Caprice |
1879
|
| 403 |
Rive-King |
March of the Goblins (arr. piano 4-hands) |
1879
|
| 404 |
Vieuxtemps |
Ballade et Polonaise, Op.38 (arr. for solo piano by Rive-King) |
1879
|
| 410 |
Verdi |
Il trovatore (Fantasy on themes by Charles Kunkel for piano 4-hands) |
1879
|
| 442 |
Liszt |
Années de pèlerinage II, Supplément, S.162 (no.1) |
1887
|
| 453 |
Satter |
Stella |
1880
|
| 465 |
Kunkel |
Carmen, Fantasy on Bizet's opera |
1880
|
| 470-3 |
Kunkel |
The Promenade, Op.75 |
1880
|
| 471 |
Goldbeck |
On the Lake, Souvenir of Oconomowoc |
1880
|
| 472 |
Goldbeck |
Ashes of Roses, Valse Elegante |
1880
|
| 483 |
Kunkel |
Zephyr and the Brook |
1881
|
| 505 |
Bovy-Lysberg |
La baladine, Op.51 |
1881
|
| 519 |
Goldbeck |
The Military |
1882
|
| 520 |
Goldbeck |
En-Avant Galop |
1882
|
| 524 |
Goldbeck |
Valse Arabesque |
1882
|
| 525 |
Goldbeck |
La Varsovienne |
1882
|
| 545 |
Röckel |
Wedding Bells |
1882
|
| 548 |
Klein |
Gretchen am Spinnrad, Op.21 |
1882
|
| 551 |
Kunkel |
Norma Fantasia (piano 4-hands) |
1882
|
| 553 |
Lebrun |
To Victory (arr. piano solo) |
1882
|
| 555 |
Auchester |
Sounds From Paradise, Op.30 |
1882
|
| 556 |
Röckel |
I Cannot Say Good Bye |
1882
|
| 564 |
Kroeger |
Chickadee |
1882
|
| 577 |
Beethoven |
Symphony No.1, Op.21 (fantasy on finale by Charles Kunkel) |
1883
|
| 586 |
Goldbeck |
Forever Thine |
1883
|
| 596 |
Kroeger |
Danse caractéristique No.1 |
1884
|
| 604 |
Kroeger |
So Much Between Us |
1883
|
| 617 |
Kroeger |
Moorish Serenade |
1883
|
| 634 |
Raff |
Symphony No.5, Op.177 (mvt 3 arr. piano solo by Charles Kunkel) |
1883
|
| 642 |
Liszt |
2 Stücke aus Tannhäuser und Lohengrin, S.445 (No.1 ed. Rive-King) |
1883
|
| 646 |
Kroeger |
March of the Amazons |
1883
|
| 647 |
Kroeger |
Valse brillante |
1883
|
| 655 |
Auchester |
Eolian Whispers, Op.31 |
1884
|
| 659 |
Auchester |
Under the Rainbow, Op.32 |
1884
|
| 668 |
Kroeger |
Good Night, My Love |
1884
|
| 669 |
Kroeger |
2 Albumblätter |
1884
|
| 670 |
Kroeger |
My Idol |
1884
|
| 671 |
Kroeger |
Marsch-Humoreske (piano solo) |
1884
|
| 672 |
Kroeger |
Polka gracieuse (piano solo) |
1884
|
| 673-3 |
Kontski |
Gavotte No.1, Op.311 |
1884
|
| 674 |
Kroeger |
The Rivulet |
1884
|
| 679 |
Kroeger |
Marsch-Humoreske (piano 4 hands) |
1884
|
| 683 |
Kunkel |
Rink Waltz (piano 4-hands) |
1884
|
| 684 |
Kroeger |
Sylphentanz |
1885
|
| 687 |
Kroeger |
Polka gracieuse (piano 4 hands) |
1884
|
| 702 |
Kunkel |
Lucia di Lammermoor Fantasy |
1884
|
| 709 |
Rive-King |
On Blooming Meadows (arr. piano 4-hands by Charles Kunkel) |
1884
|
| 713 |
Kroeger |
Bedouin Song |
1885
|
| 723 |
Moszkowski |
6 Piano Pieces, Op.15 (No.1 arr. solo piano Rive-King) |
1885
|
| 726-4 |
Kontski |
Le rouet, Op.325 |
1885
|
| 728 |
Kroeger |
Fantasiestücke (No.3) |
1885
|
| 730 |
Kroeger |
Suite de valses |
1885
|
| 736 |
Kroeger |
Fantasiestücke (No.2) |
1885
|
| 737 |
Seeling |
Schilflieder, Op.11 (no.3, rev.by Rive-King) |
1885
|
| 738 |
Lange |
Stimmen aus der Kinderwelt, Op.78 (no.2, rev. by composer) |
1885
|
| 746 |
Kroeger |
Fantasiestücke (No.4) |
1885
|
| 747 |
Kroeger |
Fantasiestücke (No.3 for piano 4 hands) |
1885
|
| 755 |
Kroeger |
Fantasiestücke (No.5) |
1885
|
| 758 |
Kroeger |
Nocturne in F minor |
1885
|
| 761-5 |
Kontski |
Grant Funeral March, Op.326 |
1885
|
| 765 |
Kroeger |
4 Humoresken (No.2) |
1885
|
| 766 |
Kroeger |
4 Humoresken (No.3) |
1885
|
| 808 |
Rive-King |
Home Sweet Home |
1886
|
| 811 |
Gottschalk |
Ne m'oubliez pas (new edition) |
1905
|
| 1025 |
Kunkel |
Alpine Storm, Op.105 (enlarged edition) |
1888
|
| 2017 |
Schubert |
3 Marches militaires, D.733 (arr. for solo piano by Liszt) |
1907
|
| 2077 |
Gottschalk |
The Banjo, Op.15 (arr. for piano left hand by Charles Kunkel) |
1911
|
Catalogs
Sources Consulted
- Jones. F.O. A Handbook of American Music and Musicians (Canaserage, NY: F.O. Jones, 1886). Archive.org
- Conrad, Howard L., ed. Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, vol. 4 (New York: The Southern History Company, 1901). Archive.org
Authority control
VIAF (Kunkel Brothers Music Co.)
