George Spaulding
George L. Spaulding (December 26, 1864 – June 1, 1921) was an American composer, lyricist, and a successful publisher of music.[1] He also composed operettas for children, and easy piano pieces and technical books for elementary level students.[2]
Family and early life
[edit]Spaulding was born in Newburgh, New York. His father, William Douglass Spaulding, was a pattern maker by trade, and also a well known singer in the local area who appeared in amateur comic opera productions.[3] George was a paternal grandson of John D. Spaulding, the founder of the Newburgh Journal.[1] At around the age of eleven, he used to create rhymes to songs known by his father.[4] Spaulding studied piano with local teachers,[2] and became proficient enough to accompany his father's singing. After leaving school, Spaulding worked in the local music store at Newburgh.[4]
Career
[edit]At the age of sixteen he moved to Brooklyn, where he worked in the music store of the Oliver Ditson Company,[4] and studied harmony for a short time with an organist.[2] He began to develop a talent for writing lyrics and composing.[5] In 1883, one of Spaulding's composed songs appeared in a book, with lyrics by his father. This song was called "Sail Ho! (A Sea Song)".[6] He left the Oliver Ditson Company, and opened a music shop in Brooklyn under the firm name of Spaulding & Kornder.[4] In 1891, under the pseudonym of Henry Lamb, he was the lyricist and composer of "My Mary Green".[7] George sold all the rights of this song to a music publisher named Frank Harding for only $15. It was however, very popular all over the United States, and also in England. The success of the song encouraged Spaulding to go into the music publishing business himself with Kornder, adding this arm to their music store business.[4] In 1893 George Spaulding formed a music publishing partnership with William B. Gray.[8] Their first success came with the song "Two Little Girls In Blue". Gray purchased the rights of the song from its composer Charles Graham, for just ten dollars, changed the music and words of the original song, but still credited Graham with being the author.[9] Spaulding and Gray published it in 1893 and the song made $35,000. In the same year, Gray bought the rights to the song "The Fatal Wedding" from Gussie Davis, for just $25 and rewrote it. Spaulding and Gray published it, crediting Davis as the composer and the money generated from the sales of that song, was also extremely high.[8][10] Among their other best known published songs that were popular included "The Volunteer Organist", "Take Back the Engagement Ring", and "When You Know The Girl You Love, Loves You".[5][11] In 1900, Spaulding composed a song called "Pretty Jessie Moore", which was sung by the Hawthorne Sisters.[12]
George Spaulding also had a great talent for writing simple piano pieces with effective harmony and well defined melodies. Some of the most popular examples of these were: "Sing, Robin", "Sing - Pretty Little Song Bird", "Airy Fairies", "Child's Good Night", "Dollie's Dream", "June Roses", "Just a Bunch of Flowers", "Mountain Pink" and "Dreaming Poppies".[2]
Spaulding's Tunes and Rhymes for the Playroom, Souvenirs of the Masters, and Well Known Fables Set to Music were among the most widely used collections of easy piano pieces in book form. A Day in Flowerdom and The Isle of Jewels, which were two little operettas for children, written by Spaulding, were also very popular. His easy piano pieces, and elementary technical books, played an important role in developing music education for children.[2]
Marriage
[edit]He married Eva Bronson Wood, on 2 July 1889 in New York.[13][4]
Death
[edit]George Spaulding died at Roselle Park, New Jersey.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "George Spaulding Visits His Old Home. The Great Success of "Henry Lamb"". Newburgh Daily Journal. Vol. XXXII, no. 9620. 21 October 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e "George L. Spaulding 1864 - 1921". The Etude. Vol. XXXIX, no. 7. New York: Theodore Presser Company. July 1921. p. 446. Retrieved 30 September 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Obituary. William Douglass Spaulding". Newburgh Daily Journal. Vol. XXXIII, no. 9882. 29 August 1894. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f "A Famous Song Writer. He Is A Newburgh Boy". Newburgh Daily Journal. Vol. XXXIII, no. 10031. 23 February 1895. p. 3. Retrieved 3 October 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "George L. Spaulding Dies". The Music Trades. Vol. LXI. New York. 11 June 1921. p. 50. Retrieved 30 September 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Pond, William A (1883). Naval Songs: A Collection of Original, Selected, and Traditional Sea Songs. New York: Wm. A Pond & Co. pp. 50–51. Retrieved 30 September 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(notated music) My Mary Green, (1891)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Untitled". Baltimore Sunday Herald. No. 2009. 13 October 1901. p. 30. Retrieved 3 October 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(notated music) Two little girls in blue, (1893)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(notated music) The fatal wedding, (1893)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ a b "George L. Spaulding". The Reading Eagle. No. 128. 4 June 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 3 October 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(notated music) Pretty Jessie Moore, (1900)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "George Spaulding and Eva Wood, 2 July 1889 in New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938, database". 11 March 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024 – via FamilySearch.
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