An Afternoon in MIdway Plaisance. Fantasie for Piano. (cover)
Sheet music cover
Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University
Henry Detmer Music House, 103-109 Randolph St.
The Streets of Cairo, or, The Poor Little Country Maid (cover)
Sheet music cover image
Cover image of sheet music for "The Streets of Cairo, or, The Poor Little Country Maid," by James Thornton. James Thornton was an Irish-born comedian and songwriter who achieved moderate success on the vaudeville stage around the turn of the century; his most famous song was “When You Were Sweet Sixteen.” He found even greater success when he teamed up with the singer Lizzie Cox, whom he married. According to her biographer, “part of her job was to keep her husband from spending all his money on drink.” This song makes significant use of the “hoochie koochie” melody (here called “kutchy-kutchy”), and is credited with bringing the tune into popular currency. It was supposedly written by the entrepreneur Sol Bloom, who was the chief organizer of the Midway, but he borrowed the famous melody from a French song from the 1700s, which in turn can be traced to an earlier Algerian tune. This little melody would have a long life, partly because it went immediately into the public domain and was used liberally by cartoon and movie composers, usually to comic effect. We will hear it again on this album. Lizzie (who used the stage name Bonnie Thornton) performed “The Streets of Cairo” on vaudeville, and it was apparently a hit. The song was published in 1895, and makes reference to a popular novel just coming into circulation at that time, George de Maurier’s Trilby, which featured a beautiful young woman captured under the spell of a hypnotist named Svengali. Even though one goal of the Columbian Exposition was to promulgate a more positive image of the urban environment, this song presents a commonplace nineteenth-century narrative of an innocent young woman corrupted by the temptations of the city. In this regard, it was influenced by Trilby and other novels and plays of the era. Lyrics: I will sing you a song, and it won’t take very long, ‘Bout a maiden sweet, and she never would do wrong, Ev’ryone said she was pretty, she was not long in the city, All alone, oh what a pity, poor little maid. Chorus: She never saw the streets of Cairo, On the Midway she had never strayed, She never saw the kutchy kutchy Poor little country maid Verse 2: She went out one night, did this innocent divine, With a nice young man, who invited her to dine. Now he’s sorry that he met her, now he never will forget her In the future he’ll no better, poor little maid. Chorus Verse 3: She was engaged as a picture for to pose To appear each night, in abbreviated clothes. All the dudes were in a flurry, for to catch her they did hurry One who caught her now is sorry, poor little maid. Chorus Verse 4: She was much fairer far than Trilby, Lots of more men sorry will be, If they don’t try to keep away From this poor little country maid. Chorus
Johns Hopkins University, The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection, Box 144, Item 23. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:144.023a
Image courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University
Cover image of sheet music for "The Viking March," by H. C. Verner
32278009993068: The Viking March, Charles H. Templeton, Sr. sheet music collection. Special Collections, Mississippi State University Libraries. http://digital.library.msstate.edu/cdm/ref/collection/SheetMusic/id/11841
The Ferris Wheel March and Two Step (cover)
Cover image and audio recording of "The Ferris Wheel March and Two Step, by Samuel Lapin. Cover image includes a photo by J.B. Quirk Cut Co. of decorated ferris wheels and an unattributed photo of Lapin
Lapin, Samuel. Reinhart, C. W., arranger.
The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 170, Item 141. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:170.141
Shoneman Bro's Music Department, Philadelphia, PA.
Courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University.
Cover image for sheet music, "Chicago Day Waltz," by George Valisi
The Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs, Special Collections Research Center, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno. Item no. EXP893.6m http://cdmweb.lib.csufresno.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/worldsfair/id/6935/rec/18
Image courtesy of the Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs, Special Collections Research Center, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno.
Reja Dorada (The Golden Gate) Polka (cover)
Sheet music cover image for "Reja Dorada. (The Golden Gate.) Polka"
The Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs, Special Collections Research Center, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno. Item no. EXP893.13m http://cdmweb.lib.csufresno.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/worldsfair/id/6996/rec/19
Three Italian Songs by George Valisi (cover)
Cover image of sheet music for "Santa Lucia," "Finiculi-Finicula," and "L’addio a Napoli" ("Adieu to Naples")
Valisi, George, arranger Braga, G., composer of "Santa Lucia" Denza, L., composer of "Finiculi-Finicula" Cottovan, C., composer of "L’addio a Napoli" ("Adieu to Naples")
The Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs, Special Collections Research Center, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno. Item no. EXP893.11m http://cdmweb.lib.csufresno.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/worldsfair/id/6981/rec/14
The Ferris Wheel Souvenir Waltz-Polka (cover)
Cover image of sheet music for "The Ferris Wheel Waltz and Polka," with lithographic image by Orcutt Co., Chicago.
Valisi, George, composer Clyde, Harry C., lyrics
The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 170, Item 42. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:170.142
Image used courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University.
Cover image of sheet music for "The Song of the Ferris Wheel" by George Schleiffarth.
Schleiffarth, George, composer Struges, M. A., lyricist
Library of Congress, ihas.100008815 (LOC)
The Song of the Ferris Wheel (cropped) (cover)
Album Cover for "Souvenir Music from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893" (cover)
CD album Cover for "Souvenir Music from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893"
Cover image from sheet music for "Midway Plaisance" by Dennis Mackin and W.T. Jefferson
Sheet music cover image courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 142, Item 61. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:142.061
M. Witmark & Sons, 51 West 28th Street, New York
Cover image for sheet music "Columbian Polka" by Lillian Beatrice Mathewson, with an inscription in cursive reading, "Dedicated by permission to Mrs. Potter Palmer, President, board of Lady Managers at the World's Columbian Exposition"--Cover
Oregon Digital, Music ShColl 025488: https://oregondigital.org/catalog/oregondigital:2227mp670#page/3/mode/1up
Chicago World's Exposition Grand March (cover)
Cover image of sheet music for "Chicago World's Exposition Grand March" by Victor Vogel
Courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 170, Item 61. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:170.061
Columbus, or World's Fair Grand March (cover)
Cover image of sheet music for "Columbus, or World's Fair Grand March," by Frank Drayton
Library of Congress, ihas ihas.100001318 https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100001318/
The World's Fair, or, Chicago Dudes' March (cover)
Cover image of sheet music for "The World's Fair, or, Chicago Dudes' March" by Adam Geibel
32278009993118: The World's Fair, or, Chicago Dudes' March, Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Sheet Music Collection. Special Collections, Mississippi State University Libraries.
An Afternoon in Midway Plaisance (cover image)
Gustav Luders (sometimes spelled “Lueders”, 1865–1913) was a minor composer of operettas in the late nineteenth century. Born and trained in Germany, he immigrated first to Milwaukee in 1888 and then became a musical theater director and composer in Chicago the following year. At the time of the Fair, his star was on the rise, and he a number of his operettas appeared on Broadway in the early 1900s before his popularity waned. While this piece was clearly written for piano, the music’s cover announces it was played with “phenomenal success” by the Schiller Theater Orchestra, indicating that this is most likely an arrangement. The music describes a typical journey through the Midway and in some ways anticipates the character of silent movie music written in the 19-teens and 1920s.
Cover image for sheet music to "An Afternoon in Midway Plaisance" by Gustav Luders
The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 170, Item 4. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:170.004
Courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 170, Item 4.
Echoes from the White City - Waltz (cover)
Cover image of sheet music for "Echoes from the White City," by Edward Holst.
The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, The Sheridan Libraries, The Johns Hopkins University, Box 170, Item 126. http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/catalog/levy:170.126
Cover image for sheet music to "The Last Day of the Fair" by Frank Swain
Library of Congress, ihas.100003528 https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100003528/
An MP3 recording of the song "Streets of Cairo" lasting 2 min. and 46 secs. long.
White, Chris (piano) Jungwirth, Brad (voice)
An MP3 recording of the song "The Chicago Day Waltz" lasting 3 mins. and 57 secs. long.
An MP3 recording of the song "The Viking March" lasting 2 mins. and 23 secs long.
Reja Dorada (The Golden Gate Polka) (mp3)
An MP3 recording of the song "Reja Dorada" lasting 3 mins. and 8 secs. long.
An MP3 recording of the song "Finiculi-Finicula" lasting 1 min. and 47 secs. long.
White, Chris (piano) Carter, Kate (violin)
L'Addio a Napoli (Farewell to Naples) (mp3)
An MP3 recording of the song "L'Addio a Napoli" lasting 1 min. and 55 secs. long.
An MP3 recording of the song of "Santa Lucia" lasting 2 mins. and 34 secs. long.
The Ferris Wheel March and Two-Step (mp3)
An MP3 recording of the song "The Ferris Wheel March and Two-Step" lasting 2 mins. and 16 secs. long.
The Ferris Wheel Souvenir Waltz-Polka (mp3)
An MP3 recording of the song "The Ferris Wheel Waltz" lasting 4 mins. and 19 secs. long.
White, Chris (piano) Jungwirth, Brad (vocals)
An MP3 recording of the song "The Song of the Ferris Wheel" lasting 4 mins. and 17 secs. long.