User:Clark Kimberling/Historical Notes 7



HISTORICAL NOTES for SOLOS FOR TREBLE INSTRUMENT
ESPECIALLY SOPRANO RECORDER

COLLECTION 7: MELODIES BY WOMEN

Arranged by Clark Kimberling

Most of the 100 solos in Collection 7 can be accessed by clicking SOLOS 7 - but first, read this: the solos occupy 64 pages and may take a minute to download, and your computer must have Acrobat or some other PDF reader. After viewing the solos, you may wish to print them and put them in a notebook. However, before clicking SOLOS 7, you really should browse these Historical Notes. You'll find many links to in-depth information.

If you play recorder, flute, violin, or clarinet, you’ll certainly want to take a look at the music itself. Forty-six of the solos in Collection 7 are not included in SOLOS 7; they have been published separately. For details, visit Flute or Recorder.

The history of music composed by women begins about 2600 years ago, during the time that Sappho gained lasting fame for her poetry and singing. Unfortunately, her melodies have not survived. Perhaps the earlist surviving melodies composed by a woman are Byzantine chants by Kassia, now more that 1000 years old. Sappho's and Kassia'a music are described in James R. Briscoe's New Historical Anthology of Music by Women, Indiana University Press, 2004.



Contents

WOMEN COMPOSERS AND THEIR MELODIES

Harriett Abrams
Crazy Jane (ca. 1822)
A Smile and a Tear (ca. 1800)

Amanda Aldridge
Dance of the Warriors (1913)

Euphemia Allen
Chopsticks (1877)

Mrs. E. H. Anderson
Chesapeake Waltz (1871)

Haddie Wise Andress
Come In and Shut the Gate (1885)

Miss H. Baird
The Eighth of December (ca. 1815)

Miss Cynthia Bass
Roll On (1859)

Lottie V. Beckel
Crescent City Mazurka (1884)

Anna M. Beechline-Robertson
Tuna Valley Waltz (1882)

Mrs. Bloodgood
Mary Hay (1833)

Elise E. Bower
First Violet Polka (1880)

Carrie Calvin
Iva Waltz (1885)

Miss Clennell
You Pretty Little Giddy Flirt (ca. 1833)

Effie Crockett
Rock-a-bye, Baby (1886)

Amanda Burdette Denson
Kelley (1908)

Maggie Denson-Cagle
Samaria (1936)

Irene Parker Denson
Pilgrim’s Way (1959)

Miss J. T. Draper
Petite Gavotte (1878)

Anna Duff
Affection Waltz (1885)

Miss M. T. Durham
The Promised Land (1855)
Star of Columbia (1855)

Eliza R. Fitz
California Waltz (1849)

Anne Fricker
There’s a Sigh in the Heart (1853)

Annie A. Gallagher
Mayflower Galop (1874)

Miss H. Gardner
Little Flirt Waltz (1871)

Elise S. Hamilton
Isle of Beauty (1870)

Florence Harper
First Red Rose (1871)

Virginia Hart
Viola Polka (1884)

Anna Held
American Girl (1893)

Mildred Jane Hill
Good Morning to You (Happy Birthday, 1893)
Snowflakes (1893)
Sunny Day (1898)

Mrs. H. W. Hills
New York Galop (1846)

Faustina H. Hodges
Because I’m Twenty Five (1850)
Dreams (1853)

Mary Austin Holley
Brazos Boat Song (ca. 1833)

Helen Hopekirk
Gavotte (1884)

Kate Horn
Woman’s Rights (1853)

Julia C. Howe
Silver Cup Waltz (1872)

Frances Isabella King
Wedding Waltz (1840)

Phoebe Palmer Knapp
Blessed Assurance (1873)

Ida Kroger
As We Go Down the Pike (1903)

Ada De Lachau
Li’l Liza Jane (1916)

Sarah Lancaster
I’m on My Journey Home (1859)

Emilie Langlotz
Twenty Years Ago (1852)

Queen Lili’uokalani
Aloha ‘Oe (1877)
He Mele Lāhui Hawai’i (1866)

Jenny Lind
Few Days (1847)

Ella F. Locke
Periwinkle Waltz (1873)

Ella Lodge
Come Join the Knights of Labor (1866)

Emily L. Loud
New Orleans Polka (1851)

Annie P. Lumsden
The Plan of Love (1902)

Miss E. McCord
Hollywood Waltz (1852)

Mabel McKinley
Little Dolly Driftwood (1903)

Gertrude Manley
Blade of Grass (1873)

Christiane Manns
Bayadere Polka (1854)

Sallie C. Massie
Concert on the Roof (1896)

Sallie C. Meason
Fading Away (1877)

Bessie Merz
Rosebud (1883)

Ellen C. Morant
Wheatland Polka (1857)

Julia Lee Neibergall
Hoosier Rag (1907)

Miss M. D. Nightingale
St. Louis Polka (1854)

Caroline Elizabeth Norton
Juanita (1853)

Florence Norvell
Good as Gold (1883)

Maude Nugent
Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1896)

Miss Ouri
I Would Like to Change My Name (1856)

Effie A. Parkhurst
Katy Did, Katy Didn’t (1864)

Florence Percy
Fly Away (1884)

Clara Gottschalk Peterson
Staccato Polka (1909)

Mrs. N. H. Pierce
Years Ago (1861)

Miss Pocock
The Mignonetti Waltz (1856)

Miss Julia W. Pomeroy
California Polka (1849)

Anna W. Poole
Josephine Waltz (1854)

Mary Ann Wrighten Pownall
Jemmy of the Glen (ca. 1790)

Anna Preston
A Fond Kiss (1880)

Jane Sloman (Torry)
Roll On Silver Moon (ca. 1860)

Clelia Solito
Scherzo (1851)

Miss Spicer
Maryland Waltz (1847)

Alicia Anne Spottiswoode
Annie Laurie (1835)

Flora Sullivan Stewart
Eglantine (1872)

Lily Strickland
Li’l’ Jasmine-Bud (1921)
My Lindy Lou (1920)

Marion Dix Sullivan
The Blue Juniata (1842)

Allie W. Sweet
Shoe Tie Polka (1870)

Irma Syva
Contrasts (1872)

Marie Annette V. Thompson
General Jackson’s New Orleans (1833)

Mrs. Robert Thomson
Texas Cowboy (1886)

Louise J. Vorhis
Canisteo Polka (1877)

Delia B. Ward
North Western Railway Polka (1859)

Anna White
Come Up Hither (1860)

Edna Williams
Over the Great Divide (1913)
You’ve Hit a Home Run with Me (1911)

Miss Dode Wise
Merry Heart Waltz (1871)

Fannie S. Woodworth
Fiddle Stick (1853)

Mrs. Luther B. Wyman
Sweet Poetry (1846)

Mrs. M. Yates
Ilfracombe La Trenise (ca. 1833)
Ilfracombe L’Ete (ca. 1833)
Ilfracombe Pantalon (ca. 1833)


HISTORIES OF MELODIES


There are 100 solos covered by Historical Notes 7, and 54 of them are in SOLOS 7. That leaves 46 solos that will be published separately, not in SOLOS 7. In the list below, the 46 solos are indicated by an asterisk (*).

AFFECTION WALTZ(*), composed by Anna Duff, published by Oliver Ditson, Boston, 1885. Waltzing started in the suburbs of Vienna. By 1816, the waltz had spread to London, where an editor wrote this:

...with pain that the indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced [here]...it is quite sufficient to cast one’s eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure on the bodies in their dance, to see that it is indeed far removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females.

Such rhetoric no doubt promoted the new dance. By the time of the Civil War, it had become common for American pianists to compose waltzes. Some of these, including Affection Waltz, were copyrighted and, as a result, can now be downloaded from the Library of Congress; be sure to visit American Sheet Music.

ALOHA ‘OE(*), composed by Lili’uokalani (1838-1917), in 1877-78. The composer became Queen of Hawaii in 1891. This farewell song is probably the world’s best known Hawaiian melody. A translation of the title is, “May you be loved [or greeted].” The definitive work on this composer and her music is The Queen’s Songbook, published by Hui Hānai, Honolulu, 1999. Visit the Queen's Legacy.

AMERICAN GIRL, composed by Anna Held, published by The Sunday Examiner (San Francisco), April 3, 1893. The piece was arranged for piano and published by Eugene E. Schmitz, who became Mayor of San Francisco. (Mayor Schmitz’s own The Yankee Hustler is included Collection 5.)

ANNIE LAURIE(*), composed by Alicia Anne Spottiswoode in 1835. Although the tune was a favorite in America, it was composed in Scotland. With her marriage to Lord John Scott in 1836, the composer’s name became Lady Scott. For historical details on the real Annie Laurie and the composer, visit Henry's Songbook.

AS WE GO DOWN THE PIKE, composed by Ida Kroger, published by Val. A. Reis Music Co., St. Louis, 1903.

BAYADERE POLKA, composed by Christiane Manns, published in 1854. This polka is one of many composed in America during the polkamania that started with a Bohemian dance around 1830 and swept through the major cities of Europe prior to its introduction in New York in 1844. The word Bayadere derives from Bajadere, a dancing girl of India, dedicated from birth to a life of dancing, especially ritual dancing in temples.

BECAUSE I’M TWENTY FIVE(*), composed by Faustina Hassè Hodges (1823-1895), published by Edward L. Walker, Philadelphia, 1850. In 1852, the composer was professor of organ, piano, and singing at Troy Female Seminary. For information about the Hodges family, including Faustina’s brother, Johann Sebastian Bach Hodges, visit the George Hodges Collection at the Library of Congress. (The Troy Female Seminary, America’s first academic school for young women, is now the Emma Willard School; visit Emma Willard.) See also Dreams.

BLADE OF GRASS, composed by Gertrude Manley, published in New York, 1873. This piece is a galop, one of the dances, along with waltzes and polkas, that were quite common in the 1870’s.

BLESSED ASSURANCE(*), composed by Phoebe Palmer Knapp, a friend of prolific author of hymn-poetry, Fanny Crosby. Actually, the music preceded the words. Crosby wrote that Mrs. Knapp "played it over to me two or three times on the piano...she then asked me what it said, and I immediately replied, ‘Blessed Assurance.’" First published in 1873, and then brought to the masses with its publication in Gospel Hymns in 1887.

THE BLUE JUNIATA, composed by Mrs. Marion Dix Sullivan, 1841. The song is listed at American Memory as a great hit for the year 1844. Visit The Blue Juniata, a river in Pennsylvania.

BRAZOS BOAT SONG, composed by Mary Austin Holley. Mrs. Holley is a significant figure in the history of Texas, through which flows the Brazos River. Her father’s brother was Moses Austin, who conceived the idea of colonizing Texas with North Americans. His son (Mary’s cousin), Stephen F. Austin, carried out the colonization. The capital city of Texas is named in his honor. Mrs. Holley wrote descriptions of the Texas frontier in the 1830’s. It was during that decade that she published her only known musical composition, Brazos River Song. Only one archival copy is known to exist. It is preserved at the Center for American History at the University of Texas, in Austin. The song is dedicated to Mademoiselle Labranche, probably Elizabeth Melazie Labranche, whose daughter Mrs. Holley tutored in New Orleans. Much has been written about Mrs. Holley, including Rebecca Smith Lee’s Mary Austin Holley: A Biography, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1962. Visit Horace and May Austin Holley and Texas Heroes

CALIFORNIA POLKA, composed by Miss Julia W. Pomeroy, published by William Hall & Son, New York, 1849 (the year of the California Gold Rush). Dedicated to The New York Mining Company.

CALIFORNIA WALTZ(*), composed by Eliza R. Fitz, published by Oliver Ditson, Boston, 1849.

CANISTEO POLKA, composed by Louise J. Vorhis, published in Rochester, New York, 1877. Canisteo is a town in New York.

CHESAPEAKE WALTZ, composed by Mrs. E. H. Anderson, published in Baltimore, 1871.

CHOPSTICKS(*), deposited at the British Museum as The Celebrated Chop Waltz, February 3, 1877. During the next century, Chopsticks was played on pianos by millions of youngsters around the world, many of whom could play little else. As first published, the waltz was allegedly composed by Arthur de Lulli - a pseudonym of Euphemia Allen, then sixteen years old. Euphemia was the sister of Mozart Allen, of Glasgow, who was a co-publisher of the 1877 edition. The tune may have originated elsewhere, however, as it was also known in 1877 to the daughter of Russian composer Alexander Borodin. Fuld notes that “It is understood that in England the descending thirds are claimed to be an original work of Euphemia Allen.” Visit Chopsticks at Wikipedia

COME IN AND SHUT THE GATE, composed by Hattie Wise Andress, published by Chicago Music Co., 1885.

COME JOIN THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR(*), composed by Ella Lodge, 1886. The title refers to a railway strike and an appeal to railroad employee unions. To view the song with words and piano accompaniment, visit the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection.

COME UP HITHER, received by Anna White, in Daniel W. Patterson’s Nine Shaker Spirituals, 1964. Patterson includes biographical information about White (1831-1910) and places the reception of the distinctive tune Come Up Hither at Mt. Lebanon, New York, 1860. (In Shaker understanding, music was often received, rather than composed.)

CONCERT ON THE ROOF, composed by Sallie C. Massie published by M. Witmark & Sons, New York, 1896. The title is suggested by the first line of lyrics: “There’s a tom cat in our neighborhood who dearly loves to sing.”

CONTRASTS(*), composed by Irma Syva, published in Hartford, Connecticut, 1872.

CRAZY JANE(*), composed by Harriett Abrams (ca. 1758-ca. 1822). Miss Abrams was an English composer and singer. The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers indicates that her compositions were published in London, but the Levy collection includes two of her songs published in New York and Philadelphia, probably during 1800-1810. The Dictionary states that Matthew Gregory (‘Monk’) Lewis “wrote of how ‘the celebrated Miss Abrams’ made the first and most successful setting of Crazy Jane and sang it herself at fashionable parties.”

CRESCENT CITY MAZURKA, composed by Lottie V. Beckel, published by James C. Beckel, Louisiana, 1884. New Orleans is known as the Crescent City because of the crescent-shaped course of the Mississippi River around and through the city.

DANCE OF THE WARRIORS(*), composed by Amanda Ira Aldridge (1866-1956), published by Chappell & Co., London, 1913. This Dance is the final piece in a collection of three, the first two bearing the titles The Call to the Feast and Luleta's Dance. Aldridge, who published her compositions under the name Montague Ring, was the daughter of African-American actor Ira Frederick Aldridge and his second wife, the Swedish countess Amanda Von Brandt. Visit Ira Aldridge and Guide to the Aldridge Collection at Northwestern University.

DREAMS, composed by Faustina Hassè Hodges, published by William Hall and Son, New York, 1853. See Because I'm Twenty Five.

EGLANTINE, composed by Flora Sullivan Stewart, published by Benham Brothers, Indianapolis, 1872. The front cover indicates that this is a “Waltz Tyrolese,” a distinctive type associated with the Tyrol region of Austria. Eglantine, like other Tyrolean melodies, includes intervals found characteristic of Tyrolean yodeling. Eglantine is a kind of rose.

THE EIGHTH OF DECEMBER(*), composed by Miss H. Baird, included in The Dow Collection of Scottish Dance Music, Oak Publications, New York, 1986. The Fiddler’s Companion indicates that the piece is in the rare collection, Complete Tutor Violin, circa 1815.

FADED RED ROSE(*), composed by Florence Harper as A Faded Red Rose, Nothing More, published in 1881.

FADING AWAY, composed by Sallie C. Meason, published by Sherman & Hyde, San Francisco, 1877.

FEW DAYS(*), allegedly composed by Jenny Lind, and published in Cincinnati, 1854. Jenny Lind (1820-1887) was a Swedish-born opera singer of great fame. Her impact on American popular music stemmed in part from her eight-month tour to 93 American cities commencing in 1850. Although Lind is rarely described as a composer, the first page of Few Days states this: “Music by Jenny Lind.” Indeed, the second verse includes the phrase, “The words were made by Lucy Long…the music was set by Jenny Lind.” It seems likely, in this case, that Lind adapted a song already familiar to her audiences. (There are at least two other pieces of sheet music published in America that state Lind as composer, and other evidence suggests a possibility that she did indeed compose; if so, this seems not to be reliably documented.)

FIDDLE STICK(*), composed by Fannie S. Woodworth, published by J. Sage and Sons, Buffalo, New York, 1853.

FIRST VIOLET POLKA, composed by Elise E. Bower, published by F. A. North & Co., Philadelphia, 1880.

FLY AWAY(*), a quickstep composed by Florence Percy, published by J. L. Peters, St. Louis, 1884.

A FOND KISS, composed by Anna Preston, published by John Church & Co., Cincinnati, 1880.

GAVOTTE(*), composed by Helen Hopekirk (1856-1945), published by G. Schirmer, New York, 1884. Visit Women of Note: Helen Hopekirk.

GENERAL JACKSON’S NEW ORLEANS, composed by Marie Annette V. Thompson, published by Firth and Hall, New York, 1833, “in Commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans, 8th January 1815, Respectfully Dedicated to General Andrew Jackson, President of the United States.” Deposited for copyright on July 19, 1833. Assuming that the composer lived in the U.S., she was one of the earliest American women to publish original music. Little seems to be known about her. Another of her surviving compositions, Major General Morton's Grand March was published by Firth and Hall in 1834.

GOOD AS GOLD, composed by Florence Norvell, published by J. L. Peters, St. Louis, 1883.

GOOD MORNING TO YOU(*), based on Good Morning to All, a tune composed by Mildred Jane Hill (1859-1916) and first published with her sister Patty S. Hill in Song Stories for the Kindergarten, Chicago, 1893. The copyright copy was deposited in the Library of Congress on Oct. 16, 1893. After the poem “Happy Birthday” was matched to the tune, much controversy developed over the copyright; Happy Birthday, We'll Sue indicates that the song still fetches more than $1 million annually. As Mildred Hill composed one of the world’s best known melodies, it isn’t surprising to find another charming melody in her 1893 collection: Snowflakes. For a list of more than fifty movies in which the birthday song is used, visit Mildred J. Hill.

GOOD MORNING TO YOU IN NINE-EIGHT(*), based on the well known birthday tune composed by Mildred J. Hill. For access to interesting ethnic arrangements of the tune, visit Happy Birthday to You.

HE MELE LĀHUI HAWAI’I,(*) composed by Lili’uokalani, in 1866-67. Lili’uokalani herself writes,

In the early years of the reign of Kamehameha V he brought to my notice the fact that the Hawaiian people had no national air. Each nation, he said, but ours had its expression of patriotism and love of country in its own music; but we were using for the purpose on state occasions the time-honored British anthem “God Save the Queen.” This he desired me to supplant by one of my own composition. In one week’s time I notified the king that I had completed my task.”

The song is known as The Song of the Hawaiin Nation. See Aloha 'Oe.

HOLLYWOOD WALTZ(*), composed by Miss E. McCord of Mobile, Alabama, published by W. D. Snyder, Mobile, 1852.

HOOSIER RAG(*), composed by Julia Lee Niebergall (1886-1968), a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, where she worked as a pianist for silent movies. Hoosier Rag was published with an attractive front cover by Jerome H. Remick & Co., Detroit, 1907.

I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE MY NAME, composed by Miss Ouri, published by Henry Pilcher & Son, St. Louis, 1856. The composer’s name spells the name of the state in which the piece was published. W. W. Wakelam’s lyrics:

I would like to change my name,
And share another’s home,
With a heart that’s kind and true,
And one that would not roam;
For my schooling days are over,
The books are laid aside;
I’ve often been a bridesmaid,
‘Tis time I was a bride.

I’M ON MY JOURNEY HOME, composed by Sarah Lancaster, published in The Sacred Harp, 1859.

ILFRACOMBE L'ETE, composed by Mrs. M. Yates. This is one of a collection entitled Ilracombe Quadrilles, published by J. L. Hewitt & Co., New York, probably during 1830-1835. (See next two notes.) The front cover of this rare publication shows a seascape with buildings and boats at Ilfracombe, in Dover. Visit Ilfracombe.

ILFRACOMBE LA TRENISE, composed by Mrs. M. Yates, one of the pieces in lfracombe Quadrilles,described just above.

ILFRACOMBE PANTALON, composed by Mrs. M. Yates. This is a third of the quadrilles. The front cover shows that they were “Composed in honor of H. R. H. The Princess Victoria’s late visit to Ilfracombe and dedicated by Permission To Her Royal Highness by Mrs. M. Yates. ” (However, a searcher at the Royal Archives, located at Windsor Castle, tried unsuccessfully to find a record of the visit, or the permission, or a copy of the music.) A quadrille was a precursor to the modern square dance. Visit Quadrille.

ISLE OF BEAUTY, composed by Elise S. Hamilton, published as Isola Bella by A. Wundermann, New York, 1870.

IVA WALTZ, composed by Carrie Calvin, published by Will E. Reeves, Astabula, Ohio, 1885.

JEMMY OF THE GLEN(*), composed by Mary Ann Wrighten Pownall (ca. 1751-1796), born Mary Ann Matthews in London. Having become famous in London as an actress and opera singer, she moved to the United States and sang in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. She published eight songs in America as Mrs. Pownall, but only five of these are known to have survived. She is the earliest of the composers discussed in Judith Tick’s American Women Composers before 1870.

JOSEPHINE WALTZ(*), composed by Anna W. Poole (Mrs. J. T. Cook), published by J. Sage and Sons, Buffalo, New York, 1854.

JUANITA(*), composed by the Hon. Mrs. Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton (1808-1877), based on a theme of George Frederick Handel in his first opera, Almira, performed in 1705. First published in 1853 in England, and then often marketed as a Spanish folksong. Juanita was very popular in the U.S. during and after the Civil War. For information on Mrs. Norton, visit A Celebration of Women Writers.

KATY DID, KATY DIDN’T, composed by Mrs. Effie A. Parkhurst, published by Horace Waters, New York, 1864.

KELLEY, composed by Amanda Burdette Denson, 1908, and published in The Sacred Harp, 1991. See Pilgrim's Way.

LI’L’ JASMINE-BUD, composed by Lily Strickland (1887-1958) as one in a series of Bayou Songs, published by J. Fischer, New York, 1921.

LI’L LIZA JANE, composed by Ada De Lachau, published by Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco, 1916.

LITTLE DOLLY DRIFTWOOD(*), composed by Mabel McKinley, under the pseudonym Vivian Grey, by Leo Feist, New York, 1903. Miss McKinley was a niece of President William McKinley, and she sometimes served as hostess in the White House. The first verse (also by Miss McKinley):

One night a big policeman found a pretty little child,
Exhausted on a doorstep in the snow;
And when he gently roused her,
she looked up at him and smiled,
And faintly sobbed, "I have no place to go."
He took her to the station house,
but soon found her a home,
With good kind folks, whom she learned to adore.
Misfortune overtook them and again she had to roam,
And Dolly Driftwood drifted on once more.

LITTLE FLIRT WALTZ, composed by Miss H. Gardner, published by Root & Cady, Chicago, 1871.

MARY HAY, composed by Mrs. Bloodgood of Oakwood, Saratoga Country, New York, and published in 1833.

MARYLAND WALTZ, composed by Miss Spicer, published by George Willig, Jr., Baltimore, 1847.

MAYFLOWER GALOP(*), composed by Annie A. Gallagher, published in Boston, 1874.

MERRY HEART WALTZ(*), composed by Miss Dode Wise, published by John Church & Co., Cincinnati, 1871.

THE MIGNONETTI WALTZ, in The Garland, John Weippert’s Favorite set of Waltzes..composed by Miss Pocock and performed by his Band. The publication shows no date or publisher’s name, but could “be had of Mr. Weippert, Harpist to their Majesties, all the Royal Family, director of Band at Court,...” Weippert was active during 1820-1840.

MY LINDY LOU, composed by Lily Strickland, published by G. Schirmer in 1920.

NEW ORLEANS POLKA(*), composed by Emily L. Loud, published in Pennsylvania, 1851.

NEW YORK GALOP, composed by Mrs. H. W. Hills, published by her in New York, 1846.

NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY POLKA(*), composed by Delia B. Ward, published by H. M. Higgins, Chicago, 1859. Dedicated to the Officers of the Chicago North Western Railway. Visit Jscholarship.

OVER THE GREAT DIVIDE, composed by Edna Williams, published by Jos. W. Stern, New York, 1913, “Respectfully dedicated by the Composer to Her Mother.”

PERIWINKLE WALTZ(*), composed by Ella F. Locke, published in Cincinnati, 1873.

PETITE GAVOTTE(*), composed by Miss J. T. Draper, published by Ditson & Co., 1878. To view the original score for piano, visit the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection.

PILGRIM’S WAY, composed by Irene Parker Denson, 1959, published in The Sacred Harp, 1991. This melody is the tenor part of a four-part arrangement in shape-note notation. There are several singing organizations that perform part-songs published in the easily available 1991 edition of The Sacred Harp. Pilgrim's Way and Samaria from the 1991 edition are used in Collection 7 by permission of Sacred Harp Publishing Co., Inc.; visit The Original Sacred Harp.

THE PLAN OF LOVE(*), composed by Annie P. Lumsden, published by Boughton’s Music Store, Newark, New Jersey, 1902. The front cover depicts President McKinley with caption “McKinley’s Plan.”

THE PROMISED LAND(*), composed by Miss M. T. Durham and published in The Social Harp, 1855.

ROCK-A-BYE, BABY(*), composed by Effie Crockett in 1886, who wrote,

I was a young girl, scarcely 15 years old…when a lady...put her baby…near by and went away...I went over to the baby when it became restless and remembered the old Mother Goose rhyme...began to hum the words to an impromptu tune and the child went off to sleep again.

Miss Crockett became Mrs. Effie D. Canning Carlton, and her career included nearly thirty years as an actress. Her waltz-lullaby has been sung by millions of mothers.

ROLL ON(*), composed by Miss Cynthia Bass and published in The Sacred Harp, 1859.

ROLL ON SILVER MOON, composed by Jane Sloman (1824 – ?), published by Firth, Pond and Co., New York, 1841. Jane Sloman was born in England and moved to America is 1839. After 1862, her compositions were published under her married name, Jane Sloman Torry. Remembered as a composer, concert pianist, and singer, her most popular vocal melody is probably Roll On Silver Moon.

ROSEBUD(*), a waltz composed by Bessie Merz, published in Cleveland, Ohio, 1883.

ST. LOUIS POLKA, composed by Miss M. D. Nightingale and deposited in the U. S. Copyright office about noon on Nov. 1, 1854. To view that copy, visit American Sheet Music.

SAMARIA, composed by Maggie Denson-Cagle, 1936, and published in The Sacred Harp, 1991. See Pilgrim’s Way.

SCHERZO, composed by Clelia Solito, in her Musical Album, published by Firth, Pond, and Co, New York, 1851.

SHOE TIE POLKA, composed by Allie W. Sweet, published by White, Smith & Perry, Boston, 1870.

SILVER CUP WALTZ, composed by Julia C. Howe, published by H. J. Howe, Dunkirk, New York, 1872.

A SMILE AND A TEAR, composed by Harriett Abrams. Miss Abrams was an English composer and singer. The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers indicates that her compositions were published in London, but the Levy collection includes two of her songs published in New York and Philadelphia, probably during 1800-1810. See Crazy Jane.

SNOWFLAKES(*), composed by Mildred J. Hill. Miss Hill also composed the tune sung to the greeting Happy Birthday to You. Both tunes appear in Song Stories for the Kindergarten, Chicago, 1893. See Good Morning to You.

STACCATO POLKA(*), composed by Clara Gottschalk Peterson, published in 1909. Mrs. Peterson was the sister of the renowned pianist and composer, Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869).

STAR OF COLUMBIA,(*) composed by Miss M. T. Durham and published in The Social Harp, 1855.

SUNNY DAY,(*) composed by Mildred Jane Hill, published in Songs of Nature and Childlife, Clayton F. Summy Co., Chicago, 1898. Miss Hill also composed what is probably the world’s most often sung song. See GOOD MORNING TO YOU.

SWEET POETRY, composed by Mrs. Luther B. Wyman, published in 1846. Mrs. Wyman’s husband was President of the New York Sacred Music Society.

SWEET ROSIE O’GRADY, composed by Maude Nugent and published in 1896. To view the original, for voice and piano, visit the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection.

TEXAS COWBOY(*), by Mrs. Robert Thomson, published in Texas by Thomas Goggan & Brothers, 1886 and again in John A. Lomax’s Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads, 1915.

THERE’S A SIGH IN THE HEART, composed by Anne Fricker, published by Oliver Ditson, Boston, 1853.

TUNA VALLEY WALTZ, composed by Anna M. Beechline-Robertson, published in Boston, 1882. Tuna Valley extends from southern New York into northern Pennsylvania. The name comes from Tuna Creek, a local name for Tunungwant Creek.

TWENTY YEARS AGO, composed by Emilie Langlotz, published by A. Fiot, Philadelphia, 1852.

VIOLA POLKA(*), composed by Virginia Hart, dedicated to her sister, Viola. Published in New York, 1884.

WEDDING WALTZ(*), composed by Frances Isabella King and published in 1840. To view the original and other King waltzes, visit the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection.

WHEATLAND POLKA, composed by Ellen C. Morant, published in Baltimore, 1857. Wheatland is the name of President James Buchanan’ estate, and Morant dedicated her polka to Buchanan. Visit Wheatland.

WOMAN’S RIGHTS(*), composed by Kate Horn, published by Horace Waters, New York, 1853. For background on the woman’s rights movement with particular events during 1853, visit National Conventions.

YEARS AGO(*), composed by Mrs. N. H. Pierce, as A Year Ago, by Joseph Bloch, Mobile, Alabama, 1861.

YOU PRETTY LITTLE GIDDY FLIRT, composed by Miss Clennell, published by Fiot, Meignen & Co., Philadelphia, undated. The first page indicates that the lyrics are by J. L. Clennell. It seems likely that the poet was John Luke Clennell and that the piece was published between 1830 and 1845. Perhaps the composer was the poet’s daughter.

YOU’VE HIT A HOME RUN WITH ME, composed by Edna Williams, published by Jos. W. Stern, New York, 1911.



SOURCES FOR NOTES IN COLLECTION 7


James J. Fuld, The Book of World-Famous Music: Classical, Popular and Folk, Third Edition, Dover Publications, New York, 1985.

Raymond F. Glover, The Hymnal 1982 Companion (four volumes), The Church Hymnal Corporation, New York.

Judith Tick, American Women Composers before 1870, UMI Research Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1983.



WEBSITES


American Sheet Music Library of Congress
Library of Congress
Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection

Women Composers - Topics and Links
Women Composers and Women's Music, Indiana University School of Music
Women in American Song
Women Composers through the Ages
International Alliance for Women in Music
Wikipedia list of Women Composers

Instrumental Resources
American Recorder Society
National Flute Association
The Recorder Home Page



ACCESS TO THE OTHER COLLECTIONS

Clicking will take you to Historical Notes, and from there you can download solos as PDFs (except for Collection 2, for which all the solos are published commercially).

Historical Notes for Collection 1: African-American and Jamaican Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 2: Christmas Carols; click here for access to the carols.

Historical Notes for Collection 3: Irish Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 4: Americana to 1865

Historical Notes for Collection 5: Americana after 1865

Historical Notes for Collection 6: British Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 7: Melodies by Women

Historical Notes for Collection 8: Eastern European and Jewish Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 9: American Indian Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 10: Latin American Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 11: African Melodies

Historical Notes for Collection 12: Western European Melodies



SOUND RECORDINGS - CLICK AND LISTEN

From Collection 7

Because I'm Twenty Five (Faustina H. Hodges), soprano recorder

Fly Away (Florence Percy), tenor recorder

Little Dolly Driftwood (Mabel McKinley), alto recorder

The Plan of Love (Annie P. Lumsden), tenor recorder

Rock-a-Bye, Baby (Effie Crockett), soprano recorder

Rosebud (Bessie Metz), alto recorder

Snowflakes (Mildred Jane Hill), soprano recorder

Star of Columbia (Miss M. T. Durham), tenor recorder