Theodore Morse
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Theodore Morse | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | May 25, 1924 | (aged 51)
Education | Maryland Military and Naval Academy |
Occupation | Composer |
Spouse | Theodora Morse |
Theodore F. Morse (April 13, 1873 – May 25, 1924) was an American composer of popular songs.
Biography
[edit]Born in Washington, D.C., Morse was educated at the Maryland Military and Naval Academy. He went on to study both violin and piano. He and his wife, Theodora Morse, became a successful songwriting team for Tin Pan Alley. Listed as Terriss & Morse, they were one of the earliest Tin Pan Alley husband-wife songwriting teams.[1]
Morse died from pneumonia in New York City on May 25, 1924.[2]
His song "Blue Bell, the Dawn is Waking..." became popular in Germany shortly after WW1 due to its marching rhythm. In 1920, Erich Tessmer wrote German lyrics,[3] and the song was performed by the Freikorps. Then the German Stormtroopers used it as their march with new lyrics "Kamerad, reich mir die Hände";[4] another version of the lyrics was used by their opponents, the Rotfront ("Hunger in allen Gassen").[5] When the Nazis came to power, they used the song as a Hitler Youth march with a newer version of lyrics "Deutschland, du Land der Treue".[6]
Partial list of songs
[edit]- 1902 "Two Little Boys", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1903 "Dear Old Girl", lyrics by Richard Henry Buck
- 1903 "Nautical Nonsense (Hurrah for Baffin's Bay!)" from The Wizard of Oz, lyrics by Vincent Bryan
- 1903 "It Takes the Irish to Beat the Dutch", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1904 "Blue Bell", lyrics by Edward Madden and Theodora Morse
- 1905 "Daddy's Little Girl", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1907 "I Want to be a Merry, Merry Widow", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1908 "Down in Jungle Town", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1908 "I've Taken Quite a Fancy to You", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1908 "The Old Time Rag", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1908 "Stupid Mister Cupid", lyrics by Edward Madden
- 1909 "Blue Feather", lyrics by Jack Mahoney
- 1911 "Another Rag", lyrics by Theodora Morse
- 1911 "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner" words and music by Earl Carroll, Arthur Fields & Theodore F. Morse
- 1913 "Down in Monkeyville", lyrics by Grant Clarke & Edgar Leslie
- 1913 "Salvation Nell", lyrics by Grant Clarke & Edgar Leslie
- 1915 "If They'd Only Fight the War with Wooden Soldiers", lyrics by Bert Fitzgibbon[7]
- 1915 " M-O-T-H-E-R", lyrics by Howard Johnson
- 1915 "Soldier Boy, lyrics by D.A. Esrom[8]
- 1916 "Good Old U.S.A.", lyrics by Jack Drislane[7]
- 1917 "Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here" with Arthur Sullivan (lyrics by D. A. Esrom)[7]
- 1917 "My Red Cross Girlie (The Wound Is Somewhere in My Heart)", lyrics by Harry Bewley[7]
- 1917 "Sing Me Love's Lullaby", lyrics by Theodora Morse (as Dorothy Terriss)
- 1917 "Our Lanky Yankee Boys in Brown", lyrics by Edward Madden and Robt. F. Roden[8]
- 1917 "Throw No Stones in the Well That Gives You Water", lyrics by Arthur Fields[8]
- 1917 "We'll Knock the Heligo - Into Heligo Out of Heligoland!", lyrics by John O'Brien[8]
- 1918 "Mother Here's Your Boy" with Sidney D. Mitchell and Archie Gottler[7]
- 1918 "When a Blue Service Star Turns to Gold", lyrics by Casper Nathan[8]
- 1918 "When I get Back to My American Blighty", lyrics by Arthur Fields[8]
- 1923 "Cut Yourself a Piece of Cake", lyrics by Billy James
- 1924 "Don't Blame It All on Me", lyrics by Theodora Morse & Leo Wood
- 1924 "Monkey Doodle", lyrics by Theodora Morse & Leo Wood
(all music by him only unless when stated otherwise)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Dorothy Terriss (lyricist) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". Adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ "Broadway Song Writer Dies Just Before His Pals Plan Surprise". The Binghamton Press. New York. Associated Press. May 27, 1924. p. 9. Retrieved March 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Blau Äugelein du mußt scheiden - Volkslieder-Archiv". September 18, 1904.
- ^ Hakenkreuz am Stahlhelm / Kamerad reich mir die Hände
- ^ "Hunger in allen Gassen (Rote Frontsoldaten) - Volkslieder-Archiv". July 24, 1928.
- ^ Heil Deutschland / Deutschland du Land der Treue / Blue Bell the dawn is waking
- ^ a b c d e Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music - Volume 1. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 198, 209, 267, 422, 438. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7.
- ^ a b c d e f Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music - Volume 2. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 502, 593, 700, 762, 773, 775. ISBN 978-0-7864-2799-4.
External links
[edit]- Free scores by Theodore Morse at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Free scores by Theodore Morse in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Sheet Music for "M-O-T-H-E-R: A Word That Means the World to Me"; music by Theodore F. Morse; lyrics by Howard E. Johnson; Leo Feist, Inc., 1915
- Sheet music for "'Lizabeth Ann: A Southern Love Song", New York: Theodore Morse Co., 1911. From Wade Hall Sheet Music Collection
- Theodore F. Morse recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.