George L. Spaulding (December 26, 1864 – June 1, 1921) was an American composer, songwriter, 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
Spaulding was born in Newburgh, New York.[3] His full name was George Lawson Spaulding.[4] Spaulding's mother was Mary Spaulding, née Lee.[5][6][7] William Douglas Spaulding, his father, was a pattern maker by trade and also a well known singer in the local area who appeared in amateur comic opera productions.[8][a] George was a paternal grandson of John D. Spaulding, the founder of the Newburgh Gazette, and the Newburgh Journal.[10][1] At around the age of eleven, he used to create rhymes to songs known by his father.[11] Spaulding studied piano with local teachers,[2] and became proficient enough to accompany his father's singing. When he became old enough to leave school, Spaulding worked in the local music store at Newburgh.[11]
Career
At the age of sixteen he moved to Brooklyn, where he worked in the music store of the Oliver Ditson Company,[11] and studied harmony for a short time with an organist.[2]
He began to develop a talent for writing lyrics and composing.[12] Spaulding composed the song "Home would be lonely without thee mother", in 1883, with Mary Lee as the lyricist.[13] Also 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)".[14] Between 1884 and 1885, several other songs were published with George Spaulding as the composer and his father as the lyricist.[15][16][17][18][19] A piano piece by Spaulding was published in 1884, titled "Jim Blaine's Galop". On the front cover of the sheet music was written "Jim Blaine of Maine. His Galop To The White House". It referred to James G. Blaine, who ended up being narrowly defeated in the 1884 United States presidential election.[20] His piano pieces "Rapido Polka", and "Ocean Beauties: Waltzes", were published in 1884 and 1885 respectively.[21][22] George Spaulding was the composer and lyricist of "Her Parting Words To Me", in 1885.[23] Also in 1885, he composed the song "He's English And So Sweet", with words by J. W. Turner, and was the composer of a separate piano arrangement of it.[24][25]
He left the Oliver Ditson Company, and opened a music shop in Brooklyn with George A. kornder[26] under the firm name of Spaulding & Kornder.[11] The store was located at 487 Fulton Street.[27] By 1888, Spaulding & Kornder had also become music publishers operating from that address.[28] They had success with the publishing of the song "Down Went McGinty", in 1889.[29][30]
In 1891, under the pseudonym of Henry Lamb, he was the lyricist and composer of "My Mary Green".[31] George sold all the rights of this song to a music publisher named Frank Harding for only $15. It was very popular all over the United States, and also in England.[11][3]
In 1893 George Spaulding formed a music publishing partnership with William B. Gray.[32] The address of the business was at 16 West 27th Street, New York.[33] 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.[34] Spaulding and Gray published it in 1893 and the song made $35,000.[b] 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.[32][36] Among songs that they each composed together and were popular included "The Volunteer Organist",[3][c] "Carrie (That's My Darling Carrie)",[11][33] "Take Back the Engagement Ring", and "When You Know The Girl You Love, Loves You".[12][38]
At Gilsey House on 11 June 1895, at the inaugural meeting of the Music Publishers' Association of the United States, he was elected as their vice-president.[39] He was elected again to that position on 9 June 1896.[40]
By 1897, Spaulding had set up a business as a music publisher under his own name at 29 East 20th Street, New York.[41] Songs that were written, composed, and published by himself from that address between 1897 and 1900, included "Somebody Has My Heart",[42] "In An Old New England Village By The Sea",[43] and "Pretty Jessie Moore".[44]
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 and personal life
He married Eva Bronson Wood, on 2 July 1889 in New York.[45][4][3] They were introduced via his business partner, Kornder, as she was a friend of Kornder's sister. Spaulding and his wife had two children.[11]
^In 1882 William had a song published called "My Mother's Own Refrain", which he composed and had written the lyrics to.[9]
^This song had also been published by Spaulding & Kornder in 1893.[35]
^This was published in 1893 under the firm name of W.B. Gray & Co. The sheet music does credit Spaulding as the composer, and Gray as the lyricist.[37]
^ abcde"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.
^ ab"A Schermerhorn Street Wedding. The Marriage of Mr. George L. Spaulding and Miss Eva B. Wood". Brooklyn Eagle. 7 July 1889. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
^Headley, Russel, ed. (1908). The History of Orange County, New York. New York: Van Deusen And Elms. p. 689. Retrieved 6 October 2024 – via Internet Archive.
^Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1870 to 1885 Collection. "(Notated Music) Jim Blaine's Galop, (1884)". Library of Congress, Music Division. Retrieved 7 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1870 to 1885 Collection. "(Notated Music) Rapido Polka, (1884)". Library of Congress, Music Division. Retrieved 7 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^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.
^ ab"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) The Fatal Wedding, (1893)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
^Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(Notated Music) Somebody Has My Heart, (1897)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
^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.
