1930s ALAN LOMAX arrange French folk/popular music copyist Nelson Sprackling

Description

[ALAN LOMAX ARRANGED 2 MANUSCRIPT COPYIST COPIES, LE PORTRAIT FRENCH FOLK SONG/ROMANCE, ca. 1939] ALAN LOMAX, 1915-2002, renowned American folk music historian, recorder, and archivist, TWO 3-PAGE SHEET MUSIC MANUSCRIPT/HANDWRITTEN COPYIST VERSIONS OF “LE PORTRAIT”
, a latter 18th century French folk song/popular music romance whose music and lyrics said to be composed by Marie Antoinette, 9-1/2” x 12”, 4 pages (one folded sheet) with title page, music on 2 middle pages, last page blank, each with note on front page “arranged by A. L.” and repeated on second page below the title,
the two pieces are: (1)
“Le Portrait, arranged by A. L., Key of C.”, score/music only, no lyrics, and
(2)
“Le Portrait arranged by A. L. Key of D [minor using musical symbol]”, score/music and lyrics of three stanzas,
note in lower right front cover “Boosey Co., 9 E.17th St.” New York City, known address of Boosey & Co., indicating this Alan Lomax arrangement copied by Nelson Spracking was presumably meant for publication
by this leading music publisher which later becoming Boosey & Hawkes published editions of popular music and folk music from the 1890s throughout the 1900s, one such book of collected music was “Folk Song Arrangements. Volume 2: France (1946); the
copyist for each arrangement was Nelson Sprackling
as indicated by his name stamp in script in purple ink at the top of the front page of each, with his handwriting for titling and reference to Alan Lomax (A. L.) on the front pages and at the top of the second pages comparing with the script of the stamp and also comparing with Sprackling handwriting in online pictures of letters of Sprackling to Lomax at the Library of Congress
/// ALAN LOMAX
, 1915-2002,
“
American ethnomusicologist best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activist, oral historian, and film-maker…After 1942, when Congress cut off the Library of Congress’s funding for folk song collecting, Lomax continued to collect independently in Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain, as well as the United States, using the latest recording technology, assembling an enormous collection of American and international culture.” (wikipedia), though known mostly for his fieldwork and recording of American folk songs, Lomax was interested in and recorded folk songs and popular music from a wide range of sources and countries, “The newly formed Indiana State Folk-Lore Society and, especially, the Indiana office of the W.P.A. Writers’ Project cooperated with me and made the trip a delightful one. Most of the songs were English folk-songs from S. Indiana, with
French songs from Vincennes
and Amish hymns from Goshen to add an exotic flavor. I must say that I was surprised to find the state such a rich field for the folklorist, but I am anxious to go back and do a more thorough job of collecting there.” (from a letter by Alan Lomax recorded in the book “The Library of Congress Letters, 1935–1945”, Edited by Ronald D. Cohen University Press of Mississippi / Jackson, 2011), Lomax could have come across the French folk song/popular song as well in his travels to the Cajun area of Louisiana, the upper Midwest, or Canada;
LE PORTRAIT
: “Marie Antoinette completely composed ‘Portrait Charmant’ [first words of composition named ‘Le Portrait’ by Lomax and Sprackling], music and lyrics, probably in honor of the Princesse de Lamballe. It is an example of the extremely florid and gushing language she used with her close friends and family. This is also typical of her era, and we cannot impose the same meanings to the words as they might have for us today. The song was written when she was barely out of her teens and still missing her family in Austria, most of whom she would never see again.” (Tea at Trianon blog/website);
NELSON SPRACKLING:
1885-1950, excerpt from Alan Lomax September 1939 letter to Sprackling: “I quite understand your situation and wish that I could help. Captain Dick [Maitland] mentioned you to me when I saw him in New York in May. He was amazed at your ability to get the old tunes down correctly. I look forward to seeing your book. In the meantime, if you locate other authentic shantey singers, I would appreciate your letting me know about them. The Archive of American Folk Song which we are building here in the Library of Congress is attempting to accumulate recordings of all Americana folk-songs, authentically sung.” (John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax papers, Library of Congresss, with at least two September 1939 handwritten letters in this collection from Sprackling to Lomax), Sprackling was a New York City area music educator, researcher, historian, recorder, and archivist, he wrote the music for the book “The Tinmaker Man of New Amsterdam” –Music from an Old Tune Arranged by Nelson Sprackling, illustrations by Erick Berry, publisher Winston, 1941…there are December 6, 1935 copyrights for Sprackling for his music for “capstan chanteys” published by Carl Fisher, New York, in “Catalog of Copyright Entries: Music compositions, 1936”…Speckling is noted in the Preface of “Roll and Go, Songs of American Sailormen, Enlarged and Revised Edition”, Norton, 1938, “Grateful acknowledgment is also made to Mr. Nelson Sprackling for his help in recording the songs sung by Captain Richard Maitland for the second edition.” (Mudcat Cafe, blog/website)
/// CONDITION:
handwritten music manuscripts somewhat worn with all text and scores legible, now-browned tape at edges by previous owner, some light transparent soiling, #2 with lyrics some tears at edges.