A Piano Dreams

 

We've all seen that look.
It's an unfocused, often pleasant, gaze

into a distant undefined space.
It's the very essence of any teenager 
pondering their future.

Young ladies can be very thoughtful
when considering the mysteries
of their romantic fortune.
However in my experience
boys are usually not thinking
about anything as remotely profound.

Often these adolescent daydreams
are accompanied by music.
And once upon a time
those reflective soulful melodies
did not come from revolving discs
or streaming digital files
but were created by hand,
played over and over and over.

Long ago in some unknown place
this young woman posed for her portrait
seated at her instrument, an upright piano.
She rests her head on her hand 
with a far-away stare and a Mona Lisa like smile.
What is her dream about?

Orvetta Waltz
 Oliver Ditson Company, Boston, 1892
Source: Lester S. Levey Sheet Music Collection

The sheet music on her piano is carefully arranged and two of the titles are visible and in focus. The piece on the left is the Orvetta Waltz by composer E. B. Spencer. It was published by the Oliver Ditson Company of Boston in 1892, though I found the title in an 1879 musical journal. It was one of thousands of dances and songs composed in the late 19th century for the growing market of amateur pianists. Mr. E. B. Spencer's waltz (unfortunately I've not discovered his forenames.) was later included in piano anthology collections, and evidently the melody is still remembered in the repertoire of country fiddlers. Here is a rendition that I found on YouTube. 

Down Among the Sugar-Cane
 The Gotham Attucks Music Co., NYC, 1908
Source: Lester S. Levey Sheet Music Collection

The centerpiece chosen by the young pianist is a song entitled Down Among the Sugar-Cane

with lyrics by Avery and Hart and music composed by Cecil Mack and Chris Smith. It was published in 1908 by the Gotham Attucks Music Co. or New York City. It's an example of the clichéd "Southland" songs popularized in minstrel shows. Though the lyrics are not overtly racist, it does use a condescending dialect form which was common in this era for most songs that portrayed a sentimental southern culture. The song was recorded in 1909 by the Edison Standard Record Co. with Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan performing. Here is that recording uploaded to YouTube.

The song Down Among the Sugar-Cane remained popular enough to be featured in a 1932 Fleischer Studio cartoon with vocalist Lillian Roth. The Fleischer Studios was a pioneer American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer. They produced hundreds of popular cartoons with sound  that played American cinemas. Among the company's many well-known characters were Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Bimbo, Popeye the Sailor, and the comic character Superman. 

This young lady's name,
her hometown, and personal history are unknown.
All that remains is a picture of her graceful charm
and the echo of the music she once played. 

This is my contribution to Sepia Saturday

where uncommon portraits are pretty common.