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Carlton:
Thanks for getting in touch again.
Your sheet music piece is one of the older ones for rowing memorabilia and, as you suggest, it is also one of the earliest images of amateur rowing in the U.S. (actually, it's pretty early for anywhere).
I've got that piece in my collection - here's my list of the rowing sheet music in my collection through 1852, ending, appropriately, with Row, Row, Row Your Boat (there's a lot more after that, too, but this is the earlier stuff). The earliest rowing sheet music of which I am aware is a piece in the Falk/Stearns Collection at the National Rowing Foundation, which is “My Bark is My Courser”, dedicated to the New York Boat Club, and published by John B. Pendleton in New York in 1831. It has a lith of an unmanned gig on the cover.
You can see a bunch of these at the rowing history exhibition at the Rowing Hall of Fame at Mystic Seaport - come on up and I'll give you a tour.
I would like to continue this conversation.
Best, Tom
1836 “Light May the Boat Row”
o “Duett/ Sung with the most enthusiastic applause by/ Mrs. and Miss Watson/ At the Park Theatre, Concerts &c./ Written by Jonas B. Phillips,
Esqre./ The Music arranged from a Northumbrian Melody, the Additions and accompaniments composed and respectfully dedicated to the/ Amateur Boat Club association by J. Watson,/ This Celebrated Melody has been sung by the above Ladies in London, Dublin,
Edinburg, Paris, Brussels &c. with unprecedented applause having been usually called for and repeated three times on each evening of its performance./ New York, Published at Atwill’s Music Saloon” [b/w lith [no attrib] showing coxed pair-oared club boats by Castle Garden, and a host of small oared, sailing and steam vessels in the harbor; cover plus [4 pp.]
mwl; eataoc 1836 John Watson SDNY; ref: L. Long/Levy?, GRACE NOTES, p. 155; ref: 1985
PMMex, number 32 at p. [19]; ref: 1990 GAGex, TEW image listed as number 56; ref: 1996Ex, TEW item reproduced as Figure 10 on p. 29; ref: Cooper, TEW image reproduced as Figure 2 on p. 168]
o [as above, with “Second Edetion [CHECK].” at top of first page of music.] 10/07
o [as above, with variants in spelling and placement of lines and “dedicated to the New York Boat Clubs”; lith is similar to, but a variant of, above, and within oblong frame with “A.E. Baker’s
Lithg.”; this may be the first issue; 5 pp. mwl; 2nd (cover only); 3rd Image 11.6cm x 18.2cm Sheet 34.2cm x 26.0cm 2/01]
o “5th Edition. A Duet, as sung by Mrs. & Miss Watson,/ Written by
J.B. Phillips,/ Arranged by J. Watson./ New York, Published at Atwill’s Music Saloon” [b/w lith [by Endicott, N.Y.] view of coxed four-oared club boats by Castle Garden, and a few large sailing and steam vessels in the harbor; 5 pp.
mwl; eataoc 1836 J.F Atwill SDNY]
1837 “Hark, Brothers
Hark!/ A/ Regatta Song & Chorus/ Written by/
J.H. Willis/ Music Composed & Dedicated/ to the/ Boat Clubs of the United States/ by/ John H. Hewitt./ Price 50
Cts./ Philadelphia, Geo. W. Hewitt & Co. 5 pp. no illus;
mwl; eataoc 1837John F. Nunns EDPA] 34.7cm x 26.3cm [McBlain Books 3300 11/08/08]
1838 “Our Boat Sets Lightly on the Wave”
[b/w lith by N. Currier which is a simplified variant of the scene for the foregoing three items: in the foreground only a coxed eight in a cutter with a banner labelled “American” and a coxed pair in a cutter with a banner labelled “Romp”; 3 pp.
mwl; “A Duet and Trio, Written Composed and Arranged and Respectfully dedicated to the New York Boat Clubs, by William Clifton”; eataoc 1838 Thomas Birch
SDNY; ref: 1984 UCSBex, reproduced as Fig. 24 at p. 26]
1838 “Old Rosin the Beau” [b/w lith by Wild & Chevalier showing a coxed eight in a barge with a banner labelled “Falcon” with [waterworks?] on the far left shore; 5 pp.
mwl; “Favorite Comic Song Dedicated with much respect to the members of the Falcon Barge by the Publisher. Arranged by J.C.
Beckell. Philadelphia, Osbourn’s Music Saloon” (the lyrics have much in common with those of the old cowboy lament, “Streets of Laredo”); eataoc 1838
J.G. Osbourn EDPa; ref: 1985 PMMex, number 35 on p. [19]] 34.2cm x 25.7cm
1840 “Arouse Ye Gay Comrades”
[b/w lith by “Thayer, successor to Moore, Boston”; coxed eight with man holding pole in bow of cutter named “Tiger” in public [Boston?] gardens; 6 pp.
mwl; “A Song and Chorus dedicated to the Tiger Boat Club. written by Thomas Power, Esq. the music composed by Jos. Philip Knight./ Boston. Published by Parker & Ditson”; eataoc 1840 Parker & Ditson Mass] $100
[MSM 2005 xred 2005.110.170**] 34.0cm x 25.4cm [2nd 220393395821 6699 16/04/09; x 110056047465 NS@12500 21/11/06]
1843 “Oh! Boatman Haste!”
[b/w lith. by Thayer & Co’s showing wherry with boatman, and couple in stern, at twilight; 8 pp.
mwl; “A Popular Western Refrain. The Poetry written and respectfully dedicated to Mrs. Charles F.
Dennet, of Boston, by George P. Morris. The Music arranged from the well known Melody of “Dance, Boatmen Dance” by George
Loder/ New York, Published at Atwill’s”; eataoc 1843
J.F. Atwill SDNY] RL
1846 “Mahopac Lake Waltz”
[b/w lith by G. & W. Endicott after Charles Parsons (1821-1910) showing coxed six in a cutter on lake; 3 pp.
mwol; “Club Boat Gazelle/ Composed and respectfully dedicated to The Amateur Cornet Club, by Allen
Dodworth./ New York. Published by Firth, Pond & Co.”; eataoc 1846 Firth & Hall
SDNY] 33.2cm x 25.9cm
1847 “Row Thy Boat Lightly” [no cover; 2 pp.
mwl; “Words by Miss H.F. Woodman The Music Composed and Respectfully Inscribed to Mrs.
R.S. Jameson (of Hartford) by I.B. Woodbury./ Boston. Published by Oliver Ditson”; eataoc 1847 Prentiss & Clark Mass]
1849 “Brightly, Boys, Brightly. A Rowing Quartett”
[b/w lith by J.H. Bufford & Co. showing coxed four in cutter in coastal harbor with lighthouse and mountain behind town; 5 pp.
mwl; “Written and Composed by Marshall S. Pike, Esq. of the Harmoneons and Dedicated to his Esteemed Friend
T.F. Oakes, M.D. of Boston, Mass./ Published by A. & J.P. Ordway”; eataoc 1849 A. & J.P. Ordway Mass] 33.0cm x 25.7cm
[1850?] “Boatman Dance”
[no pic; n.d.; no pub. line; 5 pp mwol; “Arranged as Rondinos for the Piano by
Ferd. Beyer/ Philadelphia. A Fiot/ New York. W. Dubois] RL
1852 “Row, row [sic; lyrics of chorus give familiar three “row, row, row”] your boat or the Old Log Cabin”
[no illus on cover; 5 pp. mwl; “as sung by Master Adams of Kunkels Nightingale Opera Troupe/ Music by R. Sinclair. Composer of Ben Bolt etc./ New York. Published by Firth, Pond & Co.”; eataoc 1852 Firth, Pond & Co.
SDNY] 33.2cm x 25.7cm |
