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Transcript of Frizane, Daniel E. - Arthur Pryor (1870-1942) American Trombinst, Bandmaster, Composer (U Kansas...
ARTHUR PRYOR (1870-1942)AMERICAN TROMBONIST, BANDMASTER, COMPOSER
by
Daniel E. FrizaneB.M.E., Wheaton College
M.M., University of Nebraska
Submitted to the Department of Musicand the Faculty of the Graduate Schoolof the University of Kansas in partialfulfillment of the requirements for thedegree of Doctor of Musical Arts(Conducting).
Document Committee:
Document defended: 7/19/78
To my father,
self-taught trombonist and bandmaster
in the tradition of Arthur Pryor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES.............................................v
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS..............................................vii
PREFACE...........................................................viii
CHAPTER ONE: THE LIFE OF PRYOR.......................................1
Introduction.........................................................1The "Boy Wonder.of St. Joseph:"
Paternal Influence and Early Years (1870-92)........................."He has no equal:"
Virtuoso Years with the Sousa Band (1892-1903).......................On His Own:
The Pryor Band: Live Concerts (1903-33).............................A Pioneer in His Field
The Pryor Band: Recordings and Radio (1903-33).................29Interlude:
His Character, Standards, and Conducting Skills................33An Active Retirement:
The Final Years (1933-42)......................................40
CHAPTER TWO: THE WORKS OF PRYOR................................49
Introduction...................................................49Musical Traits.................................................53Publications...................................................59Categories.....................................................62Marches........................................................64Rags...........................................................74Novelties......................................................78Waltzes........................................................79Miscellaneous Dances...........................................80Piano Solos....................................................80Songs..........................................................81Trombone Solos.................................................82Possible/Spurious Compositions.................................92
APPENDIX: ANNOTATED LIST OF COMPOSITIONS.......................93
Marches........................................................95Rags..........................................................110Novelties.....................................................117
Waltzes.......................................................125Miscellaneous Dances..........................................128Piano Solos...................................................129Songs.........................................................231Trombone Solos................................................136Collections...................................................146Possible/Spurious Compositions................................147
BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................155
Books.........................................................155Articles......................................................156Recordings....................................................158Miscellaneous.................................................159
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
1. Crescent Club (1894), beginning of trio, second time........53
2. The Victor (1904), end of first strain......................54
3. The March King (1895), beginning of first strain............54
4. On Jersey Shore (1904), beginning of first strain...........55
5. Captain Cupid (1908), beginning of second strain............55
6. Baby Parade (1906) beginning of trio........................56
7. Kentucky Club (1899), beginning.............................56
8. Arms of America (1911), meas. 23-26 of trio.................57
9. The Arcade Girl (1910), meas. 2H-28 of trio.................57
10. The Love Kiss (1908), end of piece.........................58
11. On Jersey Shore (1904), beginning of trio..................58
12. The Kentucky Club (1899), dogfight.........................69
13. The March King (1895), end of dogfight.....................70
14. Sweetheart (1897), end of dogfight.........................70
15. Ye Boston Tea Party (1899), end of dogfight................71
16. The Irish King (1905), beginning...........................72
17. La Spaniola (1898), p. 5, meas. 5-9........................80
18. The Patriot (1904), opening cadenza........................86
19. Thoughts of Love (1904), end of third section..............86
20. Air Varie (1895), final cadenza............................8b
21. Blue Bells of Scotland (1904), final cadenza...............87
22. Exposition Echoes Polka (1894), middle of coda section.....87
23. The Tip Topper (1937), introduction........................87
24. Annie Laurie (1895), trombone entrance.....................88
25. Love's Enchantment (1903), trombone entrance...............88
26. Fantastic Polka (1939), start of trio......................88
27. Polka Caprice Type.........................................91
28. Valse Caprice Type.........................................91
29. Valse de Concert Type......................................91
30. Theme and Variations Type..................................92
31. The Arcade Girl (1911), beginning of first strain..........96
32. The Arcade Girl (1911), beginning of dogfight..............96
33. The Arms of America (1911), beginning of dogfight..........97
34. The Arms of America (1911), end of dogfight................98
35. The Gridiron (1898), beginning of trio....................102
36. On Jersey Shore (1904), beginning.........................105
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Sheet Music
The March King................................................161A Coon Band Contest...........................................161Arms of America...............................................162The Whistler and His Dog......................................162Mr. Black Man.................................................16340 and 8......................................................163In Lover's Lane...............................................164After Sunset..................................................165Po1ka~Exposition Echoes...................................166-167
Programs:
Willow Grove Park, 6 June 1909................................168Willow Grove Park, 3 June 1918................................169
Sheet Music Covers:
Love's Enchantment............................................170The Little Chief..............................................171The Whistler and His Dog......................................172March of the White Rats.......................................173Burlington March..............................................174The Love Kiss Waltz...........................................175
Testimonials:
From John Philip Sousa........................................176From Musical Times and Band Journal...........................177
Advertisements
Novelty Bulletin..............................................178Pryor's Popular Pieces........................................179Arthur Pryor and His Band.....................................180
PREFACE
The career of Arthur Pryor spans an important time in
American history. It saw a transition from a rural frontier life
still largely dependent upon agriculture to an urbanized,
industrial world power. One year before Pryor's birth the United
States became physically united by the Transcontinental Railroad,
which reflects the national unity that had been restored only
four years before with the end of the Civil War. The decade of
the 1870s saw the invention of the electric light, the telephone,
and, of particular significance to Pryor, the phonograph. In the
1880s the development of the electric trolley car made rapid
urban growth possible. Henry Ford built his first automobile in
1893, and ten years afterwards the Wright brothers fulfilled
man's age-old dream of flight.
Despite problems of labor unrest an£ urban blight, these
were exciting times in America. With industrial growth and a more
stable economy, Americans found themselves able to enjoy more of
the pleasures of life, including music. Responding to this new-
found leisure time came several forms of national entertainment,
not the least of which was the traveling concert band.
The band itself was not new to America. British military
bands were here during Revolutionary War days. In 1773 Josiah
Flagg was directing a band in Boston, and the U.S. Marine Band
was established in 1798. The Salem Brigade Band was organized in
1806, and by 1835 Ned Kendall, the celebrated keyed bugle
virtuoso, was conducting the Boston Brass Band. The Dodsworth
Band of New York, directed by brothers Allen and Harvey
Dodsworth, was in existence for over half of the last century,
beginning in the 1830s; it was Allen Dodsworth who designed the
over-the-shoulder marching instruments popular during the Civil
War. D. W. Reeves and C. S. Grafulla were important composers who
conducted bands in Rhode Island and New York respectively. The
American Band of Providence, in particular, had a long history
going back to the 1840s under founder Joseph Green. Several town
bands sprang up in the early and mid-1800s, particularly in
Pennsylvania; many are still in existence today.
The most important bandmaster of the la&t century, the
direct forerunner of Sousa and Pryor, is Patrick S. Gilmore. Born
in Ireland, he became famous as a cornet virtuoso, and in a
famous "duel" with Ned Kendall in 1856 he supposedly proved the
superiority of valves over keys. In 1859 he took over the Boston
Brass Band, renamed it Gilmore's Band, and two years later
enlisted his entire band into the Union Army. In 1864 his song
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" was published under the
pseudonym of Louis Lambert.
Gilmore is most remembered, however, for a series of huge
music festivals he organized and directed. The 18-day Peace
Festival held in Boston in 1872 involved 2000 instrumentalists
and 20,000 singers presenting concerts in a hall seating 100,0001
Gilmore then moved to New York where he directed the 22nd
Regiment Band which toured Europe in 1878. Victor Herbert
directed the Gilmore Band for a few years after Gilmore died in
1892. As we shall see, Pryor almost joined the Gilmore Band in
its final years, and the bandmaster was very disappointed when
Pryor became a conductor of operettas.
In the year of Gilmore*s death, John Philip Sousa resigned
from his position as conductor of the U.S. Marine Band, a
position he had held since 1880. Before this he was a violinist
and conductor of theater orchestras. During his years with the
Marine Band he had established an enviable standard of musical
excellence. With the encouragement of his manager David Blakely
and the initial financial help of some businessmen, Sousa's new
band was to be organized on a different basis; it was to be
independent and self-supporting, something that would be emulated
in years to come by other bandmasters such as Pryor. Before this
time most bands in America had been supported by either some
local civic or business interests, or by the military. While this
arrangement did assure financial stability, it also held the band
accountable to specials interests. "The Sousa Band was totally
dependent upon public approval for its survival, and it was
something of a miracle in show business for a musical
1 H. W. Schwartz, Bands of America (New York: Doubleday and Co.,1957), p. 41.
organization of its size to have played to capacity houses for 39
years."2
The Sousa Band was one of the first professional "business"
bands in America, and certainly the most successful, living
largely off the support of an appreciative American audience who
now had the time and means to enjoy this "golden age" of the
American concert band. A young trombonist from Missouri would
soon do his part to make the Sousa Band what it was, and he too
was destined to make his mark in the world of American band
music.
It is the purpose of this document to study the life and
works of this Missouri trombonist-turned-bandmaster, Arthur
Pryor. Chapter I is a general survey of his life, discussing his
paternal heritage as the son of a town bandmaster, his success as
a trombonist with Sousa and then as conductor of his own famed
band, his contributions to recording and radio, his personality
and family, and finally his retirement and passing.
Chapter II surveys the compositions of Pryor. It begins with
an introduction which summarizes his musical style and the
publication of his music. His approximately 100 compositions are
then discussed in eight separate categories according to style
and medium of performance. The Appendix discusses each
composition individually, grouped according to the categories of
2 Paul *E. Bierley, John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1973), p. 154.
Chapter II.
I had the privilege of growing up in a band-oriented family
in which the music of Sousa, Pryor, Henry Fillmore, K. L. King,
and Edwin Franko Goldman was held in high regard. Therefore the
preparation of this document has been a most enjoyable return to
my roots. I am convinced anew that whatever level of
sophistication a musician may claim to acquire and possess,
hearing a stirring march performed by a fine band or a "bravura"
style solo performed by a true artist/showman will always be a
common denominator of musical pleasure for all people, at least
in our Western culture.
I wish to thank former K.U. music history-professor Stuart
Carter who encouraged me to pick a subject that I would enjoy,
and then for suggesting, quite in passing, the name Arthur Pryor.
I also wish to thank the members of my doctoral committee: Dr. J.
Bunker Clark who patiently guided final organization and assembly
of this study, and Dr. Stanley Shumway, Dr. John Grashel, Pro£.
Robert Foster, and Prof. Thomas Stidham for their continuous
support and encouragement. The K.U. Band program under the
leadership of Professors Foster and Stidham has been an
inspiration to me; it is an outstanding example of the
achievements of the American band movement, building on the great
tradition of Gilmore, Sousa, and Pryor. Dr. Stephen Anderson,
processor of trombone, has also shared many helpful suggestions
and offered support.
In an area where little formal research has been done, the
willing assistance of many individuals becomes necessary and is
very much appreciated. Of the many with whom I have corresponded,
four people deserve special mention: the late Glenn Bridges, Paul
Bierley, Lynn L. Sams, and William Pruyn. The lengthy and
detailed letters from these men shed much light from primary
sources on the career and personality of Pryor. In addition, Dr.
Edward Bahr, Herbert Johnston, and Frederick Williams sent many
articles and other information about Pryor. The Chatfield Brass
Band Free Lending Library of Chatfield, Minnesota sent me all the
Pryor music in its collection so that 1 could study it, and Mrs.
Robert Hoe sent me recordings of much of Pryor's music for the
same purpose.
An important incentive in my study was the preparation of a
survey of Pryor's life for the jacket notes of the album Trombone
Solos--Arthur Pryor. I wish to thank Peter Christ of Crystal
Records for this opportunity. The climax of my study came during
a trip to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. in January
1984. I acknowledge the help of Jon Newsom and his staff of the
Music Division during my stay there, Newsom's predecessor, James
Smart, was very helpful in correspondence during the early period
of this study. Appreciation is extended to Paula Oliver for
typing my document, and finally , to my wife Ginger and children
Carrie and Matthew for patiently persevering through four years
of my "Pryor commitment."
CHAPTER ONE
A SURVEY OF HIS LIFE
Introduction
"His execution set the prairies afire, his vibrating pedal
tones rattled the windows of the Theatre and killed the gold
fishes and stunned the canaries all the way out to the packing
plant where even the iron gates trembled."1 So said an exuberant
newspaper reporter in Omaha, Nebraska, following a performance by
the young trombone virtuoso Arthur Pryor. A later performance in
Kansas City almost caused a riot when many in the crowd
misunderstood cries of "Pryor, Pryor!" for "fire, fire!"2 And so
it went through the years when the "boy wonder" from Missouri was
the featured star of John Philip Sousa's famous Band.
Although Pryor gave up active public performance while he
was in his forties, his activities as bandmaster and composer
were to keep him in the public eye until nearly the end of his
life. Pryor's Band was a household name for some three decades,
second in fame only to that of Sousa's Band. Regular appearances
in the parks and resorts of America helped to popularize the
concert band as a viable medium of music. Many Pryor compositions
were favorites of both international heads of state and the man
1 Quoted in Glenn D. Bridges, Pioneers in Brass, 3rd ed. (Detroit Michigan: Sherwood Publications, 1972), p. 103.
2 St. Joseph News-Press, 19 December 1941
on the street. His famous solos still challenge trombonists
today.
While the Sousa Band continued to tour until nearly the end
of Sousa's life, the Pryor Band blazed a path of transition:
moving from tours and summer resorts to recording and radio
studios, thus insuring a future for the continued enjoyment of
instrumental music ensembles. Therefore, in terms of the concert
band movement in America, the Pryor Band has had a more lasting
influence. Virtuoso performer, conductor, and composer, Arthur
Pryor has been a major figure in American musical life, and his
influence is still evident today.
The "Boy Wonder of St. Joseph"--Paternal Influence and Early
Years (1870-92)
Arthur Willard Pryor was born on September 22, 1870, on the
second floor on the Lyceum Theatre, St. Joseph, Missouri. His
father was the bandmaster of the town, and the family was living
at the theater at the corner of 5th and Jule Streets. Arthur was
the second son born to Samuel and Mary (Coker) Pryor. The oldest
son, Walter D. Pryor, became a famous cornetist who later was
featured on recordings with the great Herbert L. Clarke. The
youngest son was Samuel O. Pryor who became known for his skill
on the drums, playing in later years in many Kansas City theater
orchestras. He also played the trombone. Both Walter and Sam Jr.
were also to play later in the famous Pryor Band their brother
directed.
The boys' father, Samuel D., was born in Liberty, Missouri,
in June of 1844, the son of a farmer and real estate broker. His
family had fought the Indians there to protect their home. He
moved to St. Joseph in 1854 with his family, and later attended
music schools in St. Louis and Chicago, and was music director of
the Lincoln (Nebraska) Opera House for three years. (This opera
experience included professional tours, and may be one reason
that Arthur was later influenced to direct an opera company
rather than join the prestigious Gilmore Band.) Samuel Pryor and
Mary ("Mollie") Coker were married on November 29, 1866.3
Three years later Sam organized "Pryor's Military Band," at
one time called the "Silver Cornet Band." Later, when the band
went off to the Spanish-American War, it was known as the "Fourth
Regiment Band of Missouri." Sam reportedly was a genius at
getting jobs for his band, and it was soon the featured
attraction at local fairs, parades, lodge meetings (Sam was a
member of the Enterprise Lodge, I.O.O.F.), and funerals. In
funeral processions the band would solemnly play "Nearer My God
to Thee," but when heading back to town it would strike up
"There's a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"4 After he told an
offended minister once that he would include hymns in his Sunday
3 St. Joseph Biographical Directory (St. Joseph, Missouri, 1881), p. 866.4 St. Joseph News-Press, 19 February 1939
concerts, the first piece in his next concert was "The Devil at
Loose."5
St. Joseph's Pryor Band must have been a colorful group in
the early days since the uniforms each man provided for himself
came from various lodge or circus bands he had played in
previously. Sam himself had a long beard and usually wore a silk
hat along with bright red pants and a whipcord coat, which
together must have made quite an impression.6
Whatever musical skills Arthur Pryor inherited from his
father, he also inherited a strong tongue. Once Sam was asked by
a father if his son could play in the Band. "'He can't play so
well yet, but is an awfully nice boy.' 'My band is full of nice
boys,' Sam replied. 'What I need is someone who can play like
hell!'"7 He was rather strict with his men in musical matters,
like his son was years later with the more famous Pryor Band.
In 1902, a few days before his death, he was serenaded by
his band outside the Lyceum Theatre. Apparently he was a critic
to the end. After the serenade, someone asked, "Did he die?" Not
only did he live a few more days, but his reaction to the
performance was "Listen to that! After all I've done for that boy
Sammy, he still can't play in time!"8
Being raised in this band environment, it was natural that
5 Ibid.6 Ibid.7 Ibid.8 Ibid.
the Pryor boys would turn to music. In fact, it was said in St.
Joseph that while a rival band in town led by Carl Winkler was
also very fine, "Sam had the Pryor Boys!"9 Arthur's training
began when he was six years old, although one source spoke of his
"competent" drumming ability at age three.10 His mother, Mollie
Pryor, was a pianist, and soon he was studying the piano with
Prof. Plato, a "renowned theorist" living in St. Joseph.11 What
instruction he received on band instruments came from his father.
He was taught to play the violin, cornet, alto horn, bass viol,
and the valve trombone. His exposure to the standard literature
was limited, however.
Until he had almost reached his majority, the most popular of classical music remained a sealed book to Arthur Pryor. He told me this with a humorous smile upon his rather serious features, as indicating the meagreness of his early training.12
The strict training by his father included a rap on the head with
a violin bow if he made a mistake. (This ended abruptly when an
expensive bow was broken.)13 When he was eleven years old, he
appeared with his father's band in Chicago, billed as the "boy
wonder" from Missouri playing the valve trombone.14
Soon after this, a tramp printer left a battered old slide
9 Ibid.10 Arthur Wise and Mary-Margaret Eitzen , "Band March Composers – Arthur
Pryor," The Instrumentalist , January 1971, p. 2811 J . Scott Ames, "Arthur Pryor," The Music World, November
1907, p. 112 Ibid.13 Wise and Eitzen, p. 2814 Bridges, p. 101
trombone with Sam Pryor as payment for a debt. Young Arthur was
fascinated with this instrument, the first one in St. Joseph, so
Sam told him to take it out to the barn and learn to play it. For
some time he tried to master the instrument without using any
slide oil, and he played using only two positions. Later, while
playing pool with a friend, he was told that there were seven
positions and that he had to find them. He did, and in effect
found several more, for in the heyday of his performing career he
made great use of alternate and "false" positions, forcing the
notes to suit him. He could play so incredibly fast that no one
noticed that the "correct" positions were not being used.
Soon Arthur Pryor became a featured member of his father's
band. By this time he was obsessed with mastering his instrument,
and a boyhood friend named John White, who was also a trombonist,
recalled later that Pryor would sit and practice hour after hour,
around ten a day.15 At one point he had to drop out of a
competition in a weekly talent contest in his home town. He kept
winning first prize and the other contestants were upset.16
When he was 13 years old he traveled with his father to
Denver to an encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. There
he performed "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep," part of a
serenade concert for General "Black Jack" Logan, who responded "I
15 Bridges, p. 10116 Nolbert H. Quayle, "Arthur Pryor: Some Reminisces," Music Journal, March
1954, p. 37
have never heard that song played with better expression or with
more telling effect... Make the best use of the divine gift you
have my boy."17 He gave the youngster a small American flag,
which quickly became a prized possession.
But he also kept up on the piano. A woman who at one time
lived with the Pryor family in St. Joseph, Mrs. Elizabeth
Thompson, recalled years later how young Arthur would sit at the
piano and "tinkle the keys a little while." He would often send
off his new composition for publication.18
By the time he was 15 Pryor was playing in county fairs in
the area, and was becoming quite well known. In 1889 the Italian
bandmaster Alessandro Liberati organized his own band, and,
during a cross country tour he stopped in Kansas City. He was
told of the young virtuoso of St. Joseph. He took a trip there to
visit the Pryor family, and signed Arthur to appear as soloist
with his band. They toured through the western states that
summer. It was during this time that Pryor began to write the
trombone solos that are still known today. He was doing things on
the instrument that most people did not think possible before,
and no music was readily available for the trombone that could
demonstrate his skills.
During a break from later appearances with Liberati's Band,
Pryor appeared with his father's band in a concert at St. Louis.
17 Ames, p. 118 St. Joseph News-Press, 28 August 1955
In the audience, hearing him perform "Rocked in the Cradle of the
Deep," were members of the famed Gilmore Band, directed by the
pioneer American bandmaster (through Irish-born) Patrick S.
Gilmore (1829-92). The Gilmore Band was at the fairgrounds in St.
Louis for a concert series. The bandmembers rushed off to tell
their leader about Pryor, and the result was an offer to join the
organization.19
Instead, Pryor went to Denver to direct the Stanley Opera
Company. Why he passed up the opportunity to be the trombone
soloist of the Gilmore Band is hard to understand. Band historian
Glenn Bridges believes it was because he wanted to conduct and
not travel so much.20 Another reason may be that he would have
been following the great Fred Innes as soloist, something his
father had said no one could ever do.21
According to the leading soprano of the opera company, Miss
Alice Neilsen, Pryor was successful in this work. She was
especially impressed with his ability as piano accompanist, both
playing by ear and for having an "endless repertoire" of songs
that he knew. She recalled one incident that took place in Omaha,
where his kind encouragement kept her singing through a
performance while caged lions (part of the following act) were
snapping at her heels.22 Pryor claimed later to learn through
19 Ibid., 19 February 1939.20 Glenn D. Bridges, personal letter, March 1981.21 Ibid.22 St. Joseph News-Press, undated.
this opera experience the importance of knowing the piano; this
aided him in his composing.
After directing the opera company for several months, he was
prevailed upon to play a solo in a concert at Salt Lake City
while the company was there. The success of this appearance, even
though admittedly he was out of practice, led to second thoughts
about Gilmore's standing offer. However, a severe illness
intervened, and Pryor returned to St. Joseph to recover.
Gilmore's disappointment and his opinion of Pryor's ability is
revealed in a letter he sent to him at that time:
Had to stop the presses that were printing our program for the tour, on which you were down for a solo. The majority of 250,000 copies which were being printed had to be destroyed... I was, and am, determined to make of you a great card--yes, to make you famous in this great city of New York in the shortest time that it ever took a musical genius so be recognized as a great star.23
Among the many memorials to Gilmore when he died in 1892 was
the first concert of a new band organized and directed by John
Philip Sousa, who had recently resigned as conductor of the U.S.
Marine Band.24 It was while he was soloist with the Sousa Band
that Arthur Pryor achieved lasting fame and brought the trombone
to a new level of capability and respectability.
"He has no equal'--Virtuoso Years with the Sousa Band (1892-1904)
23 Ames, p. 224 Paul E. Bierley, John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon
(Englewood Cliffs , N.J .: Prentice-Hall, 1973), p. 58.
Tom Shannahan was one of several musicians who left Gilmore
to join the new Sousa Band shortly before Gilmore died. Shannahan
informed Sousa of Pryor's ability on the trombone. By this time,
recovered and back with his work with the Opera Company, Pryor
was at first reluctant to leave. But he decided to accept Sousa's
offer to see him in New York City, arriving there with his
trombone and 35 cents. "Sousa did not know that young Pryor would
arrive with only 35 cents in his pocket nor that the young man
was destined to play before the crowned heads of Europe, and that
he had spent the night on a beach in New York's Union Square."25
At his first rehearsal the next morning, Sousa suggested that he
warm up a bit. Even at this Pryor made quite an impression. "We
had never heard such tones come out of a trombone before, but
fast!" was the reaction of trombonist Marc Lyons. At that first
rehearsal, Frank Holton, then first trombonist, had to give
credit to Pryor for performing a difficult passage to Sousa's
satisfaction that he, Holton, had been struggliag with. Even
though Holton was ready to step down right there, Sousa asked him
to stay on for a time, since "this young fellow may be just a
flash."26
Pryor, Hoiton, and Lyons worked hard along with the rest of
the band getting ready for the great Columbian Exposition in
Chicago in 1893. Pryor showed his trombone solos to Sousa, but
25 St. Joseph News-Press, 14 September 1975.26 Bridges, p. 102
the conductor was reluctant to feature him yet. Finally, while at
the Exposition, he announced to Sousa that if he didn't get to
perform a solo, he would return to St. Joseph. Sousa gave in, and
in the rain that day he played his own composition "Thoughts of
Love" to a crowd who just stood in awe, then cheered and threw
their hats in the air.27 That was reportedly the first of some
10,000 solos that Pryor estimates he played with Sousa during the
11 years he was with him.
While most sources consulted in this study claim that the
aforementioned occasion was Pryor's first solo with the Sousa
Band, It would appear that his first solo with the band,was
actually "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep," performed in Chicago
on October 14, 1892. This information comes from a program in the
Sousa Scrapbook, a collection of old programs and news clippings
stored at the Marine Corps Library, Washington D.C. However, "it
was apparent that it took time for Pryor to reach the 'front and
center' status a a regular, for there is no mention of Pryor in
the press until May 1893."28 Probably the performance of
"Thoughts of Love" marks Pryor's formal debut as a regularly
featured soloist of the Sousa Band. At any rate, "his rise to
preeminence on the 'slip horn' was little short of miraculous"29
27 St. Joseph News-Press, 19 February 1939.28 Frederick P. Williams, jacket notes for Trombone Solos--Arthur Pryor
(Crystal Records S451, 1983).29 Curtis H. Larkin, "Memories of Arthur Pryor and His Band," part 1, The
School Musician, February 1943, p. 8.
and American audiences would soon be exposed to a new level of
virtuosity for the slide trombone.
While many of Pryor's solos are still published and being
performed today, few performers, past or present, claim to even
equal the skill of Arthur Pryor. He still is considered by many
to be the greatest trombonist of all time. It is not that
performers today cannot play his solos, because they are still
featured by service band soloists and in band concerts in the
park. The lyrical melodies and dramatic variations have always
been popular with audiences. What sets Pryor apart is that he
would perform the already very difficult variations of solos such
as "Blue Bells of Scotland" at incredible speeds and still play
with clean technique. The result was not only an impressive
display of technical gymnastics but an exciting and dramatic
musical experience as well.
This was because Arthur Pryor was a musician as well as a
technician on the trombone. Along with his phenomenal tonguing
ability (single, double, and triple tonguing were used freely)
and lightning fast slide technique (there was no trigger valve on
that horn), he was equally well-known for his beautiful tone and
expressive style of playing. "THAT TONE is unforgettable, to any
way of thinking. There were other players . . . who technically
could play most anything Pryor played, but they never quite came
off the same as Pryor's playing the same piece."30
In fact, he actually preferred slow, lyric ballads and
operatic arias to the fast, spell-binding display pieces that
Sousa insisted he perform first on a program. (Later, in the
early years of his own band, he would first play a song, and then
"follow with the fireworks."31) For a third encore with Sousa he
may perform something like "Oh, Dry Those Tears," a sweet ballad
by Del Riego which was his favorite. Other expressive solos that
he often played were "The Holy City" (Adams), "Celeste Aida"
(Verdi), and "My Old Kentucky Home" (Foster).
His clear, unforgettable tone was marked with a constant
vibrato, the result of a boyhood accident when a mule kicked him
in the face, resulting in partial paralysis.32 "Old-timers used
to waggle the whole instrument and modern performers like Tommy
Dorsey agitate the slide. 'I wave with my lower jaw,' Pryor
says."33
The trombone had seldom had such a wide range before, four
and a half octaves, from b''-flat to FF. (One source, an
advertisement for trombones made by J. J. Pepper Co., claimed
that Pryor could go a whole step lower, but that is hard for this
writer to imagine. Perhaps he could "lip" it down to that
approximate pitch. It would be below the fundamental in seventh
30 Glenn D. Bridges, personal letter, March 1981.31 Ibid.32 Bridges, p. 103. This information was related by brother Walter Pryor.33 St. Joseph News-Press, 19 December 1941.
position.) One popular encore, "We Won't Go Home till Morning"
(known now with the words "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow") would
be played in four octaves.
Pedal tones would come out of that 6-inch bell with all the
ease of the player of a modern symphony bass trombone. One critic
referred to them as "the shot heard round the world"34 His first
trombone had a huge 9-inch bell. When he first joined Sousa he
was down to 6-3/4 inches, but he later established 6-1/2 inches
as his bell size, with a .458-inch bore size, a small instrument
even in that day.35 Band historian Lynn L. Sams (and former sales
manager for the C. G. Conn instrument manufacturer) says "Pryor
endorsed Conn Trombones; without doubt he tried other makes. He
not only endorsed it but he also used it. He preferred and used a
Conn small bore with a small bell. Other trombonists could not
get the tone quality from such a small bore instrument."36
He was also was able to play chords on the trombone. While
it is not uncommon for players to get a double vibration with
their lip, this usually is considered an error to be avoided.
Pryor practiced the technique until he was proficient at four-
note chords.37
Perhaps his most important and lasting contribution to
34 Bridges, p. 103.35 H.W. Schwartz, Bands of America (New York: Doubleday and Co., 1957), p.
200.36 Lynn L. Sams, personal letter, 13 January 1984.37 Curtis H. Larkin, "Memories of Arthur Pryor and His Band," part 1, The
School Musician, February 1943, p. 14.
trombone technique, however, is his legato "singing" style of
playing, evident in the songs previously mentioned. During a
Sousa Band tour a critic in Dublin sums up this influence: "It
was almost too much to believe that such a pure and exquisitely
beautiful tone could be produced on an instrument whose usual
characteristics are aggressive."38 The London Daily Mail stated:
His solo was a revelation of what the trombone can be in the hands of one who has investigated its mysteries and solved "the difficulties. He played his own composition 'Love's Enchantment" with such tenderness that one suspects that the trombone has possibilities as a serenading instrument."39
Through the years he was with Sousa Pryor shared the
spotlight with the premier cornetist Herbert L. Clarke, who said
of him, "Arthur Pryor was among the greatest exponents of the
trombone that ever lived, proving this by his wonderful work,
playing before the most critical of audiences. . . Mr. Pryor
composed and arranged all his programmed solos; most remarkable
solos for technique and intervals in all registers, and which he
always played faultlessly. I doubt if he missed a note at any
concert, no slip of any kind, playing with the utmost ease."40
Clarke goes on to tell how clarinetists from the Sousa Band had
difficulty playing Pryor's solos on their instrument. Therefore,
it is not surprising that in referring to Pryor's years with the
Sousa Band that one should write "it was during his electrically
38 Quoted in Schwartz, p. 199.39 Ibid., pp. 198-199.40 Larkin, part 2, pp. 15 and 32.
successful term with this organization that he was christened the
Trombone King, and he has firmly established in two continents
his indisputable right to the title."41
He played with §ousa for twelve seasons. In 1895 he was
appointed assistant conductor of the Sousa Band, an experience
valuable to him when he left to begin his own band in 1903.
During periods when Sousa was ill, Pryor would replace him as the
full-time conductor, and be would still continue to play his
solos. Besides traveling coast to coast with the band, he made
three tours of Europe, visiting 16 countries and playing before
the crowned heads of state. King Edward VII of England so much
enjoyed one of Pryor's band compositions, "The Coon Band
Contest," that the King had it played at all court concerts
thereafter. "The Contest" was also a favorite of Kaiser Wilhelm
of Prussia, "whose approval has proven sufficient to guarantee
for it a very large, constant sale throughout the Kaiser's
domain. . ."42
But it was his performance skill which drew the most
attention. The Trombonist Club of Paris seat a skeptical
delegation of their membership to critique Pryor's first
performance in the French capital. The delegation's spokesman
reported back,
Is Pryor any good? I should say so. If all the members of
41 "Arthur Pryor," The Metronome, June 1905, p. 10.42 "Tour of Pryor's Band," The Musical Enterprise, March 1905, p. 1.
this club were to meet in this room with their instruments and each of them was to play everything he knew, and then if all this playing were combined and all the knowledge of the different members were united in one grand whole, the ensemble would not make a single measure,of Pryor's wonderful performance. Can Pryor play? Umph!!!43
After a concert before 25,000 people in Leipzig, Germany,
while on his last European tour, members of the Gewandhaus
Symphony Orchestra came backstage to inspect Pryor's trombone.
Skeptical that an ordinary instrument could be played so fast,
they took the slide apart and peered down the mouthpiece44 One of
their trombonists said, "No one can play so well. It is a Yankee
trick!"45 In Germany and elsewhere he was called the "Paganini of
the trombone" in reference to the great Italian violinist Niccolo
Paganini of the early nineteenth century.46
Italian trombonists, incidentally, were aware of Pryor's
ability. During a tour in America by the famous Banda Rossi, one
trombonist of the band was asked why all the players performed on
valve trombones and did not use slide trombones. "'Can't play
'em. . . . Can't anybody play 'em. Did you ever see anybody who
could play one?'" Arthur Pryor's name was Che answer. "'Oh, well,
I admit Pryor can play 'em,' responded the Italian, 'but I was
speaking of regular men. Pryor, he ain't human.'"47
43 Ames, p. 2.44 Larkin, part 2, p. 32. (This was related by Herbert L. Clarke.)45 St. Joseph News-Press, 18 June 194246 Bridges, p. 103.47 George C. Foreman, "Oscar Cowen's Memoirs of Fifty Years as a Town
Bandsman," Kansas Quarterly 15, no. 3 (Summer 1983): 48.
In Europe his playing was not quickly forgotten. Seven years
after Pryor's last tour with Sousa, a London audience responded
to performances of Pryor's solos there by the touring American
trombonist Bert Smith with shouts of "Pryor, Pryor!"48 They
remembered.
Back home in this country, press releases such as this one
from the Springfield, Ohio, Republican of January 27, 1897, was
quite typical: "Undoubtedly the star performance of the evening
from the audience's standpoint was the trombone solo by Mr.
Arthur Pryor, Annie Laurie, with variations. Mr. Pryor was
demonstratively recalled and rendered The Palms (Faure)."49 One
release that was definitely not typical came from a reviewer Ln
Augusta, Maine:
Thursday evening I went to the Opera House to hear Sousa's Band. I guess the music they gave was all right. Anyhow, everybody applauded and seemed to like it. I don't know much about this high-falutin' music. One fellow came out in front of the band and commenced to play on a thing that looked like a tin coupling pin, only it was a heap longer and hollow. He proceeded to shove the old handle out towards the audience, while with his mouth glued to one end he pumped wind into the machine. He rammed that handle out a yard and then he hauled it back and swallowed it, I guess. He played notes way above the lines, and then threw out those little notes with stems on 'em, like a threshing machine shakes off chaff. Finally he struck up with Annie Rooney, or Annie Laurie, or some other girl, and I could keep up with him for a while, but he got nervous again and shook the old thing like a terrier would a rat. The programme had him scheduled as a trombone artist. I'd like to hear him play some nice hymns in his calmer moments, when he wouldn't jiggle the
48 Larkin, part 2, p. 32.49 Williams, jacket notes for Trombone Solos--Arthur Pryor.
machine so much.50
During the years that he was with Sousa, Pryor performed
with the band in many of the places that he and his band would
later frequent, including his home town of St. Joseph. During a
concert there at the Tootle Opera House in 1895 he was presented
with a gold medial by the proud citizens.51 Another time, a local
composer had written a song which he hoped Pryor would perform as
an encore during a concert. Pryor did, and the song, "I Had a
Dream," became very popular, and "for the next ten years it was
the No. 1 song on everybody's hit parade."52 During his days of
fame, it was said that St. Joseph was known for three things:
Jesse James, Aunt Jemima's pancakes, and Arthur Pryor.53
Besides occasionally conducting the Sousa Band in concerts,
he also directed most of the recording sessions of the band.
Sousa did not have an appreciation for what he called the "canned
music" of the new recording industry,54 and conducted only four
recording sessions during his entire career.55 Therefore, he was
more than willing to let Pryor and others conduct the few number
of his men who could manage to squeeze around the primitive
recording horns necessary in those days. This gave the men
50 Ibid.51 St. Joseph News-Press, 19 February 1939. 52 Ibid., 14 September 1975.53 Ibid., 23 August 1942.54 Bierley, p. 19.55 James R. Smart, The Sousa Band: A Discography (Washington: Library of
Congress, 1970), p. 123.
additional income when they were not on tour. While cornetists
Herbert L. Clarke, Walter B. Rogers, and Henry Higgins often
conducted the band, it has been estimated that some 75 per cent
of the Sousa Band labels were conducted by Arthur Pryor.56 As
early as 1904 he was listed as a musical director for the Victor
Company.57 Most of these early recordings were made for the
Berliner and Victor labels, and while the conductors were not
always indicated on the records, the 1900 Berliner catalog for
example does state that the band is performing "under the
personal direction of Mr. Arthur Pryor, the great trombone
soloist and assistant conductor to Mr. Sousa."58 The last thing
that Pryor did while he was with the Sousa Band was to conduct it
in a series of recordings for Victor in August and September of
1903. On some of these he was the featured soloist.59 All of this
experience was to pay off later during the long recording career
of his own band.
It was while the Sousa Band was in Russia in 1903 that Pryor
got into a salary dispute with his leader. According to Sousa
Band vocal soloist Estelle Liebling, Pryor held out for an
increase, but Sousa, always a man of his word (he didn't even
have written contracts with his men in the early years), was hurt
56 James R. Smart, jacket notes for The Sousa and Pryor Bands (New World Records, NW 282, 1976).
57 Bridges, p. 72.58 Smart, p. 18.59 Ibid., p. 28.
by this, and was willing to release Pryor when they came home.60
Pryor left the band to form his own group. He and Sousa did
remain good friends, however. Sousa later said, "Nor was there
anyone on earth to equal Arthur Pryor, the trombone player, when
he was with my organization."61 And Pryor responded, "The real
beginning of my musical career . . . was with Sousa, and that was
the foundation of my present band organization. . ."62 Years l a
t e r , Pryor was an honorary pallbearer at Sousa's funeral,63
and then helped in planning a memorial to his former leader.64
On His Own--The Pryor Band: Live Concerts (1903-09)
When Arthur Pryor left Sousa in late 1903 to form his own
band, he took with him the Italian-born euphonium player Simone
Mantia (1873-1951). Besides being a popular soloist on his five-
valve, double bell instrument, Mantia became the assistant
conductor for the Pryor Band, and stayed until 1934, after
Pryor's retirement.65 Since Mantia was also a skilled trombonist,
he would pick up that instrument on short notice and fill in for
Pryor when the duties of conductor prevented Pryor from getting
in "at least two hours a day of practice"66 that he felt was
60 Paul Bierley, personal letter, 15 October 1983. (This information came from an interview with Ms. Liebling in May 1967.)
61 John Philip Sousa, Marching Along 2nd ed. (Boston: Hale, Cushman, & Flint, 1941), p. 323.
62 St. Joseph News-Press, undated.63 Bierley, p. 96.64 Bridges, p. 48.65 Larkin, part 2, p. 14.66 Bridges, p. 103.
necessary- Mantia also composed several solos of his own, such as
his well-known variations on "Auld lange Syne," and for 35 years
he was trombonist with the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra in
New York. He also formed his own band, and conducted it for five
seasons at Asbury Park, New Jersey. Unlike Pryor, Hantia was able
to maintain his performing skills, and in 1948, at the age of 75,
he was still playing euphonium solos, this time over the radio as
a member of Paul Lavelle's "Band Of America."67 Both Pryor and
Mantia were considered in 1903 to be the finest performers on
their respective instruments. "Many stars came and went from the
Sousa Band during the forty years of its existence, but it is
doubtful if Sousa ever felt any loss as he did when these two
starts departed."68
After securing and rehearsing his musicians, the Pryor Band
presented their first concert in the Majestic Theatre, New York
City, on November 15, 1903.
As had been anticipated by the hundreds of Mr. Pryor's friends and acquaintances, the concert from first to last was a magnificent success, stamping the new band conductor, not only as a leader of marked talent and distinction, but as one who will, in the course of time, make his name famous in all parts of the United States. . . . The playing of Arthur Pryor's Band is masterly, and evinces that smoothness of sound and effect, so pleasing and satisfying at all times to the trained musical ear. The horn and clarinet sections being especially well balanced.69
The premier concert consisted of nine compositions, including
67 Bridges, p. 97.68 Schwartz, p. 10269 "Pryor and His Band," The Focus, 28 November 1903, p. 1.
selections from Verdi, Ponchielli, and Goldmark. Introduced for
the first time were the Pryor compositions "La Spaniola Waltz,"
and the cakewalk "Mr. Blackman," which "will sweep the country
for sure. . . A large and enthusiastic audience was present, and
the encores as many as well deserved."70
For the next six years he established his band across the
country as a major musical force in America, Second in fame only
to the Sousa Band. Some considered his band superior to Sousa's.
"Since these arguments can never be settled, let us merely say
that these were two superlative bands led by two great
musicians."71 He secured the finest performers and soloists he
could find. Besides Mantia, he had cornetists Bert Brown, Leon
Handzlik, and Oscar Short, clarinetists Tony Sarli and Louis
Christy, flutists John Kiburz and Rex A. Fair, and trombonists
Fortunato Sordillo, Burt L. Smith, Charles Cusumano, A1 Pinard,
and Chris Sorensen.72 He once described his band as "an
aggregation of talent that can be relied upon to serve the
richest menu of music. . ."73 Following the example of Sousa, he
also featured female vocal soloists such as Madame Ernestine
Schumann-Heink and Cecilia Niles. Maud Powell and Dorothy Hoyle
were the featured violinists for a time.74 At first Pryor himself
70 Ibid.71 Smart, jacket notes for The Sousa and Pryor Bands.72 Bridges, p. 104, and various other news releases.73 "Tour of Pryor's Band," The Musical Enterprise, March 1905, p. 1.74 "Arthur Pryor," The Metronome, June 1905, p. 10.
managed the affairs of the band; later others were hired for this
responsibility, including Hal Nelson who served as band manager
in the teens.75
Six coast to coast tours between 1903 and 1909 brought his
band before millions of admirers. In the 1904 season alone, he
directed his band in 269 concerts before an audience estimated at
no less than 300,000 people at Asbury Park, New Jersey.76 Around
2500 people would regularly crowd into the casino there to hear
this great organization "composed of soloists throughout"77 and
its dashing, young conductor. As an added treat, these early
Pryor Band programs would usually include a Pryor trombone solo,
"sufficient in itself to draw an immense audience,"78 although
this was to change as time went by. In 1904 he established his
home in Asbury Park, and his band played there for a total of
twenty summer seasons, more than at any other park.
Asbury Park, where three generations of area residents learned to love Pryor. An erect 5-'10" figure, he always wore immaculate white uniforms on stage, brown suits off stage. He would lead his band on parade through the streets of Asbury Park to signal the start of another season. Pryor's prowess as a musician was recognized by the city fathers when they named the band pavilion on the Asbury Park boardwalk for him.79
The Pryor Band program covers for Asbury Park would feature
a large "A" for Arthur, Arcade, and Asbury, and a large "P" for
75 Herbert N. Johnston, personal letter, 19 July 1981.76 "Tour of Pryor's Band," The Musical Enterprise, March 1905, p. 1.77 "Arthur Pryor's Band," The Musical Enterprise, November 1904, p. 1.78 "Tour of Pryor's Band," The Musical Enterprise, March 1905, p. 1.79 "Jersey Pioneer," Asbury Park Sunday Press, 18 February 1973.
Pryor, Pier, and Park.80 One of his more famous marches, "On
Jersey Shore," was written in honor of Asbury Park, and the
novelty piece "Baby Parade" was for an annual civic event held
there each summer.
Next to Asbury Park, the famed Willow Grove Park north of
Philadelphia was visited most often by the Pryor Band, usually in
late spring before heading east to Asbury. The band was there for
eleven seasons, spanning a twenty year period, from 1906 through
1926, the final season of regular summer concerts at the Park.
Owned and operated by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company,
whose trolleys served the Park, Willow Grove was not the ordinary
amusement center of the day. The goal from a visit there was
"something more than mere amusement; to make this a place of real
mental and spiritual worth to the multitudes invited to use it as
freely as if it were their own."81 Music played an important part
in achieving this lofty goal: "So it is that music, planned as an
attribute to its charms, has been developed and made its chief
charm as well as its most valuable asset in the estimation of the
public."82 A small army of guards, who were "carefully selected,
and are thoroughly examined by the honorable judges of the courts
of the county,"83 roamed the grounds, quickly evicting any man
80 Larkin, part 1, p. 8.81 Ray Thompson, Willow Grove Park (Abington, Pennsylvania: Cassidy Printing,
1977), p. 2.82 Ibid.83 Ibid., p. 21.
found without a coat or tie, even in summer.
And how did Arthur Pryor and his band contribute to the
charm of music at the Park? Again quoting from the 1909 booklet:
"Arthur Pryor is America's youngest and most brilliant
bandmaster. He typifies that originality in native band music
which make his a national character, and his return to Willow
Grove Park this season marks an event in the realm of Music."84
In the number of appearances at the Park, the Sousa Band
came in first place with 26, every summer from 1901. The Pryor
Band was in fifth place with its eleven seasons. At one point
Pryor's salary, 500 dollars per day, was third, bettered only by
Sousa and Victor Herbert.85
Concerts were presented there each afternoon and evening,
with an hour intermission during which time the famous Electric
Fountain was turned on and in the evening put on a display of
colored lights. The concert hall was a large, natural
amphitheatre seating 15,000 people, and was called The Grove.
"The Grove was, in an intangible but personal way, something
special to artist and layman alike. . . All who came in contact
with it were, touched by the spirit of The Grove. . . . No
conductor took The Grove lightly."86
The Pryor Band programs here were fairly typical. They would
84 Ibid., p. 8.85 Herbert N. Johnston, personal letter, 19 July 1981.86 Herbert N. Johnston, "Musical Memories of Willow Grove," Old York Road
Historical Society Bulletin 29 (1968): 18, 22.
generally include a variety of transcriptions, such as overtures
and selections from operas (Pryor was particularly fond of
Wagner87), original works such as marches, various dances,
novelties, and descriptive works (often patriotic), and solos.
Pryor's programming philosophy was inherited from Sousa in that
both men sought to please their audiences with a variety of
popular and enjoyable musical selections. Pryor's own
compositional output reflects this. "His programs are models of
good taste, and contain an even and well balanced grouping of
classic, romantic and popular material. His readings are those of
a sound, well-schooled, and thorough musician. . ."88 But in
trying to please the public, he also gave to the masses their
first exposure to classical literature.
As we shall see, the emphasis of the Pryor Band shifted
around 1910 to the recording studio, but he continued his park
appearances for many years, especially during the summers. He
would record in the winters , and then go to Willow Grove, and
then Asbury Park. In 1917 he began a series of nine winter
seasons in Miami, Florida, performing at the Royal Palm Park
there.89 At one time Pryor was even considering building a music
conservatory near Miami to be dedicated to Sousa,90 and there is
evidence that there was indeed a "Pryor Conservatory" at Hialeah,
87 John H. Willaman, personal letter, 17 January 1984.88 "Arthur Pryor," The Metronome, October 1907, pp. 9-10.89 Schwartz, p. 28190 St. Joseph News-Press, undated.
Florida, for a time.91
Following the close of his seventeenth consecutive season at
Asbury Park in 1920, he felt the people there deserved a change.
He turned over this engagement for a few years to his able
assistant Simone Mantia, and spent the next five summer seasons
with his band at Luna Park, Coney Island, New York.92 However,
Pryor did not voluntarily give up his regular seasonal
appearances at Willow Grove after 1918. During a rehearsal that
season, it so happened that a woman of influence at the Park
overheard Pryor admonish his men in typical strong language. (The
excellent acoustics of the band shell did not work to Pryor1s
advantage that time.) It was eight years before The Grove would
echo once again to the sounds of the Pryor Band.93
Not all was hard work at these parks for the band members.
One reason that Pryor sought for these long, regular engagements
was so that the families of band members also could come and
enjoy a vacation. Mornings were often free to take advantage of
the park's amusements. One annual event for several years was the
baseball game between members of the Sousa and Pryor Bands at
Willow Grove Park. This occurred during the brief period they
were there together Between engagements. The conductors would
pitch. The score of the 1916 game has been preserved: Sousa, 16,
91 Larkin, part 2., p. 15.92 Schwartz, p. 283.93 Johnston, "Musical Memories of Willow Grove," Old York Road Historical
Society Bulletin 29 (1968): 30, 31.
Pryor, 29. "Apparently musicians are strong on offense but weak
on defense."94
Other parks where the Pryor Band performed include the Steel
Pier in Atlantic City, Riverview Park in Chicago, Old Delmer
Gardens in St. Louis, Electric Park in Kansas City, and the Ball
Park in his home town of St. Joseph.95 People would flock out to
these parks to enjoy not only a ride on the various amusements
and a picnic and swim, but also a concert by a "name" band. The
parks were very popular with Sunday Schools and lodges for annual
meetings. They were conveniently located on a trolley line,
because, like Willow Grove, they were often owned by the trolley
line which served them, an additional source of revenue on days
when there was no rush hour income. Besides those of Sousa and
Pryor, the bands of Frederick lanes, Patrick Conway, Alessandro
Liberati, Albert Sweet, Bohumir Kryl, and Giuseppe Creatore were
popular attractions, along with their celebrity soloists, in the
early days of this century before jazz, the radio, and the family
automobile would combine to undermine the influence of these
parks on American life.
Band music was also an important part of industrial fairs
and expositions. The first important engagement of the Pryor Band
was the St. Louis Exposition, the World's Fair, in 1904, to be
followed two years later by an engagement at the Pittsburg
94 Schwartz, p. 242.95 Bridges, p. 104, and various other news releases.
Exposition.96 The mayor of Rochester, New York, sent a letter of
thanks following the Pryor Band's appearance at the Industrial
Exposition there in 1908; he especially appreciated the "generous
manner in which you responded to encores,"97 further evidence of
Pryor's debt to Sousa.
Finally, the bands of that day may also be a part of
official ceremony. When Woodrow Wilson was officially notified of
his nomination for the presidency by the Democrats in 1917. the
Pryor Band was there to provide suitable music for the
occasion.98 In summary, the Band was indeed a significant musical
organization in that day, However, as Arthur Pryor knew his band
need not be physically present to have an influence on American
cultural life.
A Pioneer in his Field--The Pryor Band: Recordings and Radio
(1903-33)
After his last tour in 1909, Pryor decided to settle down.
The hectic pace of tour travel was not for him. He had been
married since February 1895 to a young girl from Salt Lake City
named Maud Russell, and they had two sons. During his years of
constant travel, first as Sousa soloist, and then as conductor of
his own band, he would try to spend time with his family, first
96 Ibid., p. 10497 "Growth of Arthur Pryor and His Band," The Metronome, May 1909, p. 10.98 Jacob's Band Monthly, September 1916, p. 76.
in St. Joseph where they stayed with Pryor's parents, and then in
Asbury Park where he had established his home in 1904. Now he
would settle in Asbury Park and concentrate on a career in the
recording studio. His faith in the infant recording industry had
been noted earlier. His work in the studio with the Sousa Band
"seems to have awakened in Pryor an appreciation of the immense
potentialities of the phonograph that corresponded with Sousa's
low opinion of the medium, and throughout its career the Pryor
Band spent more time in the recording studio than any other
ensemble in the United States."99
Since the Pryor Band would continue its seasonal
appearances, as has been noted, and since he had had much
recording experience already, this was a shift in emphasis, but a
definite shift nevertheless. While the Sousa Band continued to
travel and appear in live concerts almost until the end of
Sousa's life, the Pryor Band was to have a greater influence
through its recordings on the establishment of the concert band
as a significant musical force in America. Later, it was to add
to this influence through another new medium, radio.
For some twenty five years, Pryor was on the staff of the
Victor Talking Machine Company as arranger and conductor. As
previously mentioned, his formal association actually went back
to 1904, and even before that when he was with Sousa. Now, with
99 Smart, jacket notes for The Sousa and Pryor Bands.
touring behind him, a steady stream of recordings would pour
forth from the Victor Studio under his supervision. These
recordings were made by the old acoustic process of playing
through the large recording horn directly onto a disc, A master
disc, called a "mother" disc, was made from this original, and
copies could then be made from the master.100 Besides his band,
Pryor also directed the Pryor Orchestra "in person, and all
arrangements are made under his supervision, thus insuring an
artistic result."101 His band members no doubt provided the
nucleus of this ensemble. He also continued to conduct recording
sessions of the Sousa Band, as late as 1926.102
"There are thousands of oldsters who can still remember the
thrill which Pryor's early records gave them, when played on the
old Victrola. . . , Although much of the tone coloring of Pryor's
Band was lost, at least the rhythm and the melody and the main
harmony lines came through with spine-tingling effect."103 Much
more than tone coloring would have been lost had not Pryor begun
to arrange music specifically for recording purposes. He
eliminated the delicate shadings and solidified the sound so that
these early recordings would at least stress the essential
elements of the music. Arthur Pryor is considered a pioneering
100 Seaver, James, personal interview, 18 July 1984.101 1906 Catalogue of Victor Records (Camden, New Jersey: Victor Talking
Machine Company, 1906), p. 18.102 Smart, p. 123.103 Schwartz, p. 240.
arranger in this respect.104
While the Pryor Band continued to appear in the summer at
Willow Grove Park and Asbury Park, and later, in the winter, in
Miami, it would otherwise be busily engaged enlarging Victor's
catalogue. Even in 1906, when the Band was still a touring
organization, there are no less than 168 catalog numbers assigned
to recordings of this very active ensemble. The selections
included all the popular kinds of pieces of that day, such as
marches, waltzes, gavottes, medleys, patriotic airs, fantasies,
novelties, hymns, serenades, and paraphrases. There were also
cakewalks and rags, which helped to introduce and popularize that
emerging American art form later called jazz.105 Nor were the
classics ignored. "In the Victor Book of the Opera, published in
1912, Pryor's Band is listed as recording overtures, finales,
marches, selections, and fantasias from approximately fifty
operas."106 It is estimated that the recorded output of the Pryor
Band is easily twice that of the Sousa Band, although no
discography has thus far been attempted.
No band has ever surpassed the output of the Pryor Band. The band recorded an estimated 5,000 takes and placed 2,000 titles in the Victor Phonograph Company recording Entry Books (now preserved by the Radio Corporation of America). It is believed that Mr. Pryor conducted them all.107
104 Schwartz, pp. 239-40.105 1906 Catalogue of Victor Records.106 Schwartz, p. 240.107 Steve M. Wolfinbarger, "The Solo Trombone Music of Arthur Pryor" (M.M.
thesis, North Texas State University, 1982), p. 9. This information is from Frederick P. Williams, "The Times as Reflected in the Victor Black Label Military Band Recordings From 1900 to 1927," Association For Recorded Sound
The personnel of the band remained more stable through this
arrangement of recordings and live concerts. "It was Pryor's
desire to keep his men in 'year 'round work' and through the
recordings in winters and guarantees for summer appearances he
was better assured of his men remaining with him."108 It was a
very productive andfinancially successful venture. "Mr. Pryor' s
audience is a still larger one, and the superb Pryor-Victor
records ace enjoyed in every part of the world."109
In the 1920s the Pryor Band moved into the of radio
broadcasting. General Electric, General Motors, and Cremo Cigars
were among his sponsors. One popular series of concerts that he
and his band presented was called the Cavalcade of America,
sponsored by the Dupont Company. Another series was called the
Shrader Town Band, presented in 1929.110 For these broadcasts he
would perhaps use only part of his band, around 25 players. By
the early 1930s he was associated with NBC for broadcasting in
New York City.
Interlude--His Character, Standards, and Conducting Skills
It may seem surprising that among the soloists Pryor secured
Collections Journal, 4 (1972), p. 39.108 Lynn L. Sams, personal letter, 19 October 1983.109 1920 Catalogue of Victor Records (Camden, New Jersey: Victor Talking
Machine Company, 1920).110 Fred Pfaff, personal letter, 29 October 1983. (Pfaff, now age 95, is a
former member of Pryor's Band.)
for his band would be trombonists. But in everything he was a
perfectionist, and as time went by he found he could no longer
take the time to practice. He gradually turned over the
performance responsibilities to others. While he continued to
play the trombone throughout his life, his greatest success as a
performer was during his time with Sousa. The last recording he
made of a technical solo was in March 1911, his own "Polka
Fantastic." Less than a year later, in February 1912, he made his
very last solo recordings, selections from Romeo and Juliet
(Gounod) and Samson and Delilah (Saint-Saens).111 While he did
continue to play in public occasionally (on one occasion to
disprove a statement in a Miami newspaper that he could not),112
Glenn Bridges estimates that by around 1920 he had given this up.
At a Pryor Band concert Bridges attended in 1922 at Luna Park, he
was told by a band member that the "old man" (at age 52) was no
longer playing publicly.113 While this is unfortunate, it does
show Pryor's high performance standards. Having thoroughly
mastered his instrument early in life, he would not settle for
anything less than perfection now. He had developed new musical
interests which were taking his time, and his public performance
was a thing of the past.
His standard of perfection did continue on the podium,
111 112 113
however. He would encourage his men with such phrases as "The
right note in the wrong place is a wrong note," and "If you can't
play everything on the page, be sure not to play anything NOT on
the page. Simplify if you must, but don't compose."114
His legendary outbursts of temper, spiced with an equally
legendary tongue, have resulted in a comparison with Toscanini.115
But, unlike the fiery Italian, the offense was quickly forgotten
and the men in the band grew to accept this as a part of the
routine. Clarinetist Louis Morris recalled that Pryor "swore like
hell! But at his brother, on bass drum. We all laughed because we
knew he didn't mean anything.116 After the rehearsal or concert
Pryor would enjoy friendly fellowship with everyone, including
the offender, over drinks together.
During a concert in Asbury Park in 1913, clarinetist Charles
Thetford got into an argument with his conductor. After a
policeman, at Pryor's request, ejected Thetford, the rest of the
bandmembers got up one by one and left the bandstand in sympathy
with Thetford. All this took place as a piece was being played,
finally, Pryor was left with only Mantia and the bass drummer
(could that have been faithful brother Sam?). Obviously this
remaining "band" had to quit playing after a few measures of
futile effort, which eyewitness Nolbert Quayle described as
114 115 116
"excruciatingly funny." After standing motionless for a moment,
Pryor turned, calmly picked up his trombone, and began playing
"Auld Lang Syne," "as only he could play it." Soon, one by one,
the bandmembers reappeared and took their places, with Thetford
being the last one. They sat down and joined their leader in the
refrain. The concert then resumed. Quayle's conclusion was, "It
was a good comedy.117(After Pryor's death in 1942, Thetford became
co-director of the band with Arthur Pryor Jr.)
He knew he had a temper and was not proud of it. But, like
Toscanini, it can be attributed to an extreme musical
sensitivity, not to ego. He once told a friend that poor playing
actually caused a physical reaction in him.118 The tempo would
usually speed up as a result, and on at least one occasion (a
concert at the Capital Theatre, New York, in 1919), he tore off
his collar and stamped on it. Another time, during a concert at
Willow Grove, a bandmember threatened to smash his trumpet over
Pryor's head. Clarinetist Robert Willaman called him a "strange
combination of exalted artist and born roughneck."119 In this sort
of behavior he was the exact opposite of Sousa, who would go to
great lengths not to embarrass a player who made a mistake.120
Perhaps this is due to the contrast of environments in growing
up, Sousa in the genteel atmosphere of our nation's capitol, and
117 118 119 120
Pryor in the rough riverfront pioneer community of St. Joseph. As
was mentioned earlier, Pryor seems to have inherited this
naturally from his father. While conducting, Pryor lived the
music being performed. "Music is his life; the correct
interpretation of it, his life blood; tonal beauty, his life
breath."121 Any violation of the sanctity of this life was quickly
and thoroughly dealt with, but then it was completely forgotten
just as quickly and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, and understandably, not all of his men were
as quick to recover from his attacks as he would like, although
fortunately not many of them threatened to smash their horns over
his head! His temper did cost him some fine players over the
years but at heart he was a very kind and generous man, and his
men respected him for his friendship as well as his musicianship.
Often when sharing meals together (which is something not every
conductor did), the men would toast him with "More power to your
elbow, Mr. Pryor." When euphonium player Ole May was critically
injured in a car accident in 1917, Pryor voluntarily paid the
entire hospital bill for the eight days May suffered before he
died.122 He has been described as "a pleasant, affable man who
asked of his men everything they could give, but who never used
abusive tactics in order to obtain cooperation."123 This is
121 122 123
essentially true. He did not intimidate his men. It was only
after the mistake was made that he became angry, and that for the
sake of the music. "He was never attacked by that dread disease
called 'swell head,' and is both beloved and admired by the
members of his band."124 Tubist Willis Maupin summed up this
paradox quite well, reflecting on his former leader shortly after
Pryor died. "He had a pleasing, affable personality with a
certain charm, but on the podium in front of his band he was hard
as nails, demanding the very best that each musician had to
give."125 He served his art. and was as hard on himself as he was
on his musicians to achieve his purpose.
His high standards were rewarded with critical acclaim. A
New York critic wrote concerning a Pryor Band concert:
Sunshine and shadow, darkness and dawn, laughter and tears, peace and turmoil, hope and despair, every human emotion of joy or sorrow, blended into a medley of melody, a splendor of color, a wealth of harmony, captivating, enchanting, bewildering. . . . In New York and nearly every American metropolis Pryor's concerts have been hailed as marking an epoch in musical annals, and the present tour has been a succession of signal success.126
This praise was not to diminish over the years. A 1919
concert in the brand new Capitol Theatre in New York City brought
forth this response: "To hear 'Pryor's Capitol Band,' as the
organization hereafter will be known, had been likened to a tonic
by the critics who enjoyed the opening concert, the audience
124 125 126
invariably being moved to the most emphatic demonstrations of
enthusiasms by the wonderful achievements in band music wrought
by Mr. Pryor and his competent company of artists.127 (The
reviewer goes on to praise the band for beautiful, controlled
playing at the pianissimo dynamic level, something rare for a
band.) Through such success Pryor was able to pay his men well.
In 1909 he was able to repay his men debts owed from the early
years of touring, $3000 from the first tour alone.128
Pryor himself was an imposing figure on the podium, standing
tall and erect (one bandmember recalled that he wore a girdle at
times129) and giving a clear, precise beat. "His gestures and
actions are all original and brought about not for the sake of
catching the gallery, but through his intense interest in the
work at hand."130 Tubist Fred Pfaff writes:
I never saw a better beat from any other band or orchestra leader. He was very clear with tempo and time changes; the players always knew what was going on. He was demanding to work for since the best was always expected. His temper might flare, but the episode was soon forgotten and nothing would be said off the stand. He was a fine man, a gentleman.131
Pfaff also recalls Pryor's use of a drumstick for a baton
occasionally, perhaps for greater visibility and emphasis. One
reviewer waxed eloquent about Pryor's appearance at a massed band
127 128 129 130 131
concert in St. Louis.
And then there was Arthur Pryor. Mr. Pryor emerged from one of the exits at the psychological moment and a rumble of applause ran round the Coliseum. He was dressed in white, which did not tend to make him inconspicuous at this time of year [winter], and when he took his place on the dais placed for him it was plain that he never could have been anything but a bandmaster. It would have been a crime against the laws of economy to permit that fine figure to drift anywhere but toward a uniform and a baton.132
His "remarkable collection of valuable and beautiful
medals," worn sparingly, enhanced his appearance considerably.133
Many of these he received from nobility during his travels in
Europe with Sousa.
Speaking of Sousa, one reviewer makes some interesting
comparisons of style. "[Pryor] has Sousa's technical
thoughtfulness, but he avoids the showman tricks which were
Sousa's besetting sin." After expressing commendation to Pryor
for avoiding "virtuoso stunts for the piccolo" and having the
trombones come to the front of the platform (it is not hard to
figure out what standard Sousa Band favorite the reviewer was
referring to), he feels that with Pryor "more was made of the
music than the musicians. . . Mr. Pryor never forgets that a
concert is music and not a demonstration by a dancing master.134
An Active Retirement--The Final Years (1933-42)
132 133 134
In 1933 the Pryors retired, moving from their apartment in
Deal, New Jersey, to their 27-acre farm named Driftwood, near
Long Branch, New Jersey. The Pryor Band disbanded after three
decades of existence, longer than that of any of the old
traveling park bands except Sousa's. The Pryors shared their home
with Mr. and Mrs. C. D Haviland, the parents of Mrs. Arthur Pryor
Jr. "Musical curios abound in the modest farmhouse at
Driftwood,"135 as one can well imagine after a lifetime of service
to his art.
During these years, Pryor found time for teaching, although
it also provided an excuse to get away to the city to visit old
friends. He had a studio in the Life and Time Building in New
York City, and the Conn Company reserved a studio for him at
Rockefeller Center. Conn executive Lynn Sams recalls, "Many times
when I visited the store Arthur Pryor came in from his farm and
we had sort of 'open house.' Many of the old-timers were also
there and as you can well imagine, some great stories were told
about those early days."136
But in his teaching, as in all things musical, he was
totally serious. A former student sums up his teaching standard
in one word: perfection. Through long tones, lip slurs, and the
study of arias and hymns he tried to develop in his students the
concept of a singing style that he introduced on his instrument
135 136
years before. As far as his famous technical gymnastics were
concerned, he said "walk before you run!" Work out the parts slow
and steady, and use lots of alternate positions. Handle the slide
loosely so the wrist and fingers don't "stick"; the wrist must be
flexible. He would demonstrate on his own trombone. The lesson
was "all business."137
He would also encourage young promising musicians to go on
in their study. Dr. Leonard B. Smith, former cornet soloist with
the Goldman Band of New York City, and presently conductor of the
Detroit Concert Band, credits Pryor with persuading his father to
allow him to go to New York to study music.138
During retirement years the Pryors enjoyed working in their
garden and keeping several dogs, heirs to the famous bulldog
Roxy, who was the inspiration for Pryor's most famous
composition, "The Whistler and His Dog." Maud Pryor was, like her
husband, an excellent pianist, and one can imagine that she
accompanied her husband as he demonstrated his skills for
fortunate young musicians who would visit their home. "His golden
trombone, whose etched inscription reads, 'Made for Arthur Pryor
by Jake Burkle, 1894,' sits on a shelf in the study, and
occasionally Pryor plays a few sweet-toned lyrics on it."139
Yes, my grandfather played the trombone all of his life – beautifully. He never stopped. I remember the band and the
137 138 139
music all of my life-earliest recollections are of the bandstand in Miami.140
He also traveled to colleges to conduct band clinics, and
guest conducted at special concerts. Mr. Robert Isele recalls
with pleasure the privilege he had of performing "Blue Bells of
Scotland" with the Allentown (Pennsylvania) Band in 1938 under
Pryor's direction. Isele was for many years the trombone soloist
with the U, S. Marine Band, and, in this writer's opinion, comes
closest to duplicating the skill of Arthur Pryor. Yet Isele
writes, "When I did hear his recordings I had the greatest
respect for his incredible technique, and as far as I can see he
certainly was the one that discovered the wonderful things a
trombone could do. I never thought any of the other trombonists
were in his class."141
As a charter member of the American Bandmasters Association
(1929)142, he was concerned about the development of bands in
public schools and colleges. He served as adjudicator at some of
the early school band contests, although he did not enjoy this
task because he felt such sympathy for the losers.143 He was aware
of trends in band music, and, as shall be pointed out in chapter
2, he was disappointed to see the emphasis on concert bands
decline as jazz became more popular.
140 141 142 143
His awareness of trends in band music was complemented by
his ability to sense trends. This was evident many years earlier.
In 1913 he encouraged young Curtis Larkin to stay on his trumpet
despite ridicule from cornet players, because "in another twenty
years everybody will be using trumpets."144 By way of contrast, in
1921 Herbert L. Clarke told a student in a letter that the
trumpet is "only a foreign fad for the time present. . . and was
never intended as a solo instrument."145
Pryor also wrote articles for music publications in his
retirement. He shared with other bandmasters some of the
techniques and ideas he had acquired through the years. His
ability to "dig beneath the surface" is evident in the article
"How To Play a March,"146 something most bandsmen would think they
already knew how to do.
But what he did not write was something most people expected
from him sooner or later, and that was a method for the trombone.
He had been encouraged to write a method through the years, and
he did write out exercises for his students. But when people
would claim that he used some special trick in his playing or of
simply being incredibly talented so that it all came naturally,
he would give up any plans for a book and just say "let them
learn the hard way, like I did."147
144 145 146 147
Of course he did not need to do any of this to establish
himself further in his field. By now his many musical talents and
his contributions to the advancement of the concert band in
America were recognized and appreciated by bandsmen the world
over. "[His] splendid gift of performance and his broad
musicianship, covering composition and conducting, places him on
a high plane, and entitles him to the front rank among American
bandmasters."148
By this time the two sons of Arthur Pryor were well-
established and famous in their own right. Arthur Jr. played the
cornet and piano. Besides being a member of his father's band, he
was also assistant conductor. "The young man has many of the
mannerisms and characteristics of his father- the calm, dignified
pose when conducting, the simple look at a performer when certain
effects are desired, and the flash of the eyes when climaxes were
approached."149 Arthur Jr. was also an advertising executive. As
vice president for a New York-based company, he secured the
talents of people like Oscar Levant, Kate Smith, and Dinah Shore,
as well as the Pryor Band, for the radio programs that his
company sponsored.150
Roger Pryor was a noted actor, dance band leader, radio
personality, and husband of television comedienne Ann Sothern.151
148 149 150 151
His instrument was the trombone, although he credits his father
for teaching him the piano and saxophone as well. He secured
permissions from his father to use a swing arrangement of "The
Whistler and His Dog" as his band's theme song.152
One interesting period during Pryor's retirement was his
years serving in public office. In 1933 he ran for the position
of member of the Board of Freeholders of Monmouth County, New
Jersey. The duties of this Board correspond to those of a council
in a city government. He campaigned as a Democrat on a platform
of lower taxes.153 He was elected and served one term, and kept
his promise to "enter and leave political life an honest man."154
Sometimes he would get together the old Pryor Band, at least
as many members as he could round up, for concerts at nearby
Asbury Park, scene of so many earlier triumphs. In 1942 he agreed
to a series of concerts at the Park to help bolster a summer
program otherwise curtailed by wartime restrictions. He conducted
his band over Memorial Day weekend, and "proved to large
audiences that he was still the world's master band leader."155
It was after a rehearsal for the next series of concerts, on
the night of 17 June 1942, that he suffered a stroke, caused by a
brain hemorrhage. He never regained consciousness, and died the
next morning at 5:20 at his home. He was 71 years old. Friends
152 153 154 155
said that he had been deeply affected by the death, a week
previous, of his personal physician who was a long time friend.156
Arthur Pryor Jr. conducted the next Asbury Park concert,
which was presented on the Fourth of July. It included his
father's last composition, "We'll Keep Old Glory Flying,"
dedicated to the U. S. Armed Forces.157 The City Council of Asbury
Park adopted a resolution at its next meeting in Pryor's honor,
to the man "whose truly outstanding talents brought world fame
and glory not only to himself, but to his adopted city."158
The funeral service was at Trinity Episcopal Church, Asbury
Park, on Sunday afternoon, June 22. The service included a
performance of Pryor's intermezzo "After Sunset," played on the
organ. A tribute was given by Burt L. Smith, one of the
outstanding trombone soloists of the Pryor Band from previous
years. "Pryor was a magnificent conductor. He was a musician
through and through; nobody could get away with anything in his
band. He was the greatest of them all, a better musician than
Sousa."159 He was buried in Clenwood Cemetery, near his home. An
Episcopalian by faith, he was a charter member of the American
Society of Authors Composers and Publishers (1914), as well as
the American Bandmasters Association (1929). He was also a member
of several local organizations, such as the Musicians' Union, the
156 157 158 159
Elks, and the Rotary Club.160 His wife moved to California and
survived him by five years. Arthur Jr. died in 1954, Roger in
1979.
In a tribute to the dying breed of self-taught bandmasters
following Pryor's death, William Shaw of the Chicago Daily News
wrote the following:
As for Arthur Pryor, he came out of a family orchestra which played for the touring attractions that came to ^ Missouri theatre immortalized in the Eugene Field line, 'Tootle's opry house, St. Joe.' Sam, the father, played anything he turned his hand to. Sammy, a son, played drums, his brother Walter, cornet. Arthur, of course, went in for the slip-horn. Sousa heard him, hired him. He played 10,000 solos with Sousa's band. His tone was as smooth and mellow as that of any singer; his fame for it, proverbial!
Once a musician in an act at the Pantages, St. Joseph, got an ovation after a trombone solo. "In Arthur Pryor's home town?" he cried exultantly to Butch Gerrad and Stumpy Davis, standing in the wings. He knew.161
160 161
CHAPTER TWO
THE WORKS OF ARTHUR PRYOR
Introduction
"America's greatest bandmaster, foremost as a writer of
attractive, successful, popular-styled composition." This
description of Pryor and his music from a Carl Fischer
advertisement
of about 1910 sums up quite well not only the style but also
the
philosophy behind the music of Arthur Pryor. It was music
intended
for listening, music intended to give immediate pleasure- It
was all
very predictable in the tonal, symmetrical, and diatonic
style of the
turn-of-the-century American parlor composition. There is
nothing
radical in his music. There is some that would be considered
dated
today, yet there is also a certain timeless charm and
elegance to the
stylized Romantic quality of Pryor's music, especially in
his
marches, that keep his music quite fresh and enjoyable
today. At
least one contemporary bandmaster who has regularly
programmed Pryor
compositions reports that "they are liked by musicians and
audiences
and should be more readily available,"* referring to the
fact that
Pryor's band music has generally been long out of print-
That publishers are not always able to assess objectively
the
qualities of their composers is indicated by the fact that
the same
Fischer advertisement quoted above speaks of the "outspoken
individuality" of Arthur Pryor's compositional style.
Written at a
time when another son of a bandmaster, heir to the >ame
tradition in
America, was writing compositions which were destined to be
ignored
^William Pruyn, personal letter, 3 March 1984.
until mid-century, the output of Arthur Pryor contributes
nothing to
the ongoing development of tonal art compared to the
contributions of
his contemporary Charles Ives. Assuming the existence of a
gap that
has traditionally divided the more progressive composers and
the
*
public at large, it could be debated whether one can indeed
write
attractive, successful, and popular compositions, and still
be highly
original. The history of music has provided few examples.
Yet as a testament to the cultural life of an emerging world
power, the music of Arthur Pryor, and of so many other now-
forgotten
composers of that time, does have a place in the annals of
American
music. This is true for its historical significance if not
for its
inherent musical quality; it cannot be ignored.
As one begins to understand this music in historical
perspective,
it is a small step further to appreciate it for its own
sake; that
is, to find genuine pleasure in the melodies, harmonies,
rhythms—in
short, the sound of this music. After all, it was written to
be
enjoyed, and that is the basis upon which Pryor1s music
should be
judged. It does not presume greatness. It is limiting to a
broad
appreciation of music if one can enjoy music only on the
basis of its
inherent quality as art. Music need not be great to be
enjoyed.
Although it has been said that Arthur Pryor wrote some 300
to 350
compositions, I have been able to document only some 100
compositions
from his pen. This documentation has come from either the
music
itself, stored in the Music Division of the Library of
Congress and
other libraries and collections, or from records kept in the
Copyright Office of the Library of Congress, both on the
cards
51
themselves and in the Catalog of Copyright Entry books. The
fact
that I kept coming across the same titles over and over
again through
advertisements in early music magazines and on the music
itself leads
me to believe that if Pryor did write some 200 additional
compositions, they were for immediate recording or radio
purposes,
were actually arrangements of pre-existing music, or were
otherwise
unpublished. From Pryor's long association with the Victor
Company
as music arranger we can assume that he wrote a great deal
of music.
However, we can understand why everything Pryor wrote he did
not
consider of lasting worth. He was no doubt influenced by
Victor to
some degree as to what to write, and contractual
restrictions may
well have prevented publication.
Considering the fact that in his day Pryor was very famous,
he would have seen to it, if he had indeed written 300
compositions,
that more of his music was published and disseminated. It
was
simply good business for him and his band, and this in turn
was
good business for publishers. Therefore I conclude that the
more
likely number of Pryor's total original output is around 100
compositions. The 100 works include not just compositions
that were
published, because there are some unpublished compositions
known
through copyright registration. Some additional titles also
are
found from secondary sources, generally through labels of
old
recordings, old record catalogs, and old band programs.
These are
discussed in a separate section. Considering Pryor's long
career,
more titles may yet be found.
His facility at composing grew out of his ability to
improvise
at the piano.
52
In an informal circle of friends he would entertain at the
piano
for hours by improvising. Any three or four notes struck at
random on the piano by a guest would be taken as a theme or
motif, which he would proceed to embellish and work into an
impressive composition. He also would use as a theme a
person's
name, improvising on the rhythm and sound of the vowels.
Throughout the years of the Pryor Band's existence many
favorite
compositions in the band repertory were Pryor compositions,
so much
so that at one point he had to make a public statement that
he did
q
not also write the popular compositions of John Philip
Sousa.
While Pryor was not the extrovert patriot that Sousa was,
Pryor
did have a high regard for his country. Patriotic*
selections were a
regular feature of his concerts, and several of his own
compositions
were patriotically inspired. At first he wanted to call his
band the
"American Band," saying in 1905 that
My band has been organized on an artistic rather than a
commercial basis, to promote the healthy growth of our
native
music. I have expended lots of time and deep thought, as
well as
considerable money, upon the formation and exploitation of
my
band, and it is my fervent hope that it may realize, in some
measure at least, my patriotic ambitions.
Some of his compositions that reflect his "patriotic
ambitions0 are
the march "40 and 8," dedicated to the American Legion, and
the
marches "Ye Boston Tea Party" and its successor "Bunker
Hill,"
inspired by events of the Revolutionary War. His popular
trombone
solo "The Patriot" includes a difficult variation on the
tune
"America," and another march, "The Triumph of Old Glory,"
includes
2 H. W, Schwartz, Bands of America (New York: Doubleday and
Co., 1957), p. 283.
3 St. Joseph News-Press, 25 May 1954.
4 "Tour of Pryor ' s Band," The Musical E n t e r p r i s
e , March 1905,
p. 1.
53
our entire national anthem in the trio. Pryor's contribution
to that
distinctly American form of music called jazz through his
ragtime
compositions is discussed under that category.
*
Music Traits
Melody is the primary element in the music of Arthur Pryor.
"Where is the origin of melody-whence do we get it?" he once
said in
an interview. "The inspiration of melody is a gift divine,
and its
proper interpretation can be handed down to posterity by the
composer
only."^ His music is nothing if it is not melodious. The
melodies
are organized from symmetrical phrases and are generally
diatonic,
moving by step or triadic skip. They abound in sequences.
His strongest compositional trait is the extensive use of
the
appoggiatura and the accented passing or neighboring tone
found in
his melodies. The beginning of the trio of "Crescent Club"
march
serves as an example (Ex. 1). (Examples are taken from piano
solos.)
Ex. 1. Crescent Club March (1894), beginning of trio, second
time.
o. - « ' A Vr *
5 m r
t I
1/ JJT m •9—0-
r
*•
-0 0-
&
7 1 |7. P V T
5Ibid.
54
9
The close of the first strain of "The Victor" march is a
good example
of a rising appoggiatura figure (Ex. 2).
Ex. 2. The Victor March (1904), end of first strain.
*
€fa r of f t £
l •at * J u^A
This delight in "surrounding the tonic" note with nonchordal
tones only a step away can be seen in two similar passages,
both of
which are the beginning of the first strain of each march.
(Ex. 3-4)
Ex. 3. "The March King" march (1895), beginning of first
strain
rr.rfjrr
55
Ex. 4. "On Jersey Shore" march (1904), beginning of f i r s
t s t r a i n .
4 If cjr
J-r-rf
"Captain Cupid" two-step gives an excellent example of the
clashing accented neighboriag tones that Pryor often used
(Ex. 5).
Ex. 5. "Captain Cupid11 two-step (1908), beginning of second
strain
These very short, yet very pronounced, dissonances give the
melodies
of Pryor's music a very distinctive color. That they are
dissonant
is always clear, but that they are constantly present is
also clear.
Pryor1s harmonies are triadic and functional, as one might
expect. He made some use of the diminished seventh chord,
generally
treating the chord tones as neighboring tones (Ex. 6) or as
passing
tones (Ex. 7).
56
Ex. 6. "The Baby Parade" two-step (1906), beginning of trio
* # # #
Ex. 7. "Kentucky Club" two-step (1899), beginning
J. .M
f J?LS-
9 ?m 0 {>
He also frequently used the augmented sixth chord near the
end
the trio. In this example from "The Arras of America" march,
the
augmented sixth chord is preceded by a major supertoaic
chord,
resulting in an unusual augmented fourth melodic interval in
the
bass. (Ex. 8).
57
Ex. 8. "The Arms of America" march (1911), meas. 23-26 of t
r i o .
Q
The following example, from "The Arcade Girl" march and two-
step,
uses an enharmonic spelling of the augmented sixth chord
(Ex. 9).
Ex. 9. "The Arcade Girl" march and two-step (1910), meas.
2H-28 of
t r i o .
Hi
Pryor also makes extensive use of secondary domxnants, at
cadences in p a r t i c u l a r (Ex. 10).
58
Ex. 10. "The Love Ki.ss" waltz (1906), end of piece.
^ r\ A
HE
dim. .
His harmonic rhythm is quite steady and predictable. It is
unusual for him to hold a chord for a very long time, but
exceptions
are noted under specific titles.
Pryor is generally not in a hurry to extablish the tonic of
a
key. Many introductions to his compositions are entirely
based on
the dominant chord, and at changes of key he may further
delay the
appearance of the new tonic chord (Ex. 11).
Ex. 11. "On Jersey Shore" march, (1904), beginning of trio.
59
Pryor had 3 strong preference for the major mode, reserving
the
minor mode for sections of a few marches ("The Gridiron" and
"Afifi")
as a means of variation in a trombone solo ("Annie Laurie"),
and for
descriptive purposes in songs ("A Coon Band Contest") and
novelties
("Teddy after Africa").
Rhythmically, Pryor tended to favor shorter note values. His
marches, for example, give the feeling of constant
propulsion.
Naturally, repeated rhythmic motives (at different pitch
levels,
resulting in melodic sequences) unify-whole sections, but
there is a
contrast of motives between the sections. For example, in
"Burlington" march, the first strain is unified by a pattern
of
continuous dotted rhythms, the second strain by a pattern of
half and
quarter notes, and the trio by a pattern of whole and half
notes, all
in cut time.
In Pryor's rags and waltzes he was limited, of course, to
the
characteristic rhythm patterns of the genres. This is also
true of
his trombone solos, particularly of the theme and variations
type,
where the note values get shorter and perhaps the tempo may
speed up
as the piece progresses, such as in the solo "Blue Bells of
Scotland."
Publishers
Pryor's music was published during a 43-year period of his
life,
from 1894 to 1939. Compositions published in 1894 are the
marches
"Crescent Club," "Post Dispatch," and "Trocadero," the
trombone solo
"Exposition Echoes," and the dance "Little Flirt." The
variety of
61
King" march was published for band and orchestra by Pepper,
and for
piano solo by B. F. fianes and Company, but this practice is
rare.
The very last new composition appeared a few months after
Pryor's
death. "The Rookie and His Army Mule" was published by
Irving Berlin
*
of New York City in early 1943 as the ,TArthur Pryor
Memorial
Edition." It had been written some years previously as
"Sammy and
His Missouri Mule," a sequel to the popular "The Whistler
and His
Dog." The very last piece that Pryor wrote, the song "We'll
Keep Old
Glory Flying," remained unpublished,- like many of his
songs.
Some of his band compositions are said on the music to be
"arranged" by various people, most often M. L. Lake and L.
P.
Laurendeau. There is little difference between these
"arrangements"
and music credited exclusively to Pryor. These men were
"house
arrangers" for Fischer, and probably did little more than
prepare
Pryor's music for publication. Considering all of Pryor's
experience
with bands, it is highly unlikely that he would need an
arranger for
his music.
To obtain the greatest financial return from his music,
especially as Pryor became famous, publishers would print
arrangements of his music for various media. Mandolin
ensembles,
banjo soloists, violinists, and guitarists were regularly
treated to
the music of Arthur Pryor. It was typical of the time to
read under
the title of such music "also published for. . . . This was
in
addition to the normal band, orchestra, and piano solo
settings.
Apparently the joy of making music was more important than
observing
a strict medium of performance. C. Roberts and R.
Klugescheid
62
frequently arranged Pryor's music for orchestra, and Louis
Tocaben
arranged his music for mandolin and guitar. Only most of the
trombone solos and the songs remained exclusively for those
media.
The piano settings would be helpful to the band conductor in
that
*
day when the word "score" for band meant that the solo
cornet part
had the word "conductor" accomodatingly stamped on it. A few
cues
might be included in the music, but that was all. In fact,
sometimes, as in the "score" for "Mr. Black Man," the
conductor would
just have to beat time as he counted measures "rest" along
with the
solo cornetist. Under these conditions it was good that the
music is
so predictable. Surely one indication of the gradual
maturing of the
concert band in this century is the gradual inclusion of an
actual
score with the band parts. It is only late in his life
("Will
Rogers" march, 1937) that a composition by Arthur Pryor was
published
with a conductor's score.
Categories
The list of compositions, as given in the appendices, is
divided
according to the category, or type, of piece. These
categories are
march, rag, novelty (often called caprice), waltz,
miscellaneous
dances, piano solo, song, and trombone solo. It has not been
difficult to classify his music, even though it was arranged
for
various media. (Since so much of Pryor's music was arranged
for
"N,
piano solo, it should be pointed out that there are a few of
his
compositions that are pianistic in idiom enough to warrant a
separate
category of "piano solo.")
63
4
Pryor's classifications have not been very helpful at times.
He
seemed to apply rather arbitrarily the terra "two-step," a
popular
dance of the day, to marches (in either 6/8 or cut tine) and
rags.
Often rags are labeled as "cakewalks." In this study the
criteria
has been the music itself. If short note values predominate,
such as
eighth notes in cut time, and there is a great deal of
syncopation of
the beat itself, such as m , this suggests a more moderate
tempo
and the composition is classified as rag. Longer note values
suggest
a faster tempo, and the composition is. classified as a
inarch.
Specific questions are dealt with under specific titles.
In general, one particular composition will receive one
title.
Sometimes Pryor's category will be taken as the title of the
piece.
For example, an old program may list the title "Polka
Caprice" for a
trombone solo, which is Pryor's category for "The Little
Chief.
This may explain the origin of some of the questionable
Pryor titles.
In two instances, part of a large work also appeared as a
separate work. A particularly lyrical section of the
intermezzo
"After Sunset" was also published separately as a song by
the same
title. "A Coon Band Contest" song consists of a newly
composed verse
melody, and a chorus which is the trio of the instrumental
rag.
Also, "new" compositions may be formed from part of other
compositions. "Fox Trot" was put together from sections of
two
previously published compositions, "Frozen Bill" and
"Razzazza
Frederick P. Williams, jacket notes for Trombone Solos--
Arthur Pryor (Crystal Records S651,1983).
64
•
Mazzazza." It was Fischer's attempt to exploit the new fox
trot
craze.
Except for the category of some of the trombone solos, Pryor
wrote no polkas. He also wrote no overtures, except for what
might
have begun the three operettas that have not been*located.
He wrote
little descriptive program music, at least that was
published. Music
portraying battles and natural calamities were very popular
at the
turn of the century, but as the event would be forgotten, so
the
popularity of the work would diminish. It is very possible
that
Pryor wrote some of these, but the only one to be published
is "The
Rookie and His Army Mule," where through sound effects and
spoken
words it appears that the rookie Sammy is trying without
success to
train his Missouri mule for the U. S, Cavalry.
There is some spoken dialogue in other works such as "Frau
Louisa" comedy waltz and "The Baby Parade" two-step, but not
enough
to form a narrative. The text here is for humor, and is
incidental
to the piece. Pryor also used pictorial imagery in his
music, such
as the rhythmic figure in "Danny and His Hobby Horse"
caprice to
suggest hoof beats.
Questionable Pryor titles fro® secondary sources are
included in
the final section of this study. They await further
research.
Marches
"N,
"There i s one type of music in the playing of which the
band has
always been supreme--the march. No other musical ensemble
can play a
march with the z e s t , snap, and l i f e as can a good
band. For years
65
the march has been the very backbone of the m i l it a r y
band."® Pryor
p r a c t i c e d what he preached in giving to the band r e
p e r t o r y s e v e r a l
f i n e examples in this genre.
In this category a r e found only what has been c a l l e d
" s t r e e t " or
*
"quickstep" marches, such as those by Sousa. They have also
been
called "military" marches, alluding to their original
function
involving the movement of troops. Pryor wrote no "grand"
marches
such as are found in classical literature, Elgar's Pomp and
Circumstance for example.
There are at least twenty seven compositions by Pryor that
are
definitely marches. Sixteen are in cut time, eight are in
6/8 time>
and three ("Irish King," "Arcade Girl," and "Afifi") change
time
signatures. Two compositions, "Toute La Nuit" and "Blood
Lilies/1
are not marches according to the standard form, and yet do
not fit
any other category as well. They are certainly in march
time, and are
more like a march than anything else. Also, Pryor changed
styles at
times, so that "Artful Artie" and "African Beauty," more
rags than
inarches, both contain trios that are really march-like in
character.
As mentioned previously, Pryor has not always used the label
"march";
the music itself has determined the proper category.
The keys Pryor uses range from C ("Spirit of the Purple") to
Gflat
("Vanity Fair"), although he favors the traditional "band
keys"
of from one to four flats. The melody is always in the solo
cornet
part, but is often doubled an octave higher by the first
clarinet and
g
Arthur Pryor, "How To Play a March," Musical Courier,
September 1931, p. 45.
an octave lower by the baritone. These two instruments
therefore <Jo
not continuously fulfill their commonly associated functions
of
ornamentation or countermelody, but only when it was deemed
appropriate.
Listening to Pryor's marches means listening to gne clear
melody,
with only occasional second or third lines present-
Trombones often
fill in chords, but they also double the baritone in melody
or
countermelody, or even play offbeats, such as during the
first time
through the trio. This, plus the fact that Pryor seldom
gives the
basses (trombones, baritones, tubas', and low re.eds) the
melody for a
whole strain, leads one to conclude that in no way does he
favor his
own instrument in his scoring.
The functions of the double reeds and saxophones vary from
melody
(the oboe will seldom ornament the melody as does the
clarinet), to
countermelody (tenor saxophone, bassoon), to sustaining
chords (alto
and tenor saxophones). The baritone saxophone usually joins
the tuba
in its unvarying function of keeping the beat. The lack of
continuous
repeat measure signs for the tuba does indicate, however,
that Pryor
does try to provide the tuba with some variety in his part.
He knows
that it is more than a bass drum.
The horns (which at that time meant the E-flat alto horns)
have
the continuous function of playing offbeats. Together with
the tubas,
they form the rhythm section of the typical street march, in
general not
doing much more than doubling the percussion. Eveji
considering Pryor's
tuba parts as discussed above, this is basically true in his
marches.
The "liberation of the horns" in the marches of more recenc
times
67
i n d i c a t e s a b e l a t e d awareness of the i r
melodic c a p a b i l it i e s , f r e e i n g
them from a purely rhythmic f u n c t i o n .
final l y , the p i c c o l o w i l l o c c a s i o n a l l
y branch out i n t o an
e l a b o r a t e ornamentation a i l it s own. In
summary^Pryor1 s s c o r i n g is
not i n n o v a t i v e , but it i s s o l i d , and his
marches sound good.
Pryor uses the t r a d it i o n a l band i n s t r u m e n t
a t i o n he knew from
Sousa, and, perhaps l a r g e l y through the i n f l u e n
c e of such band
composers of the p a s t , this i n s t r u m e n t a t i o
n continues q u it e unchanged
today. There a r e t h r e e p a r t s f o r c o r n e t s ,
c l a r i n e t s , and trombones,
four p a r t s f o r the horns, and one each f o r the o the
r s . C f l u t e p a r t s
a r e not included u n t i l very l a t e in Pryor ' s c a r
e e r ; the D - f l a t
p i c c o l o reigned on high. An E - f l a t cornet p a r t
was provided, which
doubled the solo B - f l a t cornet p a r t . P a r t s were
a l s o provided f o r
the B - f l a t tenor horns in t r e b l e c l e f and B - f
l a t bass m t r e b l e c l e f ,
which t o g e the r were simply the trombone p a r t s
transposed a major
n i n t h h i g h e r . The tenor horn, according to Adam
Carse, was a s o r t of
nondescript b r a s s instrument with v a l v e s , a wide
and conical bore,
whose tone lay between the mellowness of the modern French
horn and
the b r i g h t n e s s of the trombone. Along with the a l
t o horn, to which
it was r e l a t e d , it had a r a the r " n e u t r a l
tone q u a l it y , w h i c h
explains the general demise of both instruments today. " it
was no
doubt on account of the i r conical bore and deep
mouthpieces that the
word horn (or cor) was g e n e r a l l y incorporated in t h
| various names by
which they were k n o w n . S u r p r i s i n g l y , the p
a r t f o r B - f l a t bass
Adam Carse, Musical Wind Instruments (London: Macmillau,
1939;
r e p r i n t , New York: Da Capo P r e s s , 1965), p. 298.
68
4
(whether in t r e b l e or bass c l e f ) was the same as
the t h i r d troojbone
p a r t , while the E - f l a t bass part (always in bass c
l e f ) was c l e a r l y
for the tuba.
Pryor favors the t r a d it i o n a l s t r e e t ©arch form
which he probably
*
learned from Sousa: a short introduction followed by two
repeated
strains, then, with another flat in the key, two times
through the
trio with a dramatic "breaker strain" or "dogfight" in
between. The
trio is generally twice as long as the strains (32 measures
compared
to 16) and may have a short introduction of its own, as in
"The
Gridiron." In the marches of Pryor the trio is often first
repeated,
and then the dogfight and final trio are also repeated, as
in "Vanity
Fair" and "The Kentucky Club."
The dogfight, named after the violent air battles in times
of
war, aptly describes the effect of this strain on the
relatively
sedate mood established by the trio. The dogfight is
characterized
by a loud dynamic level, three phrases of shifting tonal
centers that
follow a general pattern, much unison scoring, and an abrupt
alternating of motives between the treble and bass. It
always ends
on the dominant seventh chord which leads into the trio.
When and
where the term "dogfight" was first used to describe a march
strain
is uncertain, but it is likely that the military association
of the
march would remind bandsmen of the term. It seems especially
appropriate during the "battle" of the high and low
instruments as
they "exchange fire." The dogfight of a march is always
dramatic and
exciting; it is the point of greatest tension in the march.
There is
always a sense of relief and triumph as the dogfight
resolves into
the final trio, as even the casual listener would verify as
he
69
listens to this in Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever"
march.
The dogfight from PryorTs "The Kentucky Club" march serves
as a
good example (Ex. 12). There are three phrases with four,
four, and
eight measures in each. The tonalities of the phrases, which
are
submediant, dominant, and dominant seventh, and the short
ootives
alternating between high and low instruments (in the band
setting)
are typical features of this strain. The contrary motion in
the
third strain is not uncommon. The strain ends on the
dominant
seventh chord.
Ex. 12. "The Kentucky Club" two-step (1899), dogfight.
f f
VI
cresc.
A
£t
70
Often the final section of Pryor's dogfights continues to
use a
motive from the middle section, such as the treble octaves
in this
dogfight from "The March King" (Ex. 13).
*
Ex. 13. Pryor, "The March King" march (1895), dogfight,
meas. 10-16.
The half steps in the bass in the above example represents
the
chromatic passages often found in this location in his
marches,
either in parallel motion, as in "Sweetheart," or in
contrary motion,
as in "Ye Boston Tea Party"*(Exx. 14-15).
Ex. 14. Pryor, "Sweetheart" march and two-step (1897), ead
of
dogfight.
71
Ex. 15. Pryor, "Ye Boston Tea Party" march (1899), end of
dogfight.
Sometimes Pryor omitted the dogfight entirely, and
substituted
for it another, new trio strain, which was also repeated, as
in "The
Gridiron" and "Trocadero." And sometimes the dogfight was
expanded
in length, up to 24 measures, as in "The Victor/' While the
term
"trio" dates from the classical minuet-trio form from which
the form
of the street march derived, the dogfight is a purely band
march
addition.
Usually the introductions to Pryor's marches are four
measures in
length; however a few are twice that long, such as in "The
Arms of
America" and "Spirit of the Purple." In two marches, "The
Triumph of
Old Glory" and "Will Rogers," the introduction is expanded
to a
length of 32 measures. Often Pryor repeats material from the
introduction in the first strain, as though the strain grows
out of
the introduction. Examples of this are to be found in "Irish
King"
(Ex. 16) "The March of the Vhite Rats," and "Afifi."
crtsc.
72
Ex. 16. Pryor, "The Irish King" march and two-step (1905),
beginning.
o.. f «-
r v r (>r >
A A A
i^±.
T
4 ifc
This technique of the first strain growing out of the
introduction is used in compositions by Pryor other than
marches. It
appears, for example, in the rag "Frozen Bill" and the
caprice "The
Whistler and His Dog." Incidentally, virtually all of
Pryor's music,
marches or otherwise, have an introduction of some sort. The
only
exception is "Skipperjack Dance," which begins directly with
the
first strain.
For miscellaneous variety in his marches Pryor sometimes
introduced a drum and bugle corps effect, as in "40 and 8,"
or short
phrases from patriotic songs, as in "Arthur Pryor's American
Legion."
73
In performing his marches (and other works as well), Pryor
would
have different sections rest during a strain, and then join
in for
the repeat of the strain. In the second strain of "On Jersey
Shore,"
for example» the cornets and trombones would rest the first
time and
play the second time. Doubling the melody in the clarinet
and
baritone parts would insure its presence. He also encouraged
exaggerating the dynamic levels for special effect.**
Pryor had some definite thoughts regarding the proper
performance
of marches, whether his own or others. Shorter note values
(quarter
Gotes or shorter in cut time) are to be played separated,
while
longer note values should be sustained their full value.
"The result
is the delightful effect of contrast."1 2 The reed section
should not
sharply attack notes. "Let your brass do it. All notes
should have
a beauty and life of their own."*^ All notes should begin
louder
than they end, resulting in a fast diminuendo.
He noted how marches in 2/4 time are played more brightly
than
those in cut time. This is because performers naturally
separate
shorter note values, even though technically there is no
difference
between a quarter note in 2/4 time and a half note in cut
time. The
appearance of the duration seems to make a difference. (This
conclusion is surprising in the light of Pryor's almost
exclusive use
of cut time over 2/4 time in his own marches.)
"The Compositions of Arthur Pryor," The Metronome,
July 1910, pp. 14-16.
*^Pryor, Arthur, "How To Play a March,1' p. 45.
74
4
He was critical of composers who do not indicate their
intentions
more clearly through the use of shorter note values,
accents, and the
like. He thought they should write more specifically what
they would
like to hear. Finally, Pryor said that "grand" marches, such
as
Wagner's "TannhSuser March," should be played witii^all
notes
receiving full value, although "we are never as heavy with
Verdi as
with Wagner." 14
Pryor concluded these suggestions with a timely thought:
"During
my experience I have played 'Sta_r,s and Stripes Forever' at
least
3,000 times and each time I usually see something I did not
see
before. The conductor who is through learning, is through,
and had
better retire."^ While the best of Pryor's marches fall
short of
Sousa's masterpieces, they are always tuneful, logical, and,
as said
earlier, solid.
Ra^s
An important aspect of the Cakewalk craze, which led
directly and
logically to the rise of ragtime as a popular cult, was the
connection of the cakewalk with brass band literature. It
was
clear from the beginning that in some ways the cakewalk
music was
more suitjg to instrumental rendition than to the piano
keyboard.
Even while Pryor was still with Sousa he began to make his
mark in
14
Ibid., p. 56.
15
Ibid.
William J. Schafer and Johannes Riedel, The Art Of Ragtime
(Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1973;
reprint, New
York: Da Capo Press, *1977), pp. 113-114.
75
this new style of music. "Pryor understood the coon song and
the
cakewalk and ragtime, and when these tunes began to take the
public
fancy, Sousa soon learned that Pryor had a special knack of
making
arrangements of this music, and he turned most of such work
over to
*
him/"** As assistaot conductor of Sousa's Band, Pryor also
helped
the bandmembers to get the "feel" of this new syncopated
rhythmic
style. No less than seven Pryor rags date from his days with
Sousa; the international popularity of "A Coon Band Contest"
has
already been noted. He was also a pidneer in recording such
music.
"Pryor was one of the earliest composers of music in the
syncopated
vein. His recorded cakewalks, southern melodies, and 'darky'
tunes
predate the earliest ragtime selection by over a year." 18
Growing up in a frontier town on the Missouri River, Pryor
no
doubt had exposure to the traveling minstrel shows of the
day through
his father's show business contacts. Also, St. Joseph is
near
Sedalia, Missouri, considered the birthplace of ragtime. It
is easy
therefore to understand his early affinity for ragtime that
was such
a help to Sousa. "Sousa's Band made a hit with Arthur
Pryor's
ar rangement s . . . t a k i n g the music a c r o s s
America and Europe . " 19
Naturally, this emphasis on ragtime continued when Pryor
formed
his own band in 1903. Several more rags were composed, and
in the
1906 Victor catalog his "Razzazza Mazzazza" is called the
"king of
^Schwartz, pp. 203-04.
18 Williams, jacket notes for Trombone Solos—Arthur Pryor.
19 Schafer and Riedel, p. 31.
76
r a g s . " 20 Carl F i s c h e r , who p u b l i s h e d
the rags of many composers,
c a l l e d Pryor ' s "Frozen B i l l " the " r a g g i e s
t of a l l r a g s . " 2 1 Called
v a r i o u s l y " r a g , " "calkwalk," " t w o - s t e
p / ' or "dance c h a r a c t e r i s t i c , M
the s e compositions c o n s i s t i n g of syncopated
melodies of short note
values a r e q u it e e a s i l y c a t e g o r i z e d ,
and form a his t o r i c a l l y
s i g n i f i c a n t p a r t of the output of J'Arthur
Pryor, who had a thorough
understanding of both the wind idiom and the new rhythms of
ragtime,
0 O
[creatingj a new genre of band music."
However, in all of his musical arrangements for the band
throughout his long career, he would not add a rag style, or
any jazz
style, to a classical composition. Reflecting late in his
life on
the whole jazz movement that his rags helped to foster, he
felt that
while jazz is legitimate entertainment, "a splendid thing
for those
who want to dance,"2 3 jazz versions of the old masters
"have so
confused the younger generation that youths put a swing
rhythm into
music when they think they are playing it straight . . .
Tschaikowsky
has s u f f e r e d t e r r i b l y . " 24 Because of this
he once c a l l e d j a z z the
"parasite of music,"2 5 lacking originality except in the
area of
rhythm. He realized the concert band's contribution to
American
cultural life, and was saddened to see it supplanted by jazz
1920 Catalog of Victor Records.
^Quoted from an advertisement on a publication, Carl
Fischer,
New York, ca. 1910.
^Schafer and Riedel, p. 135.
^St. Joseph News-Press, 18 June 19^2.
24
Ibid., 19 December 19M.
25Ibid., 18 June 1942.
77
ensembles as time went by. "The concert bands deserve credit
for
bringing the people closer to good music."
All of Pryor's rags are in either cut or 2/4 time. They are
in
the quickstep march form, except that a few (such £s "That
Flying
Rag") are in an ABA form before the trio; that is, the first
strain
appears once again after the second strain. Instead of a
dogfight
between statements of the trio, another strain may appear,
which is
the second strain of the composition transposed here to the
key of
the trio, a fifth lower. This is the case in "Southern
Hospitality"
and "Canhanibalmo Rag." Incidentally, as in his marches,
Pryor does
not always use the label "trio," but it is clear from the
context.
There may be a fermata at the end of the introduction of a
rag
("Southern Blossoms"), a short coda at the end of the piece
("An
Arkansas Huskin' Bee"), and generally the final strain is to
be
played much slower, suggesting a freer approach to tempo
than in the
march-
In general, however, tempos should be steady and moderate in
the
rags. "Classic ragtime composers repeatedly asked that their
works
be played at moderate tempos," which rag specialist John
Stark
describes as "slow march time," about a quarter note for 100
on the
metronome.2 7
A traditional march tempo of about 120 beats per minute
would
impart a pronounced rushed feeling to the phrases anfr be
most
^St. Joseph News-Press, 19 December 1941.
^Schafer and Riedel, p. 144.
/
7S
inappropriate to the style. The eighth notes and sixteenth
notes are
to be played evenly, without the "swing" feel of jazz.
Ragtime
exists as an abstract tradition, and is not to be influenced
by
momentary nuances of emotional expression in performance. It
is more
i
disciplined than ja2z. "In this sense ragtime is more akin
to other
folk music of the nineteenth century than to jazz/'*®
While some titles in this category may be open to debate, I
feel
that they fit here better than in any other category. They
all have
to some degree the ragtime rhythms that characterize this
style. The
debate would deal more with form than with style. In
"borderline"
compositions it is the trio which is generally most like a
march.
Those compositions that Pryor actually calls rags generally
fit this
category best.
Novelties
In the spirit of a family outing at the local amusement park
long
ago, these entertaining compositions formed an important
part of any
band's repertory. Because they described local events or an
aspect
of current life style, they became dated very quickly» but
they did
serve the need of a pleasant diversion in their time. In
fact, it
was their very timeliness that made them so popular.
The musical forms of course vary, but in general there is an
introduction, key changes within, and clear, distinct
sections that
are often repeated. There may also be appropriate special
effects.*~~
Near the end of the composition, Pryor likes to build up to
a sudden
JO
Schafer and Riedel, p. 147.
79
pause, followed by some sound effect, and then concludes
with a fast
chordal cadence.
Waltzes
One can understand Pryor's natural affinity for ragtime; it
is
more difficult to understand his affinity for waltzes. These
are
light, charming, and elegant waltzes in the Viennese
tradition. No
doubt Pryor's European travels with Sousa further solidified
whatever
earlier exposure he had. These are longer compositions than
those
discussed in previous categories, but they consist of
several
distinct and symmetrical sections, whj,ch is typical of all
of Pryor's
music.
Basically there are three large sections between an
introduction
and a coda. The three sections, sometimes labeled by number,
can be
further divided into three (sometimes two) strains. The
section
labeled "coda" includes a theme or two from the first
section, and
then smoothly moves into the true coda (or "codetta") which
may
include motives from earlier strains, but not whole strains.
The
codas are generally to be accelerated, and instead of one
final tonic
chord there are sometimes two fast chords, as in "La
Spamola" and
"Love Thoughts."
These are stylized waltzes, not intended for dancing. There
are
often ritards at the end of sections, and even ferma^s and
breaks
within sections, as in "Love's Enchantment." Pryor
frequently
employs the device of hemiola for metric variety, such as in
this
excerpt from "La Spaniola" (Ex. 17).
80
Ex. 17. "La Spaniola" waltz (1898), p. 5, meas. 5-9.
As in his marches, Pryor prefers shorter note values, giving
the
waltzes a somewhat hurried feeling. The smooth dotted half-
note
melody of "The Love Kiss" is exceptional.
These comments apply to all of Pryor's instrumental waltzes,
however those known primarily as trombone solos will be
individually
discussed in that category. The vocal waltzes, which are
shorter
than the other waltzes, are discussed under the category of
songs.
"Frau Louisa" ("A Comedy Waltz"), even though formally a
waltz, could
also belong in the novelty category.
Miscellaneous Dances
This category is for a few isolated compositions which do
not fit
any of the preceding categories. Other than that which can
be said
about all of Pryor's music, there are no unifying
characteristics
here. Four compositions are in this category.
Piano Solos
Considering Pryor's skill as a pianist, it is somewhat
surprising
that he wrote so few compositions that in their pianistic
idiom are
81
•
clearly intended as piano solos first, although all three
compositions were also published for band and orchestra.
Lyric
melody continues to dominate these pieces, as it does all of
Pryor's
music, hut the metric pulse is subdued here. The restful
titles
reflect accurately the quiet, pseudo-impressionistic mood of
these
typical "parlor" piano solos so popular at that time.
The right hand generally carries the melody, either in
single
notes or more often fully harmonized, while the left hand
keeps a
subdued beat of low octaves and chords. Arpeggios and
various
ornamented figures add the pianistic touch. Though the mood
is more
restrained and passive, the sections are still clearly
distinct.
Songs
Considering Pryor's talent for writing lyrical and very
singable
melodies, it is not surprising to find that he composed the
music for
several songs. I was able to locate only seven of his songs,
and to
acquire a recording of one more. There is evidence that he
wrote
several more, both from primary sources (included here) and
secondary
sources (included in the list of questionable titles). This
does not
include compositions from other categories that were
partially
provided with a text, such as "Mr. Black Man" and "Artful
Artie." It
is surprising that Pryor wrote no music for vocal ensemble,
at least
thus far discovered. There may well be some in the three
operettas
that he supposedly wrote.
The songs are generally strophic, with a short introduction
and
refrain. The introduction is often derived melodically from
the
verse. For a few songs Pryor wrote the text as well as the
music.
82
Trombone solos
"The genius of Arthur Pryor is prominent in all of his
trombone
works . . . . His solos are excellent for developing
confidence,
aggressiveness, and a sense of 'bravura* in young players."2
9 If it
it
were not for this category of compositions, the name of
Arthur Pryor
would be largely forgotten today. For those who have not
heard him
perform, these solos also perpetuate his reputation as a
trombonist.
"Pryor's theory [was] that each soloist should compose most
of the
solos he was to play, which would best display his own
individual
talent and ability."3 0 Since Pryor knew of no existing
literature to
adequately demonstrate his skills, one could assume that he
felt
compelled to write these solos. One may say that Arthur
Pryor was
one of the first composers of a distinct body of solo
literature
specifically intended for the trombone that has retained its
popularity through the years and is still available and
popular
today.
While Pryor1s trombone solos are not profound in the sense
of
possessing great musical substance, th^ are serious in their
approach to the instrument as one possessing outstanding
lyrical and
technical capabilities. The three factors influencing the
content of
his solos are an immediate appeal to his audience, his gift
for
Vern Kagarice et al., Solos for the Student Trombonist:
An Annotated Bibliography (Nashville: The Brass
Press ,~M979), p. 10.
30
Glean D. Bridges, Pioneers in Brass > 3rd ed. (Detroit:
Sherwood Publications, 1972), p. 28. (Bridges also relates
that
Pryor encouraged Herbert L. Clarke to begin writing cornet
solos for
himself.)
83
»
melody, and his virtuoso performance skills. There are no
novelty
trombone solos, full of smears, growls, or other comic
effects.
Pryor treated his instrument with great respect. Trombone
smears are
found only in his rags, where they are stylistically
appropriate.
Audience appeal was a basic concern of Pryor, as it also was
for
Sousa. Whether it be through beautiful and dazzling solo
performances, marches, rags, or the music of symphony and
opera, they
wanted to communicate with as many people as possible in
their
concerts. Their long careers as popular conductors testify
to their
#v
success. This desire for popular appeal is reflected in
Pryor's
trombone solos.
Recalling that Pryor actually preferred to perform lyrical
ballads instead of his virtuoso display pieces, his concern
for
expressive melody becomes apparent. He was not only a
dazzling
showman; he was also a musician, as well known for his tone
as for
his technique. Many of the solos he played consisted of only
lyrical
melody. The bravura style present (but not exclusively so)
in all of
his solos must be considered in the light of his total
performance
repertory, his virtuoso skills, the apparent lack of
virtuoso
literature for the trombone, and the audience he sought to
impress.
In spite of their relative fame, Pryor's trombone solos form
only
a small part of his total compositional output. This
reflects the
comparatively short period of his life that he was active as
a
soloist, from about 1890 to 1910. Some of Pryor*s solos use
existing
tunes, either as a theme with variations, or just inserted
for the
sake of interest, as is "Dixie" in the coda of "Annie
Laurie." Host
84 «
solos, however, are completely original compositions,
written to
satisfy his immediate need for program material,
He was no doubt performing many of his solos long before
they
were published. For example, "Thoughts of Love" was
performed with
Sousa's Band at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893,
eleven
years before it was published. In the early days of his
career
publishers would understandably be skeptical of much of a
market for
such difficult music.
The solos were published during two periods oj Pryor's life:
from
about 1895 to 1915, and then in the late 1930s. The later
compositions no doubt were written many years earlier, and
then Pryor
edited and submitted them for publication perhaps as a
retirement
project. They may have existed previously under different
titles
since no record of these late titles exists until the pieces
were
published.
Through his solos Pryor demonstrated what the trombone could
do
in expression and technique, similar to the work of avanEe
garde
trombonist Stuart Dempster today, in the area of tone
production and
timbre. This is all simply part of the ongoing process of
discovering
what a marvelous musical instrument the trombone is. What
Pryor did
with the trombone was as novel to many people back then as
the things
Dempster is doing now: one simply builds on the other.
Traditional techniques cannot be ignored, since it is
mandatory
in order to learn and m.aster new techniques; learning and
mastering new techniques enhance and define more clearly
traditional techniques. The old and the new, so seemingly
separate, are actually inseparable and, in the long run.
85
complementary, even if in the short run this seems not to be
the
case.
The s o l o s , of course, form a c a t a l o g of the v i r
t u o s o s k i l l s in
performance f o r which Pryor was famous. Foremost of Pryor
' s v i r t u o s o
*
skills is the matter of speed. Tempo never presented a
threat to
him. Whether the passage was by step or full of wide leaps,
he could
freely move around his instrument with ama2ing speed and
accuracy.
Extensive use of alternate and "false" positions freed him
to this
level of dexterity in performance.
Pryor's sense of expression in performance is apparent in
the
logical use he made of tempo rubato. This is reflected in
his solos
with indications for frequent breaks, fermatas, and the use
of
markings such as ritard, accellerando, and rallentando.
Indeed, the
cadenzas are simply a logical extension of the freedom of
tempo
inherent in his entire trombone solo repertory.' This is not
to imply
that there should be a constant flux of tempo, but that
tempo freely
gives way to expression when deemed appropriate.
Cadenzas are to be found in all his solos. Consisting of
chromatic runs, arpeggios, and various figurations, they are
in the
best Romantic tradition of "giving the performer a chance to
exhibit
his technical mastery"3 2 within the limits of expression,
timing, and
good taste. Unlike many Romantic era cadenzas, however,
Pryor's
cadenzas are lacking in thematic material.
Stuart Dempster, The Modern Trombone (Berkeley: University
of California Press, 1979), p. 1. (Dempster has recorded
some Pryor
solos. )
32 Villi Apel, Harvard Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed.
(Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1969), p. 120.
86
Besides his beautiful tone, dazzling speed, and sense of
expression evident in tempo flexibility, there are a few
specific
devices that appear in the solos that merit comment. Pryor
would
often use a fast series of octave jumps, as illustrated here
from
He also used the natural harmonic series of the trombone in
harmonic
glissandi, as illustrated from "Thoughts of Love" (Ex. 19),
and fast
lip slur arpeggios through the positions as illustrated from
"Air
Varie" (Ex. 20).
Ex. 19. "Thoughts of Love" (1904), end of third section.
The Patriot " (Ex. 24).
Ex. 18. "The Patriot " (1904), opening cadenza.
si
Ex. 20. "Air Varie" (1895), final cadenza.
8?
He sometimes would feature very wide leap s , expanding the
assumed
range of the instrument, as here in "Blue Bells of Scotland"
(Ex. 21).
Ex. 21. "Blue Bells of Scotland'' (1904), final caderjza.
• • .
) l * i-s-i 3 5 T
r-r
Sf
^ *
Pryor was fond of the turn, such as here in the coda of
"Exposition
Echoes" (Ex. 22).
Ex. 22. "Exposition Echoes Polka" (1S94), middle of coda
section.
ClfHC .
Besides pauses and breaks at cadence points, Pryor placed
them
wherever he felt that they were musically justified, even
within a
beat) as here in "The Tip Topper" (Ex. 23).
Ex. 23. "The Tip Topper" (1937), introduction.
Many of Pryor*s solos begio with a dramatic rising^arpeggio,
as
in "Annie Laurie" (Ex. 24), or with a high octave leap, as
in "Love's
Enchantment" (Ex. 25). They were no doubt intended to get
the
attention of the audience.
86
Ex. 24. "Annie Laurie" (1895), trombone entrance.
m baity
Ex. 25. "Love's Enchantment" (1903), trombone entrance rs
Cad.
In performing his soLos Pryor will'often rush together the
first
two notes of a series of eighth or sixteenth notes.
Apparently he
Liked this effect enough to write it in the music. It became
a
stylistic trademark of his performance (Ex. 26).
Ex. 26. "Fantastic Polka" (1939), start of trio.
In general, Pryor's trombone solos have provided performance
opportunities that combine sensitive expression, technical
command,
and audience appeal for generations of trombonists. They
continue to
be historically significant and worthy additions to the
literature of
the instrument.
In a recent study of Pryor trombone solos,^ they were
divided
into four types based on form and musical style. The types
are valse
Steve M. Wolfinbarger, "The Solo Trombone Music of Arthur
Pryor" (M.N. thesis, North Texas State University, 1982).
caprice, valse de concert, polka caprice, and theme and
variations.
Several of the solos use these type names as subtitles. The
prototype or typical Pryor solo begins with a lengthy
introduction
and cadenza, the body follows with three sections, and
concludes with
*
a dramatic coda and cadenza.
The introduction begins with the piano alone; the trombone
entrance is marked with some dramatic gesture such as a
rising
arpeggio. The trombone will often alternate thematic
material with
the piano, and then play a lyrical theme of its own at a
slower
tempo. The introductions almost always end in a dramatic
cadenza.
The body, or central section, of the four types differ. In
the
theme and variations there is a simple statement of the
theme
followed by up to three variations separated by short piano
interludes. The variations are progressively more difficult,
but
they are not always strict variations of the melody itself.
In "Air
Varie," for example, Pryor retains the harmony and a very
general
outline of the theme, but modifies the melody line of the
variation
in such a way that its relationship to the theme is only
vaguely
apparent- Therefore, the variations are not always simply a
matter
of adding more notes. In "Annie Laurie," one variation of
the theme
is achieved by contrast in meter, mode, and style.
The body of the polka caprice consists of a polka (played
twice
with an interlude), a trio in the key of the subdominant and
one
statement of the polka in the tonic key.
The bodies of the valse caprice and the valse de concert
have similar
structures, but the body of the valse de concert is more
elaborate with
more sections and themes than that of the valse caprice. In
the vals
de concert the three sections are labeled by number and are
thematica
distinct from each other. The sections are in different but
related^
keys. There is a return in the coda (after the third
section) to the
v.
original key and theme of the composition, but the return to
original
key and theme is within the third section of the valse
caprice, which
may or may not have a coda.
The three sections in the body of the theme and variations
type
are each in binary form (consisting of "theme or variation,
and
interlude), while the three middle sections of the two valse
types
are each in ternary (ABA) form. The three sections of the
polka
caprice type divide differently according to the specific
composition. The central section of the polka caprice and
the valse
caprice is called the trio, and it is in the key of the
subdominant.
Only the theme and variations type stays in the same key
throughout
the whole composition.
The coda is generally not regularly structured (that is,
arranged
by antecedent/consequent phrases), but consists of some
fanfare-like
figures, as in ''The Supervisor," or fast turns, as in
"Exposition
Echoes." These are repeated all at a fast tempo and lead to
a sadden
pause followed by the cadenza. As the soloist sustains the
last note
of the piece (high and loud), the piano will often play a
short
phrase from the main theme, as in "Starlight" waltz caprice.
To summarize, the following charts of these four types are
presented. They are partially based on Wolfinbarger's study.
The
Roman numerals for "key" refer here not to chords but to
tonality.
91
The opening introductions generally will serve as such for
the
entire composition, while the shorter introductions within
the piece
serve for just that section. In a three-strain section the
middle
strain is often played by the piano alone, or with the piano
and
*
trombone alternating phrases. The shorter introductions and
interludes are usually for piano alone- The piano
accompaniments,
incidentally, are also difficult, and require accuracy and
dexterity
%
Ex. 27. Polka Caprice Type.
POLKA TRIO
4/4 I C 2/4 iKt P TH CD7
Key: I (V) I V I IV IV IV
POLKA
1-2 P CODA C
I I I (V)-I
Ex. 28. Valse Caprice Type.
3/4 I C T 2 F *7^2 T H"7 1 content
Key: I (V) I V I IV IV I 1 v a r i e s
Ex. 29. Valse de Concert Type.
1 2
3/4 I C 1 2 V rT^l 3 (4) P
Key: I (V) I V I IV IV IV IV
3 CODA
*7^3 5 T* T 4 C (T) CD1
IV IV IV M (V) I I
IV IV IV
92
Ex. 30. Theme and Variations Type.
Th VI V2
4fU I C J Th intl H7l inc1 'V2 int*
Key: I throughout
V3
C f~V3 TnTI C *
+ fast • or• 1 t'
Possible/Spurious Compositions
In the course of this study I came across several titles of
compositions credited to Pryor which have been proven
incorrectly
credited, or which I have been unable to verify by finding
either the
music itself or copyright information. Further research is
needed -
These titles have come from old programs, recordings,
catalogs,
books, and in one case a newspaper article. For the sake of
completeness all such titles are here included along with
source of
original•title, or, if spurious, source of correction.
Letters
containing lists of known and "mystery" titles have been
sent to many
band historians and libraries in an effort to find
information.
Their help is hereby acknowledged.
APPENDIX
In the following discussion of the individual compositions
of
Arthur Pryor, charts are provided to enable the reader to
easily see
the form, or "layout," of each piece. These include keys and
meter
as well as the basic arrangement of strains and sections^
Pryor
freely arranged his symmetrical strains into both binary and
ternary
sections. A march begins (after the introduction) with a
two-strain
binary form arid ends with a trio-dogfight-trio (ABA)
ternary form.
Although this arrangement is more common, sometimes there is
a second
trio strain without dogfight, as in several rags, resulting
in a
binary form for each half of the composition.
Taken as a whole, these compositions have a two-section form
overall, as in the first and second sections of a march,
described
above. But if Pryor chose to go back and repeat the first
section
(or part of it) of a composition, as in the classical
minuet-tnominuet
form, the result is a three-part form overall. This he does
in several of the trombone solos and novelties.
The second section of his compositions, which could be
called the
"trio section," is almost always in the key of the
subdominant. In
his more formally complex works he employs two subdominant
relationships, as in the trombone solo "Thoughts of Love"
(B-flat Eflat
A-flat B-flat). Sometimes Pryor will employ a tertian key
relationship, as in the waltz "Frau Louisa" (G E-flat G).
The only
time he regresses to the key of the dominant is within a
section
where there is an ABA form, and the B strain will be in the
key of
the dominant. Only in "Little Nell," "Skipperjack Dance,"
and the
theme and variations type of trombone solo does Pryor stay
in one key
93
94
throughout; this does not rule out, however, the contrast of
major
and relative minor mode to sustain variety.
For each composition the publisher, copyright registration
date,
and copyright registration number is given, as found in thg
Library
of Congress Copyright Office- This information was taken
from the
music itself (frequently the date and number were written on
it J,
from the copyright catalog cards, or from the various
volumes of the
series Catalogue of Copyright Entries, (The Library of
Congress
siglum is DLC.) The registration numbers and exact
dates^were not
available for all of Pryor's compositions.
The following key is necessary to read^the charts. Numbers
above
the symbols indicate the number of measures contained
therein.
Parentheses indicates that that particular strain is
repeated, with
perhaps only minor differences at the end of each strain.
I introduction C caden2a
1-2 a secoad introduction, int interlude
different from the first
CD codetta
1, 2 first, second strain
IB f i r s t s t r a i n repeated with P polka s t r a i n
notable d i f f e r e n c e
T t r i o s t r a i n Th theme
T - l , T-2 f i r s t , second s t r a i n of t r i o VI v a
r i a t i o n one
A B used with more complex ext extension
forms f o r e a s i e r reading
DR drum
95
Marches
A f i f i , March
Cover: Dedicated to A f i f i Temple of Tacoma, Washington
A.H.O.N.M.S.;
Inside: To Wm. Fink, a friend since boyhood, this March is
dedicated.
N-V^Carl Fischer, copyright 2 April 1910--band. Dlfc E229188
N/Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 2 April 1910--piano solo. DLC
E29199
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 9 July 1910--orchestra, arr.
Charles
\ Roberts. DLC E236909
16 16 16 4 16 16 16
(1) 2 2B 6/8 1-2 T D T
Bb DR Eb:
The first strain begins with the melody of the introduction.
Both endings of the first strain modulate to the relative
major key.
The second half of the second strain is different each time;
the
first time it moves to the dominant chord, the second time
to the
tonic chord. The introduction to the trio is a 4-measure
drum solo.
In the piano solo it is on the note B-flat. Keys given in
the chart
are for piano solo; band keys are a whole step lower. The
clarinet
part has ornamentation in the final trio. The trio has a
text,
printed in the piano solo and in some of the band parts:
Afifi, Afifi,
With its sliding gliding Bump-a-de Bumps,
And its Rag-a-de Jag-a-de sandy jumps,
I got mine and so did Brother Bill, j
Hang on to the rope,
"Hurrah" A f i f i .
it i s not known to^what the t e x t i s r e f e r r i n g .
The words " A f i f i "
and "hurray" a r e a l s o to be shouted at the end of the
phrases in the
d o g f i g h t .
I 4
2/4 I
g:
The Arcade Girl March & Two Step (This march has a l s o
been c a l l e d
"Matinee G i r l / 1 )
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 5 July 1910—band. DLC E236921
(American Star Journal 1337)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 5 July 1910—piano solo. DLC
E236937
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 15 July 1910--orehestra, arr.
Charles
Roberts. DLC E2371SQ
4 16 16 4 32 24 32
6/8 I (1) (2) 1-2 2/4 T D T
Eb: Ab:
96
This march changes time signatures at the trio.The
introduction
is in unison. The chief Pryor characteristic is seen at the
opening
of the first strain: the accented passing and appoggiatura
tones.
Ex. 31. "The Arcade Girl" march and two step (1911),
beginning of
first strain.
The introduction to the trio is all on the dominant ninth
chord of
the new key. There is a unique phrase structure in the
dogfight,
appearing in both the submediant and the dominant
tonalities. The
structure is 1 - 4 - 3 as far as the number of measures in
each
phrase (Ex. 32).
Ex. 32. "The Arcade Girl" march and two step (1911),
beginning of
dogfight. '
| [A J j iJ: -rf?I*PI i 1 —
tr
\\fl- 7
=F*T= - K r—
ri' p
A A
t-H to. l
1 ' » 1 h ' r j
The piano solo keys are given in the chart; band keys are B-
flat and
E-flat. The baritone has a countermelody in the first
strain.
The Arras of America March
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 12 July 1911—band. DLC E260768
97
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 1 September 1911--band, arr.
L. P.
Laurendeau. DLC E266869. (American Star Journal 1828)
N.V.: Carl Fischer, copyright 17 August 1911--piano solo.
DLC
£265065
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 19 February 1912 - orchestra
with piano
accompaniment, arr. Charles Roberts. DLC E282024
8 16
t I (1)
C:
16 16
2 2B
32
(T)
24 32
D T
F:
There are two unique features in the long dogfight. First, a
doubly diminished seventh chord is sustained for 4 measures,
resolving on a weak beat. The haraoaic suspense is apparent
even in
a casual listening.
Ex. 33. "The Arras of America" march (1911), beginning of
dogfight.
I
0
•H J p J 5 m
WW
The second unique feature is the syncopated contrary motion
at
the end of the dogfight.
98
Ex. 34. "The Arms of America" march (1911), end of dogfight.
This syncopation does not appear in the band arrangements.
Keys
given are for piano solo; band keys are a whole step lower.
The
final trio of the band arrangements features a difficult
clarinet
o rnamenta ti on.
Arthur Pryor's American Legion March
N.Y.: Edw. B. Marks, copyright 1924—band.
N.Y.: Jos. W. Stern, copyright 25 November 1919—piano solo.
DLC
E463219
N.Y.: Edw. B. Marks, copyright 1 Mav 1925 - unknown medium.
DLC
E568016
16 16 16 16 16 16
Z I (1) (2) (T) D T
F: Bb:
The lengthy introduction includes phrases from the U.S.
national
anthem ("Oh say can you see" in the bass) and "Yankee
Doodle"
(piccolo and clarinet). Phrases from "Dixie" and "Yankee
Doodle" are
found in the dogfight. The second and third trios include
countermelodies in the clarinet. Band keys are given; keys
of the
recently discovered piano solo are B-flat and E-flat. In the
piano
solo dogfight the phrase "home again" is set to music> and
the cover *
features a short tribute by Pryor to the recently returned
fighting
men of his country.
•
101
40 and 8 March
Dedicated to Glenn L. Berry, First Commander, Long Branch
Post #44,
The American Legion.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 15 March 1939--band. DLC
E76025
4 16 16 16 16 16 16 24 16 24 16
1 1 ( 1 ) 2 3 1 D R T D T D T
C: F: TUTU *
Pryor's final marches became more complicated. There is a
third
strain in the first part of this march, and the trio is
played three
times, each with added musical lines. Half of the third
strain is in
the distant tonality of E-flat, and the strain includes
phrases from
the French national anthem, "Yankee Doodle," and "Dixie/'
The final
appearance of the first strain (just before the trio)
includes the
opening phrases of the American national anthem. The trio
can
include a drum and bugle corps. The opening drum SQ^O is
repeated in
each of the three trio appearances. The trumpet part can be
played
on an open bugle in F. The final trio consists of six melody
lines
with born offbeats, although the trombone part is similar to
the drum
part. It is quite a dramatic conclusion.
Graham Paige Legion March
Words and music by Arthur Pryor and Earl Donegan
D e t r o it : Graham Paige Motors Corp., copyright 14
February 1928--
o r c h e s t r a , a r r . M. L. Lake. DLC E686095
The i j u s i c i s u n a v a i l a b l e . Perhaps this
composition was
commissioned by the automobile manufacturer.
The Gridiron March (two-step)
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1898--band.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1898—piano solo.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1898—orchestra.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 13 December 1897--medium
unknown.
Paris: Hachette, copyright 20 July I920--orchestra with
piano
accompaniment. DLC E485018
4 16 16 4 16 16
t I (0 (2) 1-2 (T-1) (T-2)
d: F: Bb:
This march is somewhat unusual in that it begins in the
minor
mode, and there is no dogfight. There are two trio strains
instead;
they are of equal length and each is repeated. The second
ends with
a long chromatic run, ascending in the first ending,
descending in
the second. This is rather unusual for the composer. The
introduction to the trio is interesting: as the contrary
motion
102
begins (which is in itself not unusual), the composer begins
the
lines not at the interval of the octave, but at the interval
of the
ninth (Ex. 35). The keys for piano solo and band are the
same. The
baritone plays an unusual countermelody in the first trio
strain
consisting of quarter note triplets against the quarter
notes of the
melody. The trombones have a more traditional countermelody
in the
second trio strain.
Ex. 35. "The Gridiron" march (1898), beginning of trio.
& m *#££ ±
&' k I L-> =
J?
f -4h
»
Guardians of the Air March
Brooklyn: A. Schrader and Son, copyright 7 August 1929—piano
solo.
E unp. 9701
The music for this unpublished work is unavailable.
Heart of America March
Dedicated to Edwin J . Shannahan, originator of Kansas C it
y ' s
slogan, "Heart of America."
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 20 April 1916—band, a r r . M.
L. Lake.
£383041 (American Star Journal 2057)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer* copyright 2 February 1916—piano solo
E278292
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 4 May 1916--orchestra E383352
4 16 16 16 32 24 32
6/8 I (1) (2) IB T D T
F: Ab: F: Bb: ^
The most unusual feature of this march is the inclusion of
what
could be called an interlude strain between appearances of
the first
strain. This interlude is in the key of the lowered mediant
of Aflat.
There is no modulation into this strain; the fifth of the
key
of F (the note C) simply becomes the third of the new key of
A-flat.
103
However, the modulation back to F from A-flat can be
explained in
more harmonic terms: the tonic chord with lowered seventh
functions
as an augmented sixth chord leading to the C triad in second
inversion, which then becomes the dominant chord of the key
of F.
All this happens in the second ending of this interlude
strain. In
oo other march does the composer move to such a distant key,
but the
modulation is very smooth here. Another interesting aspect
of the
march is that the tonic F chord does not appear until the
third
measure of the first strain. All is dominant harmony until
this
po-int. The dogfight includes two appearances of the first
phrase
("Hy country tis of thee") of "America." Band keys are a
whole step
lower than the piano solo keys given. The trombones have a
couatemselody in the final appearance of the first strain
(after the
interlude strain), and the baritone has a countermelody in
the trio.
A triangle is to be used in the dogfight. This march is my
favorite.
The Irish King March and Two-Step
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 29 Hay 1905--band. DLC C95841
(American Star Journal 863)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 1905--piano solo-
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 11 September 1905--orchestra.
DLC C102225
4 16 16 24 32
6/8 I ( I ) (2) BAGPIPE 2/4 (T)
C: F:
Unlike "Blood Lillies," there is a definite Irish element
here.
Three Irish songs are included, "Wearing of the Green/'
"Killarney,"
and "St. Patrick's Day," and there is an added "bagpipe"
strain
before the trio- The "bagpipe" is the piccolo and oboe over
a
clarinet drone, with the drum giving a constant beat. The
melody
here is in the mixolydian mode (lowered seventh) which adds
to the
Irish modal element. The introduction to the march and the
first
strain begin with the same melody, and there is a trombone
countermelody (marked "solo") in the final trio. This is one
of the
three marches of Pryor which has a time change. Keys given
are for
the piano solo; band keys are F and B-flat.
Kentucky Club Two-Step
N.Y. : Carl Fischer (?), band.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1899—piano solo.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 7 August 1899—unknown
medium
(piano solo?), DLC 51003
Paris: Hachette, copyright 13 November 1919--orchestra and
piano/conductor. DLC E468232
4 16 16 16 16 16
t I (1) (2) (T) (D T)
104
The first strain with many short eighth-note runs is
definitely
more difficult than the second strain .or the trio. The
entire
dogfight was reproduced (Ex. 12) in Chapter 2 as an example
of a
dogfight. The trio has many skips of a third. The band
arrangement
is not available. Keys given are for piano solo.
*
Liberty Hall March
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1900—band.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1899--orchestra.
4 16 16 32 16 32
6/8 I (1) (2) T D T
Eb: Ab:
This is one of Pryor's better marches from his early days.
The
baritone and trombones have a countermelody in the first
strain, and
there is a strong trombone countermelody in the final trio.
In some
of the band parts the dogfight is in a different key than
the trio.
This appears to be for the purpose of eliminating the need
for
accidentals in those parts. Keys given are for band
arrangement; the
piano solo (if there is one) is unavailable.
The March King March (,TThe latest two-step.")
Dedicated to "The King of Marches/' John Philip Sousa.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1895--band-
Location unknown: B. F. Banes, copyright 26 January 1895—
piano
solo.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1900--orchestra.
8 16 16 16 16 16
I I (1) (2) (T) (D T)
G: C:
While this does not measure up to the best of Sousa, it is
nevertheless a fine march. The first strain is characterized
by
numerous appoggiaturas (Ex. 3), and the trio by much
stepwise motion
in the melody line. Keys given are for the piano solo; band
keys are
E-flat and A-flat.
The March of the White Rats ^
Dedicated to the White Rats of America.
N.Y.: Bell, copyright 1901--band.
N.Y.: B e l l , copyright 6 February 190l--piano solo. DLC
C1801
4 16 16 16 16 16
6 / 8 I (1) (2) (T) (D T)
G: C:
105
Since there are pictures of two men on the cover of the
piano
solo edition, and they are labeled as "Big Chief" and
"Little Chief,"
it would appear as though the White Rats was some kind of
organization, like a lodge. The introduction and first
strain begin
with the same melody. Keys given are for the piano solo; the
band
keys are E-flat and A-flat. The second and third trios
include a
trombone-baritone counterroelody.
*
On Jersey Shore March -v-
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 2 July 1904—band. DLC C73762
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 28 July 1904—-piano solo. DLC
C75102
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 21 July 1904—orchestra. DLC
C74749
4 16 16 32 16 32
e I (1) (2) T (D T)
C: F; ^
Though it does not say this on the music, from other sources
(advertisements and magazine articles), we know that this
march was
written in honor of Asbury Park. This was at the time Pryor
moved
there and began his annual summer appearances. The
introduction
features a prominent diminished fifth interval in the
melody.
Ex. 36. "On Jersey Shore" march (1904), beginning.
The appoggiaturas ic the first strain have already been
noted (Ex.
4). The second strain begins with an octave drop (half note
pickup
to whole note) which is quite distinctive. Although this
seems to be
one of Pryor's more popular marches today in that it has
*been
recorded twice in recent years, I do not consider it to be
any
Heritage of the March, U.S. Coast Guard Band, Lewis Buckley,
conductor (Robert Hoe Records, Vol. YYY); The Pride of
America—Golden
Age of the American March, The Goldman Band, Richard F.
Goldman and
Ainslee Cox, conductors (New World Records NW 266).
106
better than many others that have been neglected. Keys given
are for
piano solo; band keys are a whole step lower. The trombones
have a
couutertnelody in the first strain.
Post-Dispatch March
Dedicated to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (newspaper)
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 5 September 1901--band
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1894—piano solo.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper (?), copyright 1902—orchestra.
4
t I
F:
16
(1)
16
(2)
2
1-2
16
(T-l)
d;
16
(T-2)
Bb:
There is no dogfight in this march, but a second trio strain
instead. However, the key signature does not change-until
the second
trio strain, unusual for street marches by any composer.
There is a
change of mode at the trio, from F to D minor, but the key
signature
remains the same.
There is a lyrical baritone countermelody in the first and
second
strains of the march. The introduction to the trio consists
of just
2 measures of downbeats/offbeats. The first strain of the
trio is of
further interest in that the melody is in the low register
of the
clarinets, while the trumpets play an ornamental figure
above them.
While most of Pryor's marches are in the standard march
form, the
changes here indicate that Pryor was not afraid to
experiment early
in his career. Piano solo and band keys are the same.
Soldiers of Fortune March
Dedicated to Hope Harding Davis, a "special march, written
expressly
for 'Soldiers of Fortune/ an Allan Dwan Production,
presented by
Mayflower Photoplay Corporation."
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 8 June 1920—band. DLC E489578
(American Star Journal 2135)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 2 February 1920—piano solo.
DLC
E474163
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 1 March I920--orchestra• DLC
E479465
4 16 16 16 16 16
t I (1) (2) (T) (D T)
C: Eb: Ab:
This is the only instance known of Pryor writing "film"
music.
The march begins in the minor mode, moving to major in the
second
strain. Melodic motives from the introduction of the march
are used
in the dogfight. Piano solo keys are given; band keys are a
whole
step lower. The trombones and baritone have a countermelody
in the
repeat of the first strain. This is one of Pryor's better
marches.
107
The Spirit of the Purple March
Dedicated to the Grand Lodge of Elks Reunion, Miami,
Florida, 1928.
Asbury Park: Arthur Pryor, copyright 18 June 1928--band. DLC
C1E694462
Asbury Park: Arthur Pryor, copyright 20 February 1928—
melody, DLC
C1E686126
T
8 32 32 T8 13 16 XT1
t I (1) (2) 1-2 3 3B (4) *
C: F:DR AULD LANG SYNE
This rather lengthy inarch combines the spirit of patriotism
with
the spirit of good fellowship as one might expect at an Elks
reunion.
The second strain ends with phrases from the U. S. national
anthem
and "Yankee Doodle." A drum solo playing a street beat leads
off the
trio with the trumpets joining in. Like "40 and 8 March,"
the
trumpet part can be played on the open F bugle, so that a
drum and
bugle corps can join in at this point. The trumpets^ and
drums repeat
this strain with the low brass joining in with "Auld Lang
Syne." The
second half of the song is repeated and the march concludes.
Pryor
creates a good melody line using only the open notes to
accompany
"Auld Xang Syne," which shows some skill since he is limited
to just
one trumpet note to accompany the dominant and subdominant
chords of
the song.
Sweetheart March and Two-Step
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1897 (?)--band.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1897--piano solo
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1897—orchestra-
4
6/8 I
C:
16
(1)
16 16
(2) (T)
Fr
16 16
(D T)
Introduction and first strain begin with the same melody.
While
most of the trio melody is in the bass in the piano solo, it
is all
in the solo cornet part of the band arrangement. Band keys
are F and
B-flat.
Toute La Nuit (All Night) One-Step-Two-Step-Rag
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 19 May 1914—band, arr. M. L.
Lake.
DLC E343708
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 19 May 1914—piano solo. DLC
E343679
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 19 May 1914—orchestra. DLC
E343707
4 16 16 16 16 4 32
2/4 I (1) 2 2B 1 1-2 (T)
f: Ab: f: Db:
108
This is one of the "borderline" compositions, but it is more
like
a march than a rag; for example, there are no syncopated
divisions of
the beat which seem to characterize all of Pryor's rags. The
trio is
in longer note values and is especially like a march. In the
first
strain, short rhythmic figures in the cornet are echoed in
the
clarinet an octave higher. The first strain appears once
again after
the second strain, something which does happen in*several of
Pryor's
rags but seldom in his marches (using the categories of this
study).
There is no dogfight; the one trio strain is
sicnply^repeated.
The Triumph of Old Glory (Our President's March)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 31 May 1907—band. DLC C153348
(Universal Band Journal 928)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 25 July 1907--piano solo. DLC
C157913
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 13 August 1907--orchestra,
arr. R.
By virtue of the very long introduction and the use of
several
patriotic songs throughout, this march comes closest to
being Pryor's
grand march. It is like the quodlibet of music history, and
reminiscent of the music of Charles Ives with the frequent
phrases of
tunes heard here and there. The introduction moves quickly
through
the tonalities of G, B, F-sharp, and finally to D, which
leads to the
tonic G in the first strain. The opening phrases of the U.
S.
national anthem is heard twice in the introduction. The
first and
second strains are of the usual 16-measure length, but they
conclude
with phrases from the French national anthem, "Dixie,"
"Yankee
Doodle," and "Hail to the Chief." The first trio strain and
dogfight
are original, although the latter uses motives from the
introduction,
including the opening phrase of the national anthem.
However, the
final trio is the entire U. S. national anthem with a
counteraelody
from the first trio strain appearing in the high woodwinds.
There is
some ornamentation in the trumpets, with the anthem
appearing intact
in the trombones and baritone. Also in the band part,
mention should
be made of the woodwind tremolos and the alternation of high
and low
instruments found in the introduction, all designed by the
composer
for dramatic effect. Actually, the march is quite ordinary
in terms
of the quality of the original music, but there can be no
doubt that
with the added tunes Pryor created a 11 show-stopper" in
this patriotic
extravaganza. Band keys are a half step higher than the
piano solo
keys given.
Klugescheid. DLC C1594S4
32 16 16 16
I I (1) 2 2B
G: C:
32 16
T D NAT'L
ANTHEM
109
Trocadero March
Philadelphia; J. V. Pepper, copyright 1894—band.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright'1894—piano solo.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1900—orchestra.
4 16 16 4 16 16
t I CD (2) 1-2 (T-l) CT-2)
C: F: *
There is no dogfight, but a second trio strain iustead. Part
of
the second strain of the march has the melody in the bass
with the
treble instruments playing offbeats. The introduction to the
trio is
in unison. Band keys are E-flat and A-flat. There is a high
countermelody in the baritone in the repeat of the first
strain and
in the first strain of the trio. The trombones join the
baritone for
a strong countermelody in the final second trio strain.
Vanity Fair March
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 7 May 1900—band. DLC
C7192
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1899—orchestra.
4 16 16 4 16 16 16
t I (1) (2) 1-2 (T) (D T)
Db: Gb:
Because of the key signatures and fast rhythms, this is one
of
Pryor's more difficult marches, but it is worth the effort.
The
first phrase is dominated by the rhythmic motive JJJJ \JJ ,
while the
trio is mainly quarter notes. The baritone has a
countermelody in
the first trio, while the high woodwinds have ornamenting
figures
during the final trio. Keys given are the band keys.
The Victor March
To the Victor Talking Machine Co.
N.Y.: M. Witmark, copyright 3 October 1904—band. DLC C79278
N.Y.: M. Witmark, copyright 8 June 1904—piano solo. DLC
C72292
N.Y.: M. Witmark, copyright 1904—orchestra.
8 16 16 16 24 16
t I CD (2) T (D T)
Bb: Eb: D.C.
This is Pryor's only march where there are instructions
given to
return to the beginning and repeat the first half of the
march, in
the tradition of the old minuet-trio-minuet. The dogfight is
longer
than the trio, which is unusual and creates a somewhat
unbalanced
feeling in the second half of the march, although each
section is
fine in itself. Band keys are E-flat and A-flat. There are
high
woodwind runs in the final trio.
110
4
Will Rogers March (America's Cowboy Philosopher)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 17 March 1937--band. DLC
E6Z222
16 16 16 16 32 16 32
t I 1 IB (2) T D T
Bb: Eb:
This spirited march clearly shows that Arthur Prydr did not
run
out of good melodies near the end of his life. The
introduction
leads through the tonalities of B-flat, D and I before
returning to
B-flat in the first strain. The introduction consists of the
repetition of a fanfare-like figure, at first stated in the
trumpets
and repeated in the woodwinds. This idea continues in the
first
strain where the high woodwinds echo, with arpeggios and
trills the
melodic motives of the trumpets. The melody of the trio is
one of my
favorites; it is again accompanied with high woodwind runs
and
trills. The dogfight uses the fanfare-like figure of the
introduction. The drum part during the first appearance of
the trio
is to be played on "horse hoofs/' perhaps to emphasize the
cowboy
element. Band keys are given, and a complete condensed score
is
provided.
Ye Boston Tea Party March and Two-Step
"Patriotically inscribed to our colonial forefathers."
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1896--band.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1896--piano solo. DLC
58868
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1897--orchestra.
A 16 16 16 16 16
6/8 I (1) (2) (T) (D T)
G; C:
In the second strain of this march Pryor uses a rhythm in
the
melody that he has also used in a few other 6/8 marches: /?
<£^75 • It
has the effect of breaking the monotony of the constant
long/short
feel of the quarter note/eighth note pattern that is such a
part of
the 6/8 march. Keys given are for piano solo; band keys are
B-flat
and E-flat. There is a low brass countermelody during the
first
trio, and an ornamented countermelody in the high woodwinds
during
the final appearance of the trio.
Rags ^
An African Beauty Two-Step
Philadelphia: J. V. Pepper, copyright 1900--band.
Unknown publisher, copyright 19Q3--orchestra, arr. Mackie-
Bever DLC
305272
4 16 16 16 16 16
t I (1) (2) (T) (D T)
Eb: Ab:
Ill
The trio and dogfight are in a march style with none of the
ragtime rhythms- The melody of the first and second strains
stress
the sixth scale degree, making it in effect the dominant
note of the
melody. The baritone has a slow moving, lyrical melody high
in its
range in the first strain, and in the final trio the high
woodwinds
have a syncopated (in rag rhythm) and ornamented version of
the
melody. A fanfare in the trumpets leads into this final
trio. Keys
given are for band. *
An Arkansas Huskin' Bee Dance Characteristic
St. Joseph: Cbas. Brokaw, copyright 3899--band.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 9 February 1899—piano
solo. DLC
31552
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 9 February 1899—
orchestra. DLC
11597
Paris: Hachette, copyright 13 November 1929--orchestra with
piano
accompaniment. DLC E468233
4 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 6 7
2 / 4 I (1) (2) 1 (T) (3) T 1 18 CODA
F: C; F: Bb: g: Bb: F:
In both the piano solo and the band arrangement half of the
melody of the trio (alternating every 2 measures) is in the
bass.
The third strain in the chart functions as a dogfight,
coming as it
does between statements of the trio and being in the
relative minor
key. The coda uses the beginning melody of the trio. Piano
solo
keys are given; band keys are a perfect fifth lower. This is
not a
hard driving rag, but rather light in style. On the band
parts it is
called a "two-step march."
A r t f u l A r t i e March and Two-Step
N-Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 13 May 19Q8--band- DLC C181444
(American Star Journal 1209)
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 23 June 1908--piano s o
l o . DLC C183992
N-Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 29 J u l y 1 9 0 8 - -
o r c h e s t r a . DLC CI86177
4 16 16 16 16 16
2/4 1 (1) (2) 1 (T) (2)
F: Bb:
The introduction and first strain begin the same
melodically.
The first half of the piece is in ABA form, and the second
strain
reappears as the last strain of the piece, transposed to the
key of
the trio. The last strain, second time, is to be played
"slow."
Three pickup eighth notes with a fermata over each note lead
into it-
The trio uses longer note values than the other strains, and
has a
text. The second time the trio is to be whistled. Band keys
are
indicated; piano solo is unavailable. The text is as
follows:
112
Come here, ray artful, artful Artie,
For I know you love ice, and I love you,
Let's run away, away, away from here,
And never come back no more.
The text does not appear in all the parts. The baritone has
a slower
moving countermelody in the first strain. While the piece is
not
labeled as such, it is definitely a rag, except for the trio
which
stands out from the rest with its slower rhythm.
Mr. Black Man March and Two-Step
Detroit: Shapiro, Remick and Co., copyright 1904—band.
Detroit; Whitney-Warner Publishing Co., copyright 3 February
1904—
piano solo. DLC C63974
4 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) 2 2B 1 (T) 3 T
a: C r a: F: d: F;
In both the first and second half of this piece, each in ABA
form, there is contrast of mode between major and relative
minor.
This contrast is also seen within the very first'strain
where the
first four measures are in the tonality of A minor, the
second four
are in C, the next four in A minor and the last four in C.
The long
first ending of strain two ends on the dominant of C, the
second
ending on the dominant of A minor. As in "Artful Artie,M the
trio
here is the most march-like strain, and it uses relatively
longer
note values. It also has a text, which does not appear in
the band
parts. The band arrangement calls this piece a Cakewalk. The
third
strain (after the trio) functions as a dogfight by mode and
location
(between the trios), again as in "Artful Artie." The text is
as
follows:
Oh Mister Black Man, whar have you been
I'se gwine to leave you if you don't run right round here
And love your baby, love love her true
And if you don't she'll lose you.
Canhanibalmo Rag
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 22 November 1911—band, arr. L.
P.
Laurendeau. DLC E272811 (American Star Journal 18294
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 8 August 1911—piano solo. DLC
E265068
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 8 August 1911—orchestra with
piano
accompaniment. DLC E262588
4 16 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) (2) (T) (2)
Bb i Eb:
113
Appropriately enough, this rag with the difficult name is
also
difficult to play. Syncopation extends further in the
measure, and
the melody and countermelody (in the baritone) are
continuously
alternating short,-syncopated figures. A polished
performance would
need an ensemble that can "feel" ragtime as Pryor reportedly
could
teach it. The final strain, which is the second strain
transposed,
features a high lyrical baritone countermelody. It is to be
played
"slower" the second time. Band keys and piano keys are the
same.
A Coon Band Contest Cakewalk Two-Step
N.Y.: Bell Husic, copyright 1 December 1899—band. DLC C78271
(The above with same registration number is also listed for
N.Y.:
Emil Ascher.)
N.Y.: Bell Music, copyright 27 November 1899--piano solo.
DLC C77420
K.Y.: Bell Music, copyright 1 December 1899—orchestra. DLC
C78272
(For all the above the copyright is by'the compose^.)
4 16 26 4 16 12 16
2/4 I (1) (2) 1-2 (T) (D T)
C: F:
The Kaiser's favorite band composition is indeed worthy of
one's
attention, head of state or otherwise. This lighthearted rag
bounces
right along in the best stylistic tradition, although it
follows the
march form more than any other rag discussed so far. The
dogfight,
for example, follows exactly the example given in the
introduction to
Pryor's marches (Ex. 12), although in the slower and
"happier" rag
the dogfight admittedly loses some of its "fight/1 The
baritone has
a countermelody in part of the second strain, and the trio
calls for
several smears from the trombones, a device Pryor used only
in his
rags. Band keys are the same as the piano keys given.
Apparently
this piece was also popular with circus audiences, since it
appears
as part of a four-record set titled "A Tribute to Merle
Evans," who
was bandmaster for many years of the Ringling Bros. Barnum
and Bailey
Circus. The 1970 recording discreetly lists the title as "A
Band
Contest Characteristic." In 1940 an arrangement for band by
Frank
Morton was published by Emil Ascher, and today (as of 1977)
there is
a simplified arrangement for band available from Alfred
Publishing
Company. Arranged for young bands by John Kinyon, it leaves
out the
trio and is called "Happy Band Rag."
Fox Trot -N.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 6 December 19l4--band, arr. M.
L. Lake.
DLC E354928 (American Star Journal 2018)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 9 February 1915—piano solo.
DLC
E359029
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 5 November 19l4--orchestra,
arr. M. L.
Lake. DLC E353118
114
The only reason that this composition appears in this
category
is that it is made up of sectioas of two previously
published rags.
The only new music in it is a 2-measure codd which has the
familiar
melody that goes with the phrase "shave and a haircut - two
bits.11
In order to take advantage of the new fox trot dance craze,
Fischer
assigned staff arranger Mayhew Lake to put together a "new"
composition from pieces it already published, and this is
the result.
Stylistically it is no longer a rag in that now dotted
rhythms
predominate. "Fox Trot" consists of the introduction and
strains
one and two (each repeated) of "Frozen Bill," followed with
the
trio of "Razzazza Mazzazza" and the second strain of "Frozen
Bill/1
again both repeated. A flat is added to the key halfway
through,
and the "original" coda ends the piece. Band keys are D-flat
and
G-flat; piano solo keys are G and C. Even though Pryor is
given
credit as composer, and no doubt he received some kind of
royalties,
one wonders what he thought of this. I am inclined to think
that he
would have an open mind to style changes to please the
public, but
that he would not want to give the impression that a new-
title means
a brand new composition.
Frozen Bill Rag
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 21 May 1909—band. DLC C208227
(Universal Band Journal 1130)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 24 June 1909--piano solo. DLC
C210109
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 June 1909—orchestra, a r
r . Charles
Roberts. DLC C210726
4 16 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) (2) (T) (2)
F: Bb:
This is an excellent example of ragtime style, and it
incorporates
the changes from a march form that one w6uld come to expect.
The second
strain appears again as the final strain which does have the
effect
of rounding'out the form. The last time it is to be played
"very
slow," with fermatas over the three pickup notes leading
into it.
Piano solo keys are given; band keys are D-flat and G-flat.
The
baritone has a high countermelody in the second strain, and
in the
same strain after the trio.
A Kansas Two-Step
Dedicated to a Kansas Editor (no other information given) ^
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1895—band.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 12 December 1895—piano
solo.
4 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
t I U) (2) 3 (T) (3) T (1)
F: Bb: g: Bb: F:
115
The introductioD ends with a fermata over the dominant
seventh
chord. There is a short trombone smear at the end of strain
one.
Strain two is evenly divided between the submediant and
dominant
tonalities, and is like the first half of a dogfight. Strain
three
has the melody entirely in the bass; in the band arrangement
it is in
the baritone and tuba parts. The melody consists almost
entirely of
eighth notes acd is rather difficult. A reappearance of the
first
strain at the end of the piece rounds out the form. Band and
piano
keys are the same.
Passing of Ragtime: Characteristic Two-Step
Elkhart, Indiana: C. G. Conn, copyright 4 October 1902—piano
solo.
DLC C34156
4 16 16 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) 2 1 (3) (4)
D: g: Bb:
The key sequence of this rag is unusual. The third strain,
in
the minor mode, is labeled "African war dance," and features
several
upward leaps of fifths and octaves, suggesting war cries.
Pryor
played-^onn trombones during his career, but this is his
only use of
the company as his publisher. The Sousa Band recorded this
rag under
Pryor1s direction on four occasions in 1902 and 1903.
Apparently
the band arrangement was not published.
Razzazza Ma2zazza
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 27 December 1905--band- DLC
C110586
(American S t a r Journal 887)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 2 April 1906--piano solo. DLC
017970
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 December 1905--orchestra.
DLC
CI 11235
4 16 16 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) (2) 1 (T) 2
F; Bb:
Called "a clever trombone sneeze" in Fischer advertisements
because of the use of some smears, this fine rag with the
"raggyM
title features a countermelody in the trio for the tuba,
instead of
the usual "oom-pahs." The baritone has a countermelody ^in
the second
strain which is repeated in the transposed final second
strain after
James R. Smart, The Sousa Band: A Discography
(Washington: Library of Congress, 1970), p. 63
116
the trio. In the drum part, bells are called for in the trio
(second
time), and slapsticks in the final strain of the piece. (In
recordings of rags by the Pryor Band-the use of slapsticks
in final
strains is common.) The final strain in the piano solo is
marked
"slow and broad,11 and in the band parts "grandioso." The
trombone
smears are limited to pickup notes; the smear is not
highlighted as a
solo device as it is in "The Coon Band Contest." The trio
has slower
note values and is more like a march trio. Piano sglo and
band keys
are the same. This composition has recently (1980)
reappeared as an
arrangement for trombone trio and piano by Byron HcCulloh,
published
by Accura Music of Athens, Ohio.
Southern Blossoms-A Dark Town Two-Step
(In the piano solo, "Southern Blossoms" is given as the
second k title.)
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright i9 October 38-98--
band. 57408
Publisher unsure (Pepper?), copyright 25 January 1898 by
Arthur Pryor
and Henry Higgins—piano solo.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1898--orchestra.
4 8 8 8 16 16 15 4
t I (1) (2) 1 T (3) T CODA
F: d: F: Bb: g: Bb:
A strain in the relative minor tonality appears in each half
of
this piece between statements of the more prominent stra.in,
creating
an ABA form in each half. The piece begins with a trombone
smear,
and the introduction ends with a fermata over the dominant
chord.
Melodic material from the introduction is repeated in the
trio, which
is unusual. The opening trombone smear also appears in the
coda,
just before the final cadence chords, so one can conclude
that the
smear is the unifying element here. Piano solo and band keys
are the
same. There is a baritone countermelody in the second
strain, and
part of the third strain is a bass solo.
Southern Hospitality Ragtime Cakewalk
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1899 (?)--band.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 21 February 1899--piano
solo
DLC 20915
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 21 March 1899--
orchestra. DLC
14428
*>,
4 8 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) (2) (T) 2
F: Bb:
The final second strain is transposed to the key of the
trio. It'
is not marked to be played any slower. This is another fine
rag that
demonstrates Pryor's mastery of the style.
117
That Flying Rag
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 19 October 1911—band, arr. L.
P.
Laurendeau. DLC E269627 (American Star Journal 1825)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 8 August 1911--piano solo.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 8 August 1911—orchestra with
piano
accompaniment, arr. Charles Roberts. DLC E265099
4 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
2/4 I (1) 2 2B 1 T (D T) *
C: Eb: C: F:
This is a superb rag, my favorite and one of Pryor's best.
The
title suggests a faster tempo than usual, and this is
appropriate.
Several chromatic runs occurring throughout the piece would
be more
effective for one thing, but overall it just seems correct
to go fast
here, even though some may feel this detracts from the
proper rag
style. There is a middle strain in the first half of the
piece that
is in the key of the lowered mediant, something that
occurred only
once before, in "Heart of America" ma-rch. The long endings
of this
repeated strain lead respectively to the dominants of E-flat
and C.
The dogfight functions as such even though it does not
harmonically
follow the norm (Ex. 12). Finally, the tonic chord does not
appear
until the third measure of the first strain of the piece,
illustrating again the composer favoring a "delayed tonic"
effect.
The first six measures are all on the dominant chord. The
band keys
are a whole step lower than the piano keys given, and the
baritone
has a rather continuous countermelody throughout, something
unusual.
In short, it is a driving, exciting rag in the best, albeit
"pushed,"
tradition.
Novelties
The Baby Parade: A Two-Step Patrol
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 2 April 1906--band. DLC CI
17936
Universal Band Journal 848)
N.Y.r Carl Fischer, copyright 31 May 1906--piano solo. DLC
C122548
N.Y.r Carl Fischer, copyright 6 March I906--orchestra.
, A B A
8 r l6 16 16 it r8 167 16 16 17 10
2/4 I (1) 2 2B 1 1-2 (T) 1 2 1 CODA
C: Eb: C: F; C: Eb: C:
This composition was written for the annual baby parade held
at
Asbury Park. It is in three large sections overall (ABA)
with an
introduction and coda. The introduction consists of a drum
street
beat, but surprisingly it is in the bass drum and tuba, not
in the
snare drum. On the piano it is on the note G. The second
strain is
in the key of the lowered mediant, with the long endings
leading to the
appropriate dominant chord to continue- In the middle
section (introd118
uction to the trio and the trio itself) the rhythmic motive
f J* is
the unifying element, and the melody is in the bass. It is a
lyrical
melody, like a lullaby, in contrast to the lighter,
"bouncier" melody
of the first and last section; is this the baby awake?
Towards the
end of the third section there is a gradual decrescendo, the
spoken
word "Mama/1 a phrase from the "lullaby/1 a baby cry, and
the final
cadence chords played fortissimo. Piano solo keys are given;
band
keys are a minor third higher. The percussion call^for tin
horn,
sleigh bells, whip, and slapstick (for spanking baby).
Danny and His Hobby-Horse Caprice
Dedicated to "my f r i e n d " Danny Maher, who i s a
jockey.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 31 July 1907— band. DLC
C158207
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 13 August 1907—piano solo. DLC
C159486
4 16 12 16 16 16 15 11
2/4 I 1 2 1 (T) 1 1 CODA
G: C: F:
The picture here may be that of a child riding his hobby-
hors€
in an imaginary race* The introduction consists of a
repeated, three-note
"horse-hoof" motive using the notes D D-sharp and E.
This figure continues on into the first strain, with
markings to
"accelerate" and "ritard," suggesting an uncooperative
horse. The
second strain has the harmonic pattern of a dogfight and
functions as
such. The trio melody line contains several descending fcide
le*ps in
addition to the "horse-hoof" motive. The final first strain
ends
abruptly just before what would be the final tonic chord.
The coda
consists of the introductory motive in between the spoken
words "get
up," "whoa," and "Mamma, my hossey fall down" (which follows
a fast
descending chromatic scale of two octaves). A fast ascending
major
scale and final tonic chords then conclude the piece- The
band parts
are not available, but the band key is a half step higher.
In Darkest Africa
London: Ascherberg, Hopwood, and Crew, copyright 31 May 1911
—band.
DLC E258699
This composition is listed in the Catalog of Copyright
Entries
as part of a band collection. No other information is
available.
It is categorized here because of its descriptive titt*, but
this is
only a guess. It may be a foreign edition of "Teddy after
Africa."
Goody Two Shoes Caprice
N.Y,: Carl Fischer, copyright 5 July 1910—band. DLC £236920
(American Star Journal 1339)
119
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 18 August 1910—piano solo. DLC
237165
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 20 July !910--orchestra, arr.
Charles
Roberts. DLC 237153
8 16 16 16 16 16
2 / 4 1 1 2 1 (T) 1
F: Bb: F: —
*
The "horse-hoof" rhythmic motive used in "Danny and His
Hobby
Horse" is also used here. However, there are several wide
and sometimes
awkward intervals in the melody lice, and, along with the
ritards and
sudden pauses in the first strain, there is the suggestion
of a
beginning dancer. Since "any baby toy" may be sounded ("if
wanted")
before the first strain, another possibility is a child
taking his
first steps. The second phrase contrasts sudden loud and
soft dynamic
markings. The piano solo and band arrangement are in the
same keys.
In Lover's Lane Tone Poem
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 26 May 1908--band. DLC C182228
(Universal Band Journal 1037)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 29 July 2908—piano solo. DLC
C186223
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 29 July 1908—orchestra.
r8 ? 32 16 16 32 8
6/8 2/4 1 (2) lB^- T (D.C.) CODA
Eb: Gb: Eb: Ab:
This is the only composition that Pryor calls a tone poem.
The
clarinet shares the^melody equally with the cornet, and
there is an
important oboe solo in the second strain. The composition
consists of
a collection of lyrical melodies with some "kisses" (both
"long" and
"short") indicated in the coda. (The percussion section is
assigned
the unique task of figuring out how to create this sound
effect.)
The introduction is in 6/8 time, but this meter is not
repeated
throughout the rest of the piece. The first strain features
a
repeated note figure in the clarinets answered by lyrical
phrases
in the cornets. Phrases of the oboe in strain two are
answered by
clarinet runs as Castanet rhythms give a Latin quality to
the melody.
The trio, the only strain of the piece not included in the
lengthy
da capo repeat, divided melodic interest equally, first to
the
clarinets, then to the cornets. There are no
countermelodies. The
coda consists of the clarinet phrase in augmentation from
the first
strain, and the "kisses" alternating with the final cadence
chords.
(On a Pryor Band recording the "kisses" are played on the
bells.)
Castanets (during the oboe solo) and sleigh bells are called
for in
the percussion part. Overall, the melodies are so light and
simple
that this could hardly be a serious love affair. It seems
more
like children playing, or young teens on a first date. Band
keys are
given; the keys of the recently discovered piano solo are a
whole step
higher.
120
The Rookie and His Array Mule
(Arthur Pryor Memorial Edition)
N.Y.: Irving Berlin Inc., copyright 3 February 1943--band,
arr. M. L.
Lake. DLC Ell 1238
8 32 16 32 32 14 16
6/8 I 1 2 1 3 IS CODA
F: C: F: Bb: F:
This posthumous publication is the final published
composition to
appear from the pen of Arthur Pryor. In a way it is
appropriate in
that it is a sequel to his most popular composition, "The
Whistler
and His Dog." Pryor grew tired of continued requests to
perform
"Whistler," so he wrote a piece called "Sammy and His
Missouri Mule"
that he hoped would "relieve the monotony somewhat. 'Sammy'
has a
whistling part too, and winds up with that old Missouri
yell, 'Show
me No doubt to do his part for the war effort, Pryor
retitled
the piece "The Rookie and His Army Mule," but the "cast of
characters" is exactly the same with the rookie Sammy trying
to train
his obstinate Missouri mule for cavalry service. As stated
previously, it is the only Pryor composition that tells
something of
a story. ,
The introduction is rather free harmonically and
rhythmically,
with two long descending glissandos in the clarinets (is
this to
suggest "hee haw"?) and ending with a drummer saying, "Get
up, you
Missouri mule! Get Goin'l" punctuated with cracks of the
whip. The
first strain begins with the same melody as the
introduction, and
features a 2-measure phrase repeated in sequence and echoed
in the
piccolo and whistling. The third strain functions by
location and
key as the trio. The final strain (before the coda) is the
second half
of the first strain, and it leads directly into the coda.
Each strain
of the piece has a different tempo .indication than the
previous one,
ranging from moderato to allegro, but the coda is marked
"vivace/' and
then "accelerando" as we were told that the mule is running
away. Hoof
beats in the percussion add to the excitement. Sammy shouts
"whoa!"
repeatedly, a cymbal roll ends in a "glass crash," followed
by a
pause. Sammy's superior officer (?) then speaks softly
"Sammy,
here's your saddle" (which we assume he had forgotten);
there is the
clarinet glissando again (from the introduction), and spoken
"show
me," and the final chordal cadence. It is all very clever
and no
doubt was quite a timely crowd-pleaser. In its light 6/8
rhythms it
is much like "The Whistler and His Dog."
St. Joseph News-Press, 19 December 19M. This is a quote
by Pryor.
121
Teddy After Africa Humoresque Two-Step
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 24 June 1909--piano solo. DLC
C210108
N.Y.: Carl.Fischer, copyright 24 June'l909--orchestra, a r r
. Charles
Roberts. DLC C210072
8 16 16 16 4 32 4 21 12
2/4 I (1) 2 1 1-2 T I IB CODA
c; F: c: *
Inspired by Teddy Roosevelt's exploration, this 6'omposition
is a
stereotyped impression of the "dark continent," concluding
with a bit
of America. The introduction features the rhythm J3JP in the
bass, suggesting tribal drums. The use of the minor mode for
much of
the piece, along with a repeated and accented raised fourth
in the
melody of the first strain, further suggests a pseudo-exotic
quality.
However, the trio, which is in the major mode, is quite
lyrical and
not at all exotic. The melody of the first half of the trio
is in
the bass. After the trio, the repeated first strain ends
with the
final cadence being extended through broken, rising
diminished
seventh chords which lead to the dominant chord. The
performer is
then to "imitate wild animals." The coda consists of a fast
rendition of "Yankee Doodle," half in the minor mode and
half in
major, followed with further imitations ("chicken, goat,
pig, and
cow") in between the final four chords of "Yankee Doodle."
This
leads to the opening phrase of "Dixie," followed by a fast
final
cadence. Apparently Pryor did not want Roosevelt to forget
that he
was an American.
The Whistler and His Dog Caprice
(On the cover of the piano solo it reads "march two-step.")
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 August 1905--band. DLC
C1017&0
(Universal Band Journal 805)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 August 1905--piano solo.
DLC
C101701
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 27 July l90S--orchestra. DLC
C99585
As was stated in introductory comments, many of Pryor's
compositions were also arranged for various
mandolin/guitar/banjo
ensembles; these were published about the same time as the
band,
piano solo, and orchestra arrangements. However, "The
Whistler and
His Dog" is by far the most popular composition by Arthur
Pryor, and
we will include here all the known arrangements of this
famous
composition. It will be noticed that these continue a^ a
steady rate
into the 1960s. There are no doubt other arrangements that
for some
reason have escaped notice here.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer (?), copyright 1905 ( ? ) - - t h r e e
mandolins and
guitar, with piano accompaniment.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 1908--banjo solo, a r r .
Howard Curry.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 1912—banjo and piano, a r r .
Joe Morley.
122
Leipzig: D. Rahter, copyright 1935 — orchestra, arr. Leopold
Wemnger.
("Der Pfeifer und Sein Hund")
N.Y. : Carl Fischer, copyright 1938—accocdian solo, arr.
Anthony
Gaila-Rini.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer (?), copyright 1938—flute/piccolo solo
with piano
accompaniment, arr. Charles Roberts.
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 1943--piano s o l o , a
r r . Maxw^l
E c k s t e i n .
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 1944—renamed "The W his
t l e r ' s Song,"
t e x t by Al Trace, arranged somewhat as a song.
N.Y,: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 1945—the above "The W
his t l e r ' s Song,"
arranged f o r dance o r c h e s t r a by Paul Weirick.
(Perhaps this i s
what Roger Pryor used as the theme song f o r his band.)
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 1951--arranged as a
song, t e x t by Frank
Luther.
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 1953—arranged^for
Hammond organ by
Thomas J . F i l a s .
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 1959—arranged f o r
band f o r parade and
f i e l d use by Howard Akers.
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 1950--simplified piano
arrangement by
Maxwell Eckstein.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 196l--flute/piccolo solo with
piano
accompaniment, arr. Hugo M. Stuart.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 196l--clarinet solo with piano
accompaniment, arr. Hugo M. Stuart
N.Y.: Marks, copyright 1962—piano solo, arr. Louis Gordon.
North Hollywood: Hall, copyright 1962--"arranged for all
organs" by
Dave Coleman.
Perhaps Carl Fischer deserved to get from this composition
all it
did through the years, because shortly after the piece first
appeared
Fischer seemed to advertise it more than Pryor's other
compositions.
One "Novelty Bulletin1' of their band and orchestra music
had this to
say:
Pardon our waxing enthusiastic about Arthur Pryor's
"Whistler
and His Dog." There's plenty of reason for our joy. If ever
there was a novelty composition inclined to become a popular
craze, then "The Whistler and His Dog" is i_t. Leaders who
have
never heard it cannot picture to themselves how it takes
with an
audience. It holds them from start to finish and leaves it
cheering, applauding and demanding it repeated again and
again.
Recently a leader who used it for the first time remarked to
one
of the boys, "Did you ever see a bunch hook on to anything
the
way they did to 'The Whistler?"1 Not good English perhaps,
but
it tells the tale. . . . Your whole audience will whistle it
with you. The melody is so catchy you can't lose it.
Everybody
likes.it. Everybody wants it. TRY IT AND MAKE THE HIT OF
YOUR
LIFE.
Carl Fischer, Novelty Bulletin of band and orchestra music,
November 1905.
123
While Carl Fischer's advertising department was not known
for
their verbal restraint at that time, it.does appear from
other less
biased accounts that "The Whistler and His Dog" did indeed
sweep the
country, and did more to spread the fame of Pryor and his
band than
anything else. And, as we have seen, its fame did not
diminish. A
reminiscence by Pryor Band tubist Willis Maupin includes
this memory:
In the many newspaper notices of (Pryor1s) demise ^here was
always mention of his most popular composition, "The
Whistler and
His Dog," featuring a whistling chorus and ending with a dog
bark. The playing of this piece was always the source of a
lot
of fun. In my Chautauqua band our bass player could imitate
a
hound dog to perfection, so much so that whenever he let out
that
bugle note every dog in the neighborhood responded with an
answering chorus. At the York, Nebraska chatauqua the
secretary
owned a large Irish setter and in response to that hound cry
he
came bounding down the aisle of the auditorium barking
excitedly
at every jump, crossed in front of the stage and out the
back
entrance, all to the hysterical delight of the audience. At
Carthage, Missouri, the town marshall tried to sell us a dog
license.
It was listed as one of the hit tunes of 1905 by ASCAP,6 and
everywhere "leaders of the orchestras are simply swamped
with
requests for 'Whistler and His Dog' please.This was of
course
true of the Pryor Band, so much so that the composer got
tired of it
and wrote the companion piece "Sammy and His Missouri Mule."
He
assured an interviewer in 1941 that "there isn't a copy
of.the
'Whistler' in the house. I still like it, but it embacassgs
me a
little because every time we gave a concert they want it.
Pryor
wrote it as a memorial to his boyhood pet bulldog named Roxy
who died
sometime after the composer left St. Joseph to begin his
music
career. It was given to him by one "Uncle Jack Hughes." The
Pryors
kept several dogs during their retirement years at
Driftwood, so
apparently Pryor1s love for "man's best friend" continued
throughout
life.
4 16 24 16 16 4 16
6/8 I (1) D 1 (T) I IB
C: F: C:
^St. Joseph News-Press, 21 November 1942.
^ASCAP Hit Tunes (New York: American Society of'Composers,
Authors and Publishers, n.d.), p. 2.
^Carl Fischer advertisement, The December 1905,
^St. Joseph News-Press, 19 December 194*1.
9Ibid.
124
This famous composition is not really any different than
many
other Pryor compositions, although the main melody (in
strain one) is
particularly charming and easily remembered. It has a range
of a
twelfth, so it is not particularly singable. It is to be
whistled,
and no doubt conjured up the picture of a little barefoot
boy
whistling down the country lane with his faithful companion
at his
heels. The tune begins with a long upward sweep of an<octave
on the
dominant note- The introduction begins with the same melody.
The
dogfight follows the standard form given earlier (Ex. 12),
even
though it is extended in length and appears earlier in the
piece than
usual. The trio is 16 measures loag# like the main theme, so
this
makes the dogfight the longest strain, very unusual for the
composer.
There is no coda; the dogbark occurs just before the final
cadence.
In the band arrangement, however, there is a short whistling
"call"
heard just before the dog bark. The band keys are a whole
step lower
than the piano solo keys given, and call for some additional
whistling in the dogfight. The tubas are instructed to "bark
through
your instrument like a large dog," accompanied by a bass
drum roll.
The clarinets have offbeats during the main melody, and the
bells are
featured the second time the trio is played. Overall the
composition
is not at all spectacular, and it seems that, although no
clear
sources can be given, Pryor himself was surprised by its
success.
Some of the waltzes, the march "Triumph of Old Glory," and
even the
sequel "The Rookie and His Army Mule" are much more
elaborate
compositions and no doubt called for more effort in
production than
"Whistler." It simply goes to show that a "catchy" tune
combined
with a warm memory of one's past will more likely capture
the public
fancy.
It should be pointed out that there are six compositions by
Arthur Pryor for band that have been reissued and are still
available
from Edwin F. Kalmus & Co., Opa-Locka, Florida. These are
copies of
the original Brokaw/Pepper/Fischer band parts without any
attempt at
editing for modern instrumentation. "A Kansas Two-Step" is
the only
orte that comes with a C flute part (added in manuscript to
the
original parts), and "The Whistler and His Dog" includes a
two staff
score in the trumpet key. ^
The selections are:
An Arkansas Huskin' Bee
Bunker Hill March
A Kansas Two-Step
The March King March
125
«
On Jersey Shore March
The Whistler and His Dog
Waltzes
Aeroplane Dip Waltz: H e s it a t i o n Walt2-Valse Boston *
N.Y.: Carl F i s c h e r , copyright 23 April 1914—band, a r
r . tl. L. Lake.
DLC E346470 (Universal Band Journal 1405)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 11 Hay 1914—piano solo. DLC
E343698
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 27 April 1914—orchestra. DLC
E346472
A B A
8 *32 16 321 16 3? '32 301 12
3/4 I 1 (2) 1 (3) (4) 1 (2) 1 CODA
Bb: F: Bb: Eb: Bb: F: Bb.:
There are three sections between the introduction and coda.
The
sections are ternary, binary, and ternary respectively.
After the
fermata at the end of the introduction the tempo continues
without
change until the coda which is marked "vivace." Part of the
fourth
strain is a lyrical baritone solo. The main theme (strain
one)
features several dotted half note neighboring tones, which
may be the
"dip" implied in the title. Perhaps in performance these
notes were
sustained a bit longer, suggesting the "hesitation" effect.
Keys
given are for band; the keys of the recently discovered
piano solo
are a whole step higher. Several breaks in the first strain
(that
are not in the band arrangement) also stress the
"hesitation" effect.
Country Club Waltzes
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1696--band.
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1896--piano solo.
P h i l a d e l p h i a : J . W. Pepper, copyright 1 8 9 6 -
- l a r g e o r c h e s t r a , 1900--
small o r c h e s t r a .
1
16 ' 3 2 32 4
3/4 1 1 2 1-2
Eb: Bb: Eb:
"321 *32 32 321
1 3 4 3
Ab: Eb: Ab:
3 CODA
^ 16 321 *20 32 16 IP ^
1-3 (5) 6 1-4 1 5 CD
Db:
The p l u r a l "waltzes" i s a p p r o p r i a t e here s i
n c e each of the four
s e c t i o n s could be played s e p a r a t e l y as an i
n d i v i d u a l p i e c e . Each
s e c t i o n d i v i d e s i n t o two or t h r e e s t r a
i n s . The coda s e c t i o n i n c l u d e s
126
two strains that appeared previously. There is a grand pause
of 2
measures between these strains. The introduction stresses
the
dominant chord; the first strong tonic chord is in the fifth
measure
of the first strain. Band keys are the same as piano solo
keys. The
entire melody of the second strain is in the clarinet, with
some
rather difficult runs and arpeggios in the baritone
providing a
countermelody, ^
Frau Louisa: A Comedy Waltz
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 10 May 1906--band. DLC C121075
(Universal Band Journal 869)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 3 July 1906--piano solo. DLC
C124764
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 31 Hay 1906--orchestra. DLC
C122475
A B * A
8 T~8 8 8^ T32I r§ g ^ 15
3 / 4 I (1) (2) (1) (3) (1) (2) 1 CODA
0: D: G: Eb: G: D: G:
Between the introduction and coda there are three sections
in an
ABA form. The A sections consist of three strains, also in
ABA form.
Rhythmically the most interesting feature of this
composition is the
contrast of continuous eighth notes in the melodies of
section A with
the continuous dotted half notes in section B, resulting in
two
different "moods'1 to Louisa- Harmonically the most
interesting
feature is the middle section, which functions as a trio,*
in the
distant key of E-flat. The note G provides a smooth
transition: the
tonic of G becomes the third of E-flat. The introduction and
coda
both use phrases from the German melody sung to the words
"The More
We Get Together." The introduction concludes with the spoken
text
"Louisa? Tanz mit?" while the coda gives instructions to
"strike
piano with knuckles," stamp foot (downbeat) and say "Sh -
Sh"
(offbeats) for two measures, and say at the end "Dat vas
fine yah?"
The band keys are a whole step lower than the piano solo
keys given.
The clarinets and baritone play the melodies in strains one
and two
respectively, while the piccolo is featured in an
ornamentation
during the repeat of the "trio." This is a "fun" waltz that
must
have been a crowd-pleaser.
La Spaniola Waltz
S t . Joseph; Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1898--piano s o l o .
S t . Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright l 8 9 8 - - o r c h e
s t r a .
WALTZ SEC. 2 SEC. 3
17 16 16 16' 1 32 1? r4 T6 llT
I (1) 2 1 1-2 (3) ( i ) 1-3 (5) (6)
3'• C : a : C : f : Ab:
.CODA
8 19 it 7
1-4 1 EXT
M a:
127
Again there are three sections between introduction and
coda;
however the sections here are dissimilar. The I7~measure
introduction is the result of a slight extension of the
third phrase.
Introductions to the second and third sections consist
simply of
repeated rhythm patterns on the tonic chords of each
section. The
hemiola technique used ia the third strain was pointed out
earlier
(Ex. 23). The introduction to the coda section is a
modulation from
A-flat back to A minor. This is smoothly done by making A-
^lat (Gsharp)
the third of a dominant seventh chord on E, and that simply
resolves to the A minor tonic chord on the downbeat of the
coda. The
effect is that of the augmented sixth chord of the key of A-
flat
(built on F-flat) being the same as the dominant seventh of
the key
of A minor (built on E). In the coda there is a long
extension on
the dominant seventh chord (through arpeggios and a repeated
rhythm
figure) before the final four-measure cadence marked
"presto."
Generally the rhythms in this composition are quite fast and
suggest
a rather wild Spanish dance. „
The Love Kiss Waltz
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 24 June 1908—band. DLC C284117
(Universal Band Journal 1044)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 3 July 1908--piano solo. DLC
C184710
Carl Fischer, copyright 25 August I908--orchestra. DLC
C187899
16 32 32 32 4 32 36 16
3 / 4 1 1 2 1 1-4 (3) 1 CODA
Eb s Ab:
This waltz is unusual in that it does not return to the
original
key, even though it does repeat the first strain in the
second key.
The introduction consists of turns and other melodic figures
around
the notes of the dominant seventh chord built on B-flat. All
of this
extended dominant sound does not resolve until the down beat
of the
first strain (marked "valse"). This shows ODce again the
composer's
love of delayed resolution. The tempo is quite free in the
introduction, and three fermatas placed within phrases of
the third
strain break the smooth flow of that trio-like strain. The
rhythm of
the first strain consists mainly of dotted half notes,
giving it a
restful, sustained quality. The final first strain (now in
A-flat)
ends with an extended cadence leading into the coda. The 16-
roeasure
coda is the second half of the first strain, but now the
first 8
measures are to be played very loudly "with power" while the
final 8
measures are marked very softly "with pathos," giving this
waltz an
unusual subdued ending. There are more expression marks in
this
piece than usually appear in the music of Pryor. For
example, the
first strain is to be played ,Twith grace and tenderness/'
and later
(in A-flat) "grandioso.'* Piano solo and band keys are the
same.
128
Miscellaneous Dances
The Broadway Tango
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 19 May 1914—band, arr. M. L.
Lake.
DLC E347125 (American Star Journal 2001)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 19 May 19I4--piano solo. DLC
E343678
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 39 May 1914—orchestra with
piano
accompaniment. DLC E343706 *
. A B A
8 r16 16 167 % 3? U6 16 TT
2/4 I (1) (2) 1 1-2 T (1) (2) 1
a: C: a: F: a: C: a:
This composition uses throughout the rhythm of the habanera,
the
most popular jgnce of the New World at the time of the
Spanish-
American War. It is the ancestor of the Argentine tango, but
otherwise it is not known how Pryor came to call this piece
a tango.
The habaflera rhythm is 2/4 this is Pryor1 s only
composition to
use this rhythmic motive as a unifying element. It is in
three
sections in ABA form using both minor and major modes. The
introduction and first strain begin with the same melody,
and the
piece ends rather abruptly at the end of the final strain
one with no
ritard or other closing device. This is one of Pryor's more
successful and convincing attempts at introducing an exotic
element
in his music. One wonders why he did not choose to repeat
it. Band
keys are a whole step lower than the piano solo keys given.
The
baritone has a continuous countermelody.
Little Flirt ("The Latest Dance")
Dance by Prof. Edward A. Prinz
St. Joseph: Washburn, copyright 1894--piano solo.
2 8 16 8
4/4 1 1 3/4 2 4/4 1
A: D: A:
This short (one p|£e) simple, and yet tuneful piece is in
two
distinct styles: a bouncy melody full of dotted rhythms, and
a
lyrical waltz. It is in ABA form. The introduction is marked
"allegro,1* while the following melody is marked "moderato."
Little Nell Song and Dance Schottische
Philadelphia; J. W. Pepper, copyright 5 June 1899--band. DLC
28614
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 29 March 1698--piano
solo.
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1899—orchestra.
Willi Apel, Harvard Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed. (Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1969), p. 365.
129
8 16 8 16 16 2
£ 1 1 2 1 DANCE BREAK
G:
This charming little piece consists of an introduction, the
main
section in ABA form, and a "dance" which ends vith a short
"break,"
like a coda. The second strain in the main section functions
like a
little dogfight, in tonality as well as location. The dance
consists
of two identical 8-measure phrases. Band key is F, "ind
trombone solo
key (as Pryor played it) is B-flat. The style throughout is
light
and happy. Although it is in cut time, 4/4 time would be
better.
S k i p p e r j a c k Dance
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 31 May 1901—band, arr. L. P.
Laurendeau. DLC C8167 ("By permission of Chas. 0. Brokaw.")
N.Y.r Carl Fischer, copyright 1901—orchestra, arr*,L. P.
Laurendeau.
8 2 12 8 8 2
( 1 2 D 2 (3) BREAK
Ab: v
Despite a few ragtime rhythms, thib*NCoraposition cannot be
categorized as such. The melodies simplyvdo not possess the
bouncy,
ragged qualities one finds in a rag. Th^most unique
characteristic
of this piece is that there is no introduction; the first
strain
opens the piece directly. The effect overall is that of a
series of
strains, with the dogfight (in standard form) offering some
variety.
The continuous tonality is monotonous. The "break" functions
as the
break in "Little Nell," as a short coda. Band key is given.
Piano Solos
After Sunset Intermezzo
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 31 July 1907--piano solo. DLC
C158208
N^.; Carl Fischer, copyright 31 August 1907—band. DLC
C161062
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 1907--orchestra, arr. R.
Klugescheid.
8 16 8 16 20 4 16
4/4 I 1 2 1 3 1-2 1
Eb: C: Eb: Ab: Eb:
A single-line melody in the first 2 measures soon'-gives way
to a
full chordal accompaniment for the remainder of the
introduction.
The second appearance of the first strain features fuller
chords than
the first, with a greatly ornamented melody. It is to be
played "con
grazia." The third strain functions as a trio; the melody
here uses
longer note values, giving the effect of slowing the pace of
the
composition. It was published separately with text as a song
(see
130
below). It was also published separately as a violin solo
and a
cello solo. A quiet syncopated chord figure in the left hand
is
repeated throughout this third s t r a i n the shortened
secoad
introduction is derived from the first introduction, and the
final
first strain has the thinner texture of its first
appearance. The
band arrangement, which is in the same keys as the piano
solo,
features a trombone/baritone couatermelody in the second
strain, but
nowhere else. This is somewhat surprising considering the
potential
here for lyrical second melodies, but it does show that
Pryor does
not need second melodies; one good melody is sufficient for
his
purposes. Much tempo rubato is needed in the performance of
this
expressive and beautiful composition. It will be recalled
that
reportedly Toscaaini was highly impressed with this piece.
Canoeing Idyl
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 24 June 1909—piano solo. DLC
C210110
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 5 May 1909—band. DLC C206705
(Universal Band Journal 1129)
N.Y.J Carl Fischer, copyright 30 June 1909—orchestra, a r
r . Charles
Roberts. DLC C210723
8 16 16 16 16 15 12
6 / 8 1 1 2 1 (3) 1 "FINALE"
F: Ab: F: Bb: F:
The form here is nearly the same as that of "After Sunset/1
except the third "trio11 strain is repeated. It is repeated
with a
thinner harmonic texture, which is unusual, since one might
expect
the reverse to be the case. The first strain features a
repeated
little "flourish" of thirty-second notes ( z j f f l . )
which gives some
truth to the claim of a Fischer advertisement that "you can
hear the
swish of the paddle." The contrasting second strain is in
the
tonality of the lowered mediant, A-flat, which was first
seen earlier
in the march "Heart of America." On a recording by the Pryor
Band
the tempo of the third strain picks up to nearly that of a
march.
Bells enhance the melody line here. The "finale" is in two
parts:
material from the introduction, and a rising arpeggio line
preceding
the final cadence. The second part is marked "presto," and
is a
surprising ending to this otherwise very restful piece.
Perhaps
there is some programmatic significance here. Band keys are
same as
piano solo keys.
An Egyptian Love Dance from Original Dance Suite
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 25 July 1907--piano solo. DLC
C157879
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 14 May l907--band. DLC C151568
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 24 June 1907--orchestra, arr.
R.
Klugescheid. DLC C155407
131
4 16 16 14 6
4 / 4 1 1 2 1 CODA
a: C: a:
This composition, in a simple ABA form with introduction and
short coda, is more march-like than the previous two piano
solos, and
the texture is thinner, but it still is best as a piano
solo. The
introduction and first strain stress the dominant note E,
and
throughout the composition there is a subdued
downbeat/offbeat rhythm
which gives the slow inarch effect. The coda uses a motive
from the
first strain and ends on a high tremolo on the tonic triad.
Except
for just two places marked fortissimo (a descending triplet
figure in
the middle of strain one) the entire composition is to be
played
softly, fading at the end to the dynamic level of pppp. The
prevalent minor mode in the style of a slow march give the
piece a
rather somber mood. While the title is always mentioned in
connection with "Original Dance Suite," no other music or
information
about this suite has been located. The "band arrangement
begins in
the key of B-flat minor and gives much of the melody to the
clarinet.
Songs
After Sunset, text by Alice Mattullath (high voice; A-flat,
low
voice: F)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 December 1910. DLC E250178
The music for this song is the third strain of "After
Sunset"
intermezzo, discussed previously. The melody of the 4-
measure
introduction is not derived from the melody of the verse in
this
case. The introduction also serves as the interlude between
the two
stanzas; there is no refrain. As in the intermezzo, there is
an
extra phrase added to the verse, resulting in a length of 20
measures. The song is to be performed "con amore" and "dolce
expressivo." The arch-like melodic line covers the range of
a
twelfth. The accompaniment consists mainly of arpeggios. The
text
of verse one is as follows:
Give me your hand and promise you'll be true,
Give me your heart and I'll give mine to you.
Though many leagues divide us, though grief or joy betide
us,
But one thought shall ever thrill my being; you, only you!
One thought shall ever thrill my being; you, love, only you!
Baby Love: A Lullaby, text by Nixon I. Stone (Eb)
Respectively dedicated to Miss Elise Mannering Keteltas
Hackett
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 28 February 1906. DLC C115183
Following a 6-measure introduction there are two verses and
refrain, each 16 measures long. In a flowing 6/8 meter, this
tender
132
song i s addressed t o a s l e e p i n g c h i l d , o r ,
in an a l l e g o r i c a l sense,
to a c h i l d who has died and i s awaiting r e s u r r e c
t i o n . The f i r s t 6
measures of the verse a r e w r it t e n over aa E - f l a t
pedal*point which
s t r e s s e s the s u s t a i n e d q u a l it y of the
melody l i n e . The melody i s very
flowing and e x p r e s s i v e , even with an octave leap
at the phrase "break
of the day." The t e x t of verse one and the r e f r a i n
i s as follows:
Sleep ray baby love, sleep in thy way *
Night is come over thee, soon 'twill be day
Dream through the night my love sweet dreams so pure
Dreams that will make thee happy I'm sure.
Rock my baby love, rock without fear
God will receive you in dreamland to play,
Then He'll return you at break of the day
Sending to dreamland the one so dear, sleep baby sleep,
Sleep my baby, sleep my love, baby love, sleep.
A Coon Band Contest or The Tune that Won the Ham for That
Coon Band
N.Y.: Bell, copyright by Arthur Pryor 27 November 1899. DLC
77421
This song consists of three verses of text (by Pryor) to
three
distinct musical strains. A 4-measure introduction is
followed by
two strains in a rather heavy, ponderous style, which
quickly changes
into a light ragtime style for the third strain. If one
considers
the first strain as the verse, the second strain as the
interlude (it
is half the length of the first), then the third strain is
the
chorus. Musically this is the effect. The first strain is in
D
minor, the second is in T major but stressing the dominant,
and the
final strain is clearly in F major as though the interlude
resolves
into it. The final strain is the trio of the instrumental
rag of the
same title. While some rubato tempo would be appropriate for
the
first part of the piece, the rag must be performed at a
steady tempo.
The trombone smears from the instrumental version are
imitated in the
piano accompaniment. The introduction of the song uses the
melody of
the verse. The song begins in 4/4 time, switching to 2/4 at
the rag
"chorus."
The text is an example of ethnic humor that would be
inappropriate today. It is not in dialect, but it is casual
with
some slang and bad grammar, such as "them coons," "ain't,"
and
"gals." The song describes a coon band contest where the
prize ham
was won by some kiad of divine leader ("from above"). He
played his
winning tune on the trombone so well that he stole "the
black gal's"
hearts, and was shot by a jeal«ous boyfriend. Even though he
was then
buried "like they do all sporty coons," the other "stiffs" m
the
cemetery learned "that awful tune," and they haunt the
Countryside
each night playing it. While that is the general story, many
of the
phrases of the text do not make much sense and seem
incidental.
Crusader: A Sacred Song, text by James O'Dea
N.Y.: Shapiro, Remick and Co., copyright 1904. DLC E118849
133
«
It is listed oc the Library of Congress catalog card as "No.
2 in
G minor." The music is unavailable. This is the only sacred
composition by Pryor.
Deep Evening, text by Eva Williams
N.Y.t Burt Smith and Arthur Pryor, copyright 21 October
1931. DLC E
unp. 46530 (This is the entry from volume 200 of the Catalog
of
Copyright Entries >)
The music is unavailable.
Down at Asbury Park, text by James Danoday (F)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 17 August 1905—song. DLC
C100841
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 December 1905--band,"arr.
Tobani.
DLC CI11244 (Universal Band Journal 842)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 January 1906--orchestra,
arr.
Tobani. DLC CI 13176
After an 8-measure introduction this waltz song has two
verses
and a refrain, each 32 measures long. The introduction
begins with
the same melody as the refrain. The melody has a
surprisingly large
number of skips but it is Quite smooth overall. For variety
Pryor
will insert a shorX/long rhythm ( / J ) within a phrase,
contrasting
with the usual JJ. The piano accompaniment is largely in the
"oompah-
pah" waltz tradition, but sometimes doubles the melody. The
text
speaks of romance at the park from a bygone era, but it also
sings
the praises of Asbury Park in particular. There is a
reference to
the annual baby parade at the part in the phrase "why even
the babies
go on parade." Also, mention must be made of the pun in the
phrase
"you can't be short if you would belong—down at Asbury
Park." The
text of-the chorus is as follows:
So take me down to Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore
Let me listen to music grand, I ask for nothing more
Both our hearts will beat in tune as underneath the smiling
moon
To sweetest music we will spoon down at Asbury Park.
•r
The arrangement for band is in the same key of F major,
however there
is a long strain added on that is not from the song. It is
in the
key of the dominant, and is played between the settings of
the song,
giving an ABA form overall of song-added phrase-song.
I'd Love To Love You Again, text by Burt Smith
(Perhaps this is the Burt Smith who was trombone soloist
with
Pryor's Band.)
Copyright 13 November 1931. DLC E unp. 47598
The music is unavailable.
134
Miami, This Is You, text by Sue Clement (low key: Ab)
Miami (?): Sue Clement (Mrs. Justin Dean), copyright 21
August 1926.
DLC E645529
This waltz song obviously sings the*praises of Miami. It
consists of a 4-measure introduction followed by two verses
and
refrain, each 32 measures long. The introduction begins with
the
same melody as the verse, and there is ouch stepwise melodic
movement. The accompaniment doubles the melody throughout.
It is a
sentimental tribute to Pryor's "second home." Except for a
rather
sudden pause in the opening phrase of the verse, "now I have
reached-
Miami,1' the song flows along quite smoothly. The refrain
reads as
follows:
Miami, Miami, Miami by the sea,
With all the beauties you offer
There is no other place for me.
I have traveled this country over **
And the old world too;
Miami, Miami dear,
I give the honors to you.
Oh What Will Television Do to Me
Copyright 4 September 1931. E unp. 45195
In 1926 the first demonstration of television took place,
and in
1931 an English organization named the Electric and Musical
Industries established a television research team, Perhaps
Pryor's
song was in reaction to this. Four years later the team
would
develop a complete and practical television system that was
adopted
by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Unfortunately,
Pryor's
song has not been located.
Sweet Lorena Ray, text by Deamor R. Drake (key of G)
St. Joseph; Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1896.
The music for this song was found on the back cover of
another
Brokaw publication. The fact that it is an advertisement in
small
print along with three other songs leads me to believe that
there may
be more to the song than what appears here. There is no
introduction, and the word "chorus" appears above the
opening line.
On the other hand, "Little Flirt" was complete on one page.
We have
here a walt2 song of 32 measures in which the singer is
proposing to
^Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1974, ed., s.v. "Television."
135
"Sweet Lorena Ray." Again Pryor occasionally reverses the
usual
waltz measure division to short/long (J J ) for rhythmic
variety, and
it flows smoothly along until two pauses in tSe last line,
on "bride"
and the third syllable of "Lorena." To really make his
point, the
singer may end on an optional high G. The text is as
follows:
Lorena, Sweet Lorena Ray, with your face divine
Smiles that brighten all the day *
Say you will be mine
Then no matter what betide, love will light our way
Happy with my little bride, Sweet Lorena Ray.
Travel Travel Little Star, text by Vincent Bryan (key of D,
perhaps
Eb)
N.Y.: Leo Feist, copyright 22 January 1910. DLG E223572
Information about this song was obtained from a recording
sent to
me from Mr. Bill Pruyn. The comedy team of Montgomery and
Stone
perforin the song along with band accompaniment. It has
nothing to
do, musically or textually, with "Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star," but
instead it speaks of two "stars" who have bought a circus.
When the
circus does not live up to expectations and the audience
demands a
refund of their money, the "stars" have left town with the
sheriff in
pursuit. It is all very humorous, and Pryor's light-hearted
melody
certainly contributes to its success. After a very short
fanfare, •
the song begins with an introductory strain of 16 measures
in 2/4
time. There are two verses in a moderate tempo, and the
refrain in a
fast tempo. The last phrase of the refrain is even repeated
by the
band in a faster tempo yet, as the performers make their
exit, all in
the best vaudeville tradition. The refrain text is as
follows:
Travel travel little star
In your one horse circus car,
Each policeman you get by
Must have cinders in his eye.
Lots of fame attached to you,
Sheriffs have attachments too;
How they'll wonder where you are.
Travel little star.
We Want Beer, text by Burt Smith
Copyright 20 October 1931. DLC E unp. 47562 ^
The Prohibition Era was nearing its end at this time. It
would
be interesting to see what this song says, but it is
unavailable.
We'll Be There, Uncle Sammy (Patriotic March Song), text by
William
K. Deveroux (key of C)
N.Y.: M. Witmark, copyright 7 September 1917. DLC E407848
Written shortly after the entrance of the United States into
World War I, this spirited march song was perhaps vritten to
inspire
young sen to serve in the armed forces. The text recalls the
courage
of American soldiers in previous wars and how an attempt at
neutrality has failed in the present war. Therefore "now
we're
anxious for the battle, for Old Glory bright and fair!'1 The
tune is
excellent, and one can imagine the recruits singing this
song as they
lined up to enlist in the "war to end all wars." The rhythm
of the
melody (in 2/4 time) uses mainly quarter and eighth notes,
but Pryor
effectively sets each phrase of "We'll be there" in the
refrain in
half notes, giving it special emphasis. The opening of the
refrain
also serves as an 8-measure introduction to the song. There
are five
verses. Pryor may well have arranged this stirring song for
band,
but apparently such a version was never published. *-The
piano
accompaniment, with its continuous melody,
downbeats/offbeats, and
occasional "flourishes" at cadence points, sounds like a
band
arrangement as it is. The refrain text is as follows:
We'll be there, Uncle Sammy, we111 be there! (repeat)
Tell to us the old, old story, that you need us for Old
Glory;
We'll be there, Uncle Sammy, we'll be theret
We'll Keep Old Glory Flying, text by Ada Truax Fletcher
Dedicated to the U.S. Armed Forces
Copyright 28 September 1942. DLC E unp. 310411
This is the last composition written by Arthur Pryor, and it
was
performed by his band under the direction of Arthur Jr. at
Asbury
Park shortly after his death. It was after a rehearsal for
this
concert, on the night of 17 June 1942, that Pryor suffered a
fatal
stroke. While he did not serve in the military himself,
there was
always a strong patriotic emphasis in his concerts, and it
is
appropriate that this was his final composition.
Unfortunately the
music is not available.
Trombone Solos
Air Varie
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, Copyright 1895.
Chicago, Chart, copyright 5 November 1945, arr. Jaroslav
Cimera. DLC
EP5999 (The solo was renewed in 1974 by Arthur P. Schmidt,
who
was later bought out by Summy-Birchard Company.)
137
, 1 1 t Th
30 8 24 8
4/4 I C 3/4 Bolero 4/4 Th int
bb: Bb:
VI V2 V3 CODA
*24 81 ^4 1 24^ r4 T1 *
VI int V2 3/4 1-2 V3 int-2 C CD
M,Air Varie,' I understand, is the most difficult trombone
solo
ever composed, and that the great soloist, Arthur Pryor
himself, made
many tries at Camden, New Jersey, in the old days to record
it
satisfactorily, but never released any of his attempts." One
may
question whether it is the most difficult trombone solo ever
written,
but it certainly is one of Pryor's most difficult solos.
According
to Glenn Bridges, the reason Pryor never released a
recording had
nothing to do with his ability to play it, but had 'to do
with where
to make cuts in the piece to fit the time permitted by the
early
recordings. A much later recording of "Air Varie" by
Jaroslav
("Jerry") Cimera became popular when it was released, and
"if Jerry
Cimera could play it on a record, why couldn't Pryor do it,
who could
play rings around Cimera, and Jerry himself.told me this. It
had to
be cut too much; it is as simple as that." According to the
Sousa
Band Scrapbooks, Pryor was playing this solo as early as
1893, late
in the fall.
The composition is of the theme and variations type. The
introduction combines an expressive melody with short,
cadenza-like
flourishes, concluding with a lengthy cadenza of, among
other things,
several diminished seventh chord arpeggios on an ascending
chromatic
line. The introduction is exactly the same as that for
Pryor's
"Fantastic Polka;" it is not known for certain which solo
was written
first. From various sources it appears as though "Air Vane"
was
written first, but later Pryor would perform "Fantastic
Polka" more
often; he apparently was fond of this introduction so he
included it
with the latter composition- When "Fantastic Polka" was
finally
published in 1939 (although Pryor had first recorded it in
1910),
"Air Varie" had perhaps been out of print for a time, so
Pryor
"officially" included the introduction with "Fantastic
Polka."
The theme and each variation are in a three part, ABA, form
with
eight measures in each phrase. The middle phrase is in the
dominant
tonality. The first piano interlude is a Spanish Bolero,
while the
12B. H. Walker, "I Teach the
April 1952, p. 27.
^Glean D. Bridges, personal
14 Williams, jacket notes for
Solo Brass," The School Musician,
letter, 23 May 1981.
Trombone Solos--Arthur Pryor.
138
next two are the first phrase of the theme. As is true of
the other
solos of this type, the first variation consists of
triplets, and the
second of sixteenth notes. Here the third variation is in a
different meter and features slow pedal tones alternating
with fast
arpeggios. The coda consists mainly of a long cadenza with
fast
arpeggio lip slurs through six positions of the instrument.
If one
possesses the skill and endurance to perform "Air Varie," it
is well
worth the effort. (These comments are based on the Cimera
arrangement; the original Pepper edition has not been
iocated.)
Annie Laurie
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1895.
Cleveland: Ludwig, copyright 19 March 1958, arr. Glenn P.
Smith. DLC
EP117127
Th VI V2 *
28 rT6 T""7 fl6 8^ IS 8 1
4/4 I C Th int VI int V2 int-2
Eb: c:
V3 CODA
W r8 32 8 1
3/4 V3 2/4 1-2 Dixie Y.D.
Bb:
The old Scottish tune "Annie Laurie" is used as the theme
for a
set of variations. The most unusual aspect of this popular
composition is the third variation, which is a melodic
variation of
the theme in the minor mode, in slow tempo and in a
different meter.
The coda section includes "Dixie" (the entire song with no
variations), and as the trombone sustains the last note the
piano
plays a phrase from "Yankee Doodle."
The chief differences in the Smith arrangement are that the
unusual third variation is located between Pryor's first and
second
variations, and that there are no extra tunes added at the
end. The
piece ends with the sixteenth-note variation, with only a
short,
cadenza-like scale run at the final cadence giving a sense
of
finality to the entire composition.
Blue Bells of Scotland
London: Chappell, copyright in U.S.A. by Arthur Pryor
2KApril 1904.
DLC C69288 (Later assigned to and published by Carl
Fischer.)
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 29 June 1944, trombone solo
with band
accompaniment, arr. E. M. Pearson. DLC E124024
I Tb VI V2
r23 T"1 16 T"1 f24 Ti, 7 1
4 / 4 I C 1 - 2 Th i n t VI int V2 i n t - 2 C
F:
139
V3 int-3 final
chords
This most popular of Pryor's trombone solos, called t!a
tour-deforce
of the^ate nineteenth and early twentieth century trombone
solo style," is another set of variations on a Scqttish
melody.
The introduction begins with the first phrase of the theme
alternating with short cadenzas. This is followed by an
original
melody entirely given to the solo. A long cadenza concludes
the
introduction. Fast slurred octaves are a feature of the
second
variation, and the final variation is to be played faster
(marked
t "vivace") than the others (marked "allegro"). The 2-
measure
interlude, leading into the final chords of the piece, is
taken from
the theme. Countless young and aspiring trombonists have
tried their
skills on "Blue Bells," and it has remained a crowd pleasing
favorite
through the years since Pry or first performed it wi-th the
Sousa Band
in 1899.
Exposition Echoes Polka
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 1904.
Philadelphia: J . W. Pepper, copyright 1902, cornet/trombone
solo with
band accompaniment, a r r . Mackie-Beyer.
• PQ^A TRIO
4 16 16 4 1 6 * 16 16 TP
2/4 I P ( i n t ) I P 1-2 (T) CD
Ab: Eb: Ab: Db:
CODA
4 1 6 12 1
1 P CD C
Ab:
This is Pryor's only solo where the trombone begins with the
piano in the introduction, and the introduction does not end
with a
cadenza. Written in a modified Polka caprice form, this
composition
ends with a "coda" section which, with its polka strain, is
really a
shortened version of the opening polka section. The codetta
is
marked "vivace," and consists of repeated melodic turns
similar to
those which open the piece. In a light style throughout, the
composition reflects the spirit of a polka quite well.^ This
is the
only Pryor solo that has not been available in recent years.
15Vern Kagarice et al., p. 27
140
F a n t a s t i c Polka
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 20 July 1939. DLC EP78681
POLKA
32
4/4 I C
bb:
8
2/4 1-2 C
Bb:
16 8 16
P iat P
F: Bb:
TRIO POLKA
Eb:
4 161 *8 2? 20
1-3 (T) 1-4 P COLA C
Bb:
As stated earlier, the introduction here is exactly the same
as
that for "Air Varie." The light polka melody (first strain)
includes
several ascending melodic skips. The half and full cadence
points of
the trio have some three octave skips. The final polka
strain closes
with an extended cadence which includes some echoing of
phrases
between the solo and piano. The coda, marked "presto," calls
for
arpeggios and lip slurs. A short piano interlude leads to a
final,
short cadenza which is an ascending dominant seventh chord.
It is
interesting that the same introduction can serve so well for
compositions of completely different types.
La P e t it e Suzanne
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 25 February 1937. DLC EP61203
"Although this solo has not received Che accord that some of
his
other works have received, its technical Remands and melodic
beauty
exemplifies the best of Pryor's output." Written in valse
caprice
form, this solo makes more use of sensitive expression than
technical
skills. The entire introduction including the cadenza is on
the
dominant seventh chord} the tonic chord does not appear
until the
downbeat of the first strain. Each of the five phrases of
strain one
begin with downbeats in the piano, with the trombone
entering on the
second beat. There is an added phrase in the second strain
as well.
The trio is distinguished by wide descending intervals in
the melody
line, and the coda is marked as not to be played any faster
than the
previous strains, which is somewhat unusual. The final
cadenza is
quite lengthy and consists almost entirely of arpeggios on
the
TRIO
8
3/4 I C
Db:
40 40 8 4? Z
1 2 I 1 1-2
Ab: Db: Gb:
32' 8 40 ' 23
(T) I 1 CODA C
Db:
16 Vern Kagarice et al., p. 10.
141
dominant seventh chord. Overall this solo has some very
smooth
melodies, and except for a few breaks and fermatas it flows
along
continuously in rich legato lines. It has more musical
substance
than some of Pryor's more well-known solos.
The L it t l e Chief
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 12 July 1916. DLC E3891&
POLKA TRIO
30 **12 16 12 TP r4 20 TP
4/4 I C 2/4 1-2 P i n t P 1-3 (T) CD
Ab: Db: Ab: Db: Gb:
POLKA
1-4
^ 20*?
Db:
The introduction of this polka caprice is rather long and
complicated, moving smoothly through the tonalities of C-
flat, Eflat,
and F before resolving to D flat after a short cadenza. The
trio has an extended second phrase; no further phrase is
repeated or
added on. The codetta to the trio is in effect like an extra
strain
added on to the trio. The final polka has an extended
cadence
consisting of fast ascending arpeggios over an A-flat pedal
point. A
short cadenza precedes the final tonic chords. Unlike the
other
solos of this type, there is no coda, but only the extended
final
cadence. Many fast notes throughout make this a rather
spirited
polka.
Love's Enchantment
London: Chappell, copyright in U.S.A. by Arthur Pryor 16
October
1903. DLC C56768 (Later assigned to and published by Carl
Fischer.)
London: Chappell, copyright in U.S.A. by Arthur Pryor 24
November
1903—piano solo. DLC C59395
London: Chappell, copyright 13 November I903--orchestra. DLC
C5S707
Arlington, Virginia: Harold Brasch, copyright 1970--trombone
solo
with band accompaniment, arr. Harold T. Brasch.
1 2 ^
8/7 1 2 32 321 r4 32 16 ST
I C 3/4 1 2 ] 1-2 (3) (4) 3
F: Bb:
142
pr
1-3
Eb:
3
•37—521 15
5 6 1-4
N
CODA
<32 32
C 1 IB
F:
This composition is of the valse de concert type, the most
formally complicated of the four types. The first half of
the
opening introduction is a slow march in 4/4 time; it begins
with a
short fanfare. The second half is in 3/4 time. The trombone
cadenza
begins with an octave leap on the dominant note followed by
a
dramatic descend on the dominant seventh chord. The first
strain has
an abrupt break after the opening motive of each of the four
phrases;
this is an effect Pryor was fond of, and he makes deliberate
use of
it in recordings. There are a few harmonic glissandos at
cadence
points in the solo. After some key changes the introduction
to the
coda section modulates back to the original key of F. The
final
appearance of strain one has the melody'in the piano^with
the
trombone playing arpeggios and scale runs. This strain is
omitted in
the piano solo arrangement of the composition, which begins
in the
key of D. Overall, the composition is a charming and light
walt2,
providing a pleasing balance of musical interest and
technical
"gymnastics." Interestingly, the original (1903) solo
trombone part
is entirely in the tenor clef; this is the only time that
this clef
appears in all of Pryor's solos.
The Patriot
London: Chappell, copyright in U.S.A. by Arthur Pryor 1
April 1904
DLC C67972 (Later assigned to and published by Carl
Fischer.)
POLKA
23 r 4 \Z l5 3 TP
4/4 I C 2 / 4 1-2 <P) i n t 1-2 P
Bb: Fr Bb:
TRIO POLKA
*4 16 5-p r% - j p 16
1-3 (T) CD 1-2 P CODA C
Eb: Bb: America
The introduction to this polka caprice uses phrases from
"The
Star Spangled Banner." The trombone entrance is a fast two
octave
ascending arpeggio on the B-flat triad following the first
phrase of
the national anthem. A series of ascending octave slurs is
the main
feature of the cadenza. The second time the trio strain is
played
the piano accompaniment has a countermelody. In the coda the
trombone has an ornamented version of ''America," followed
by a fast
phrase of "Yankee Doodle-" A short arpeggio on the dominant
seventh
chord by the soloist leads to the final tonic chord. A
recurring
143
melodic interval in the polka and trio strains is an
ascending third.
Since this is the case, there is less melodic distinction
between
these strains than is usually the case. While it may be true
that
"this solo exhibits considerably more technical display than
tunefulness and substance," it is still fun to play and no
doubt
aroused some patriotic fervor.
*
Starlight
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 20 July 1939. DLC EP78680
TRIO
16 J16 16 1? *4 32 321 15 ^3 '
3/4 I C 1 2 1 1-2 T-l T-2 I C IB ext
F: C: F: Bb: F:
This waltz caprice is perhaps Pryor's easiest"solo to
perform,
yet it is not lacking in bravura style. Its range is only
two
octaves, or an octave and a half if one alters the opening
cadenza
slightly. As is most typical of the waltzes, it is light and
tuneful
overall. The first strain features several quick, wide
intervals
that call for a nimble, flexible style in performance. While
the
melodies are tuneful, they are not as smooth as those found
in the
other waltzes. The introduction to the final section (piano
alone)
is the same as the opening introduction, an unusual feature
of this
solo. The cadence of the final strain is extended, and leads
into a
short, ascending dominant chord arpeggio before the fin'al
tonic
resolution- The piano plays a phrase from the first strain
as the
soloist sustains a high F. This solo is important in the
repertory
because it provides authentic "Pryorian" bravura for young
players,
and may even inspire more practice to conquer his other
solos.
The Supervisor
N.Y.; Carl Fischer, copyright 20 July 1939. DLC EP78679
I Th VI
* 4 2 8 1 rl6 iT1 r24 8 1
4/4 I 1-2 C Th int VI i n t - 2
Bb:
V2
r24 17 1 26
V2 i n t - 3 2/4 Finale
^Vern Kagarice et a l . , p. 16.
144
This theme and variations solo is perhaps the easiest of its
type, but it still guarantees a workout for the performer.
It is
unusual in that the second variation'consists of triplets,
and the
first consists of eighth and sixteenth-note rhythms. Pryor
creates
variations here that are related to the theme in a very
geQeral way;
the subtle relationships are interesting.
The introduction is in the tonality of D-flat for a short
time.
Rhythmic motives for the introduction are also those of the
first
variation. Part of the final interlude is in the relative
minor
mode; there are two short caden2a arpeggios withia this
interlude.
The "finale," which functions as a coda, has no cadenza.
"The
Supervisor" is another fine Pryor trombone showpiece.
Thoughts of Love (Love Thoughts)
London: Chappell, copyright in U.S.A. by Arthur Pryor 1
April 1904.
DLC C67973 (Later assigned to and published by Carl
Fischer.)
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 8 May 1899--band. DLC
31036
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 31 January 1898--piano
solo. DLC
10469 (?)
St. Joseph: Chas. Brokaw, copyright 1898—orchestra.
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 30 December 1939—
cornet/baritone/trombone solo with band accompaniment, arr.
Roberts. DLC E82598
Chicago: Rubank, copyright 11 June 1954, trombone solo with
band
accompaniment, arr. C. Johnson. DLC EP81246
Chicago: Rubank, copyright 1965, trombone solo with piano
accompaniment, arr. C. Johnson, included in Concert and
Contest
Collection compiled and edited by Himie Voxman. (This is the
same as the 1954 band arrangement, and is a shortened and
simplified arrangement of Pryor's original.)
, 1 , 2
16 '32 32 16 TP *"4 32—TZ 3?
3/4 I C 1 1 i n t IB 1-2 3 (4) 3
Bb; F: Bb: Eb:
3 CODA
^ 16 TP f15 32 321
1-3 (5) (6) 1-4 C 1 CD
Ab: M Bb;
Next to "Blue Bells of Scotland," this is probably Pryor's
most
popular solo. The reader will recall that it "officially"
launched
his solo career with the Sousa Band at the Columbian
Exhibition in
Chicago in 1893. The introduction of this valse de concert
begins
with a unison fanfare on the dominant note F. Each phrase of
the
first strain builds to a wide upward leap before resolving.
The
repeat of the strain features a countermelody in the piano.
The
third section (the fifth and sixth strains) call for some
145
particularly fast passage work on the trombone. In the sixth
strain
the melody is in the piano. The introduction in the coda
section is
a modulation back to the F dominant seventh chord, on which
the
following cadenza is based. The cadenza includes a
descending run of
over two octaves. The codetta features fast ascending
arpeggios of
diminished and major chords over a two-octave range. Under
the
triumphant final high B-flat in the solo part, the piano
plays a
phrase from the first strain. This solo has a particularly
dramatic
conclusion, and one can well imagine the enthusiasm of that
crowd of
long ago. Crowds since then have reacted no differently. The
band
arrangement keys are the same as the trombone solo, but the
piano
solo keys are a half step lower. In both, the melody of the
fifth
strain is different than that in the trombone solo, and the
sixth
strain is omitted entirely.
The Tip Topper -
N.Y.: Carl Fischer, copyright 25 February 1937. DLC EP61204
POLKA [
24 "18 16 16 4 I P v
4/4 I C 2/4 1-2 P int 1-3 P
Eb: Bb; Eb:
TRIO POLKA
1 T61 rZ TP 34
1-4 (T) 1-3 P CODA
Ab: Eb:
Although this solo is subtitled "Introduction and Polka/' it
is
of the polka caprice type. The lengthy introduction of a
"heroic"
nature ac'Cually begins in the relative minor mode. A brief
cadence
in the tonality of G-flat appears before moving to the
opening
cadenza. There is then an unusual separate and lengthy
introduction
to the polka strain itself for the piano alone. The polka
strain is
full of tempo rubato markings; the following interlude, with
the
melody shared between piano and trombone, is in a more
steady tempo.
On the repeat of the trio the melody is in the piano» with
the
trombone providing a countermelody often echoing the melodic
motives.
The coda is characterized by a series of melodic turns and
is marked
"presto." Once again, a final cadenza (made up of ascending
and
descending diminished and major triads on B-flat) resolves
into the
last chord of the composition. If a cadenza is supposed to
dramatically heighten the sense of harmonic
resolution^Vryot' s
cadenzas certainly achieve their purpose in his solos.
146
Collections
Arthur Pryor's Collection of Trombone Solos
Philadelphia; J. W. Pepper, copyright 17 September 1910. DLC
C162106
This collection consists of Pryor compositions other than
his
standard trombone solos simply arranged for trombone solo
and piano.
For example, the tune of "Liberty Hall" march is ta^en and
arranged
for trombone solo and piano accompaniment. Hone of these
selections
are similar to Pryor's standard solos for the trombone.
Contents:
Burlington fetch
Country CluB"Waltz
Crescent Club March
The King Schottische
Liberty Hall March
Little Nell Song and Dance Schottische
Masurka Patriotic
Post Dispatch March
Serenade
Sweetheart Waltz
"The King Schottische" is "The March King" march with some
dotted
rhythms that do not appear in the original. No doubt it was
to be
played at a slower tempo. The origins of "Serenade" and
"Mazurka
Patriotic" are not known. It is possible that these pieces
appear
only here; it is more likely that these pieces find their
origins in
some of the possible titles discussed in the next section.
"Serenade" is in an ABA form: a lyrical melody with a lively
waltz
strain in the middle. A short introduction and coda surround
the
ABA section. T,Ma2urka Patriotic" features triplets and
dotted
rhythms in a 3/4 meter throughout. After a short
introduction, the
first half is in ternary (ABA) form, and the second half is
in binary
form, with all strains repeated. The second half is called
the
"trio," and adds a flat to the key. The piece contains no
patriotic
songs.
The Sousa-Prvor Band Book
Philadelphia: J. W. Pepper, copyright 18 May 1930. DLC
A265186
This march size band book brought together some of the
popular
compositions of these two famous bandsmen. No doubt this
collection
was an important part of a band's library back in those
days. The
contents are as follows:
An African Beauty March
Bonnie Annie Laurie March
Burlington March
Pryor
Sousa
Pryor
147
Crescent Club March
Esprit du Corps March
Globe and Eagle March
Guide Right March
Kansas Two-Step
Liberty Hall March
Little Nell Schottische
March King March
Mother Goose March
Post Dispatch March
Pet of the Petticoats March
Resuioption March
Right Forward March
Right Left March
Southern Blossoms March
Sweetheart March
The Triton March
Transit of Venus March
Trocadero March
Vanity Fair March
Wolverine March *
Possible/Spurious Compositions
All for You
This composition appeared on a Pryor Band concert presented
at
Willow Grove Park, 25 June 1915. Pryor played it as a solo.
American Fantasy
This composition appeared on a Sousa Band concert on 14
October
1898. The program is preserved in the Sousa Scrapbooks of
the
U.S. Marine Band.
At the Court of Jack the Giant Killer
This composition appeared on a Pryor Band concert presented
at
Willow Grove Park, 9 June 1915. Pryor played it as a solo.
Pryor
Sousa
Sousa
Sousa
Pryor
Pryor
Pryor
Sousa
*Sousa
Pryor
Sousa
Sousa
Sousa
Sousa
Pryor
Pryor
Sousa
Sousa
Pryor
Pryor
Sousa
148
Back Among the Hills I Love So Well
This composition was recorded by Pryor for the Berliner
Gramophone Company. He is given credit as the composer.
The Bandmaster March and Two-Step
Mixed in with advertisements for other compositions on the
back
of a Brokaw publication is an advertisement for this march
with
Pryor given as the composer. A copyright catalog card was
then
located with this title published by Chas. Brokaw of St.
Joseph,
DLC 28324, 24 April 1899, with the composer given as Milton
Willard. Since Willard is Pryor1s middle name, I suspected
that
this was a pseudonym for Pryor. Then I was informed that
according to Arthur Pryor Jr., Arthur Pryor Sr.^did indeed
use
this pseudonym to avoid a contractual dispute. SB I conclude
that "The Bandmaster" was written by Pryor; unfortunately
the
music has not been located in order to confirm this through
style
analysis. Charles Welty is credited as being the arranger,
and
the Sousa Band reggrded it under Herbert L. Clarke's
direction on
20 December 1904. The composer listed on the recording is
Willard.
Cherry Blossoms: A Japanese One-Step
This band composition credited to Pryor was recorded by
Pryor's
Band on the Victor label on 22 April 1904. The second strain
of this march-like composition is exactly the same as that
of
Pryor's "Blood Lilies: A Japanese Two-Step" which was
copyrighted in 1905. The title may have come from an offer
the
Japanese made about this time of cherry trees for our
nation's
capital. Perhaps "Cherry Blossoms" did not sell very well
[it
was reportedly published in 1904), so Pryor wrote a new
composition around the second strain. The title of the new
piece
refers to the Japanese lily which is white spotted with red;
it
may allude to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. According
to
the recording, "Cherry Blossoms" is in Pryor's compositional
style.
18 Williams, j a c k e t notes f o r Trombone Soios--Arthirg
Pryor.
19 William Pruyn, personal l e t t e r , 21 March 1984,
^James R. Smart, The Sousa Band; A Discography (Washington:
Library of Congress, 1970), p. 32.
^ W i l l i am Pruyn, personal l e t t e r , 8 April 1984.
149
Dance of the Honeybells
This title is listed only in Berger's Band Encyclopedia.2 2
No
other information is available.
E s p i r it o d'Corps *
This is a composition Pryor performed as a solo in a concert
of
the Sousa Band on 17 June 1893. Sousa wrote a march with a
similar title, included in the Sousa-Pryor Band Book.
Forever Intermezzo
This is a tromtjgne solo recorded by Pryor in April 1901 and
December 1902. Listening to the recording I would say that
it
is like a song and not at all like the virtuoso solos that
he is
known for. According to old programs, Pryor did perform a
solo
"Forever" by Lorenz; couPtf^the record labels credit the
composer
incorrectly? —'
Hohenfreidberger March
This march was reportedly arranged by Pryor2 4 but it was
written
„by perhaps either D. Ertl or Friederich der Grosse. In the
New
Grove Dictionary this composition is listed as "doubtful" by
Frederick the Great, King of Prussia (1712-1786). 3 It is
not
included in his complete works.
^S(enneth W. Berger, Band Encyclopedia (Evansville. Indiana;
Band Associates, 1960), p. 159.
23 Williams, j a c k e t notes f o r Arthur Pryor--Trombone
Solos,
and Smart, p. 42.
24 William Pruyn, personal l e t t e r , 8 April 1984. Pruyn
a l s o
noted that a 1906 Victor recording log l i s t s F r i e d e
r i c h der Grosse as
composer of this march "and t w o - s t e p . "
^ the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, s . v .
"Frederick I I , " by Eugene Helm.
150
Lasses Trombone
While proof is lacking at present, in all probability this
is a
misspelling of the popular trombone smear composition
"Lassus
Trombone," written in 1915 by Henry Fillmore. Fillmore wrote
several compositions of this type as part of a "family" of
smear
pieces for trombone; there is nothing in Pryor's output for
solo
trombone resembling this at all.
Little Marcia Marie Polka
There are records that this trombone solo was recorded on
three
occasions by Pryor: twice in 1895, and on 1 September 1897,
all
listing Pryor as composer. It is very probable, therefore,
that Pryor did compose this piece. We know that he wrote
several
polkas, and it may be that this is iix earlier title for
"The Tip
Topper" polka, which was not published until 1937. No
recordings
have been located.
Matinee Girl March
This title comg^ from two Sousa Band recordings, in April
1898
and June 1899. According to those who have heard these
recordings, this march is the same as "Arcade Girl" march.
Mazurka Patriot i c
This is the trombone solo that appears in the Pepper
collection
discussed previously.
Megaphone Bells March
According to Bill Pruyn,2 8 this march was written by Simone
Mantia, Pryor's euphonium soloist and assistant conductor.
Pruyn
believes the title to be "Megaphone Belles," and that it
refers
to cheerleaders.
26
Williams, jacket notes for Arthur Pryor--Trombone Solos,
and Smart, pp. 9, 11, 21.
27 Smart, p. 21.
2S William Pruyn, personal l e t t e r , 3 March 1984.
151
My Lady Sleeps
This title appears in two recordings of the 1906 Victor
catalog,
both credited to Pryor. It also appears in a Pryor Band
program
of 25 June 1915, and it was.recorded by Pryor with the
Victor
Orchestra on 4 March 1904. Glenn P. Smith suggests that the
title may have come from a Longfellow poem, "Stars of the
^jjmmer
Night;" the last phrase of each verse is "my latfy sleeps."
Woodbury set Longfellow's poem to music, and perhaps Pryor*s
solo
is an arrangement of this song.
Offenbach-iana March and Selection
This is no doubt an arrangement of tunes by the French
operetta
composer Jacques Offenbach. During an American tour
Offenbach's
"attention was called . . . to an arrangement of his most
famous
melodies by Coa^d called 1Offenbachiana;' this he played at
every concert." This information came from a young violinist
in his orchestra named John Philip Sousa. Pryor may have
transcribed this arrangement for band.
Parisian Melodies
This composition appears credited to Pryor on a recent
recording
for which I have written biographical notes. This recording
was
taken from.an original Pryor trombone solo recording made on
28
May 1901. Two recordings of "Parisian Melodies" are listed
for
this day, and on both Pryor is listed as "arranger," perhaps
in
the same sense that he is the "arranger" of "Blue Bells of
Scotland." "Parisian Melodies" is in the form of the valse
caprice type and uses the opening phrase of "Marseillaise1'
in the
introduction and coda, the only places that are in 4/4 time.
It
is in the typical virtuoso trombone solo style seen in
Pryor'$
other solos. It probably is composed by Pryor, but to be
consistent with the criteria concerning other titled, it
must be
placed in this category. No music or copyright information
has
been located.
29 Williams, jacket notes for Arthur Pryor*-Trombone Solos.
30 Glenn P. Smith, personal l e t t e r , 9 March 1984.
31 John Philip Sousa, Marching Along (Boston: Hale, Cushman
& Flint, 1941), p. 55.
32 Williams, jacket notes for Arthur Pryor—Trombone Solos.
152
Queen T it a n i a March
This title appears in Berger's.gand Encyclopedia^ and in an
Asbury Park newspaper article. There is some evidence from
the
article that it may have been connected with Asbury Park's
annual
baby parade, but it is not the same composition as "The Baby
Parade" according to Pruyn. *
Remember
This song appears on a Pryor Band program of 15 J u l y
1930. Pryor
i s c r e d it e d as the composer.
A Rustic Patrol
This title also appears on the Pryor Band program of 15 July
1930. It may be "The Baby Parade: A Two-Step Patrol."
Salute to the Stars and Stripes March
This is anoth^g title that only appears in Berger's Band
Encyclopedia, Because this is a band encyclopedia it is
unlikely that the author would confuse this march with
Sousa's
masterpiece- On the other hand, considering the substantial
dimensions of Pryor's other patriotic marches such as "The
Triumph of Old Glory," it is unlikely that this composition
would remain unpublished and unknown.
Serenade
This is another unknown title from Pepper's collection of
Pryor
trombone solos. It was discussed previously.
^Berger, p. 159.
34 Asbury Park Sunday Press, 18 February 1973.
^William Pruyn, personal letter, 21 March 1984. (In this and
other letters Pruyn gives as his sources several former
Pryor Band
members that he knew in years past.)
^Berger, p. 159.
153
The Signal Polka
la several sources, both old and new, it i s clear that this
solo
i s by E l l i s Brooke. it was published by Carl Fischer.
Sunset a t Hialeah *
This composition appears on a Pryor Band program of 19 July
1930.
This night be "After Sunset" retitled for the local audience
of
Miami of which Hialeah is a northern suburb.
Trombone Sneeze
This is no doubt Pryor's most well-known spurious
composition.
It appears to his credit on a recent recording. According to
the
music itself which was sent to me, the composer of this
"serio
comique" piece (as it is called) is Chris Sorensen, Jr., a
Boston
trombonist and member of Pryor*s Band. W. Paris Chambers is
the
arranger. The recent recordi^ was taken from a 1902 Sousa
Band
recording conducted by Pryor. Apparently no other name
appears
on the original record label, so the composer was assumed to
be
Pryor. In doing research at the Library of Congress I came
across this title by Sorensen (published by Carl Fischer,
copyrighted 23 June 1908, DLC 183989) and later learned that
Sorensen was a member of Pryor's Band. It shows that
composers
can be erroneously credited on record labels.
Trombonium
This trombone smear composition was written by "Buell F.
Withrow," but he is unknown apart from this composition.
Given
credit for arranging this piece for band is "Ribe Danmark,"
a
known pseudonym for J. Bodewalt Lampe who was a well-known
"house
arranger" for the Remick publishing firm. ,TThe trio of
'Tromboniura' bears a suspiciously marked resemblance to the
verse
of Lampe's own 'Creole Belles.' Another Lampe composition,
'Georgia Sunset Cake-Walk,1 recorded in 1908 ^ Arthur
Pryor's
band, also sounds much like 'Creole Belles.'" All this, plus
the fact that there is no convincing evidence that Pryor
wrote
Smart, p. 76.
op
Schafer and Riedel, p. 115
154
any trombone smear solos, leads me to conclude that Lampe
wrote
it and not Pryor. The Pryor Band may have performed it , and
this
started the rumor.
The Jingaboo
On the Evening of A Wedding Day
Uncle Tom's Cabin
In spite of frequent, recent accounts of these three comic
operas
from Pryor's pen, no music, copyright information, or
contemporary accounts in any source has been located to
suggest
their existence. However, PryorTs granddaughter recently
wrote
with this information: "Yes, he wrote the operettas but 1
don't
know where or how. I think it was in connection with the
Montgomery Theater in St. Joseph, Missouri." One would
assume
therefore that these were early works, perhaps'-datiag from
his
assocation with the Stanley Opera Company, and that the
music has
been lost.
The Village Belle
Described as a song and dance schottische, this title
appears on
a Brokaw advertisement as being composed by Milton Willard.
From
the information given previously under "The Bandmaster
March",
one may conclude that Pryor wrote this composition also.
39 MaryRuth Pryor Scala, personal l e t t e r , 21 April
1984.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Apel, Willi- Harvard Dictionary of Music. 2nd ed. Cambridge,
Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1969.
v
Apel, Paul H. Music of the Americas North and South. New
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Vantage Press , 1958. *
*
Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Edited by
Nicolas
Slonimsky. 6th ed. New York: G. -Schirmer, 1978.
Berger, Kenneth W. Band Encyclopedia, Evansville, Indiana:
Band
Associates, 1960.
Bierlev* Paul E. John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon.
Englewood
Cliffs, N.J.r Prentice-Hall, 1973. *
. Hallelujah Trombone 1 The Story of Henry Fillmore.
Columbus: Integrity Press, 1982.
. The Music of Henry Fillmore and Will Huff. Columbus:
Integrity Press, 1982.
. The Works of John Philip Sousa. Columbus: Integrity Press,
1984. (Revision and reprinting of John Philip Sousa: A
Descriptive Catalog of His Works. Urbana: University of
Illinois
Press, 19730
Blesh, Rudi. They All Played Ragtime. New York: Oak, 1966.
Bridges, Glenn D. Pioneers in Brass. 3rd ed. Detroit:
Sherwood
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Bryant, Carolyn. And the Band Played On. Washington D.C.:
Smithsonian Institution Press, 1975.
Catalog of Victor Records. Camden, N.J.: Victor Talking
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various years.
Carse, Adam. Musical Wind Instruments. London: Macmillan,
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New York: Da Capo Press, 1965.
Clarke, Herbert L. How i Became a Cornetist. Kenosha,
Wisconsin: C.
Leblanc Corp., n.d.
Claghorn, Charles E. Biographical Dictionary of American
Musicians.
West Nyack, N.Y.: Parker Publishing Co., 1973.
Dictionary of American Biography, suppl. 2 (1958), s.v.
"Pryor,
Arthur," by Paul E. Bierley.
155
156
Fennell, Frederick. Time and the Winds. Kenosha, Wisconsin;
G.
Leblanc Corp., 1954.
Foster, Robert E. Multiple-Option Marching Band Techniques,
2nd ed.
Port Washington, N.Y.: Alfred Publishing Co., 1978. (Chapter
I:
"A Short History of the Marching Band.")
Goldman, Richard Fraako, The Concert Band. Nev York:
Rinehart. 1945.
*
. The Wind Band: Its Literature and Technique. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 1961.
Kagarice, Vern, Leon Brown, Karl Hinterbichler, Milton
Stevens,
Robert Tennyson, and Irvin Wagner. Solos for the Student
Trombonist. Nashville: The Brass Press, 1979.
Lake, ttayhew. Great Guys. Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan:
Bovaco
Press, 1983.
St. Joseph Biographical Dictionary. St. Joseph, Missouri,
1881.
Schafer, William J., and Johannes Riedel. The Art of
Ragtime. Baton
Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1973; reprint, New
York:
Da Capo Press, 1977.
Schwartz, H. W. Bands of America. Garden City, N.Y.:
Doubleday and
Co., 1957.
Smart, James R. The Sousa Band: A Discography, Washington
D.C.:
Library of Congress, 1970.
Smith, Norman, and Albert Stoutamire. Band Music Notes. 2nd
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San Diego: Neil A. Kjos, 1979.
Sousa, John Philip. Marching Along. 2nd ed. Boston: Hale,
Cushman,
and Flint, 1941.
Thompson, Ray. Willow Grove Park. Abington, Pennsylvania:
Cassidy
Printing, 1977.
White, William C. A History of Military Music in America.
New York:
Exposition Press, 1944.
Wright, A. G., and Stanley Newcomb. Bands of the World.
Evanston,
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Articles
Ames, J. Scott. "Arthur Pryor, a Little Biography." The
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157
"Arthur Pryor." Metrogome, June 1905, pp. 10-11.
"Arthur Pryor." Metrotome, October 1907, pp. 9-10.
"Arthur Pryor and His Band." Metronome, February 1905, p.
13.
"Arthur Pryor and His Band at Willow Grove Park." Metronome,
Julv
1906, p. 10. ~
"Arthur Pryor ' s Band," The Musical E n t e r p r i s e ,
November 1904, p. 1.
"Band Versus Band Room." J a c o b ' s Band Monthly, March
1916, pp. 59-
61.
"The Compositions of Arthur Pryor." Metronome, July 1910,
pp. 14-16.
"Growth of Arthur Pryor and His Band." Metronome, Mav 1909,
o. 10.
Johnston, Herbert N. "Musical Memories of Willow Grove." Old
York
Road Historical Society Bulletin 29 (1968): 16-38.
"Largest Theatre in the World." Jacob's Band Monthly,
November 1919,
p. 73.
Larkin, Curtis H. "Memories of Arthur Pryor and His Band."
The
School Musician, February 1943, pp. 8-9, 25; March 1943, ppT
14-
15, 32.
Large advertisement, Metronome, December 1905, p. 29.
"Pryor and His Band." The Focus, 28 November 1903, p. 1.
Pryor, Arthur. "How To Play a March." Musical Courier, 26
September
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Quayle, Holbert H. "Memories of Sousa and His Men." The
Instrumentalist, September 1954, pp. 33-35, 45-46;~October
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. "Some Reminiscences." Music Journal, March 1954, pp. 37,
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"Thousands Enjoy Pryor . " J a c o b ' s Band Monthly, March
1918, p. 64.
"Tour of Pryor ' s Band." The Musical E n t e r p r i s e ,
March 1905, p. I.
"The Trombone Hall of Fame." J a c o b ' s Band Monthly,
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Walker, B„, H. "I Teach Solo B r a s s . " The School
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15$
Williams, Frederick P. "Willow Grove Park Concerts."
Unpublished.
Wise, Arthur, and Mary-Margaret Eitzen. "Band March
Composers-Arthur
Pryor." The Instrumentalist, January 1971, p. 28.
Wolfinbarger, Steve. "The Solo Trombone Music of Arthur
Pryor."
International Trombone Association Journal 11, na. 1
(January
1983): 13-15; no. 2 (April 1983); 27-29; no. 3 (July 1983):
20-
25. (These articles are the publication of Wolfinbarger's
entire
Master of Music thesis.)
Recordings (Pryor works in parentheses)
American Sampler. Stuart Dempster, trombone, Victor
Steinhardt,
piano. Olympic 01y-104. ("The Supervisor," "Jhe Tip
Topper.")
Cornet Solos. Herbert L. Clarke, cornet, with the Sousa Band
and
the Victor Orchestra. Original recordings, 1904-1921.
Crystal Records S450t 1979.
Cousins. Gerald Schwarz, cornet, Ronald Barron, trombone,
Kenneth Cooper, piano. Nonesuch H-71341, 1977. ("Blue Bells
of Scotland," "Exposition Echoes Polka," Thoughts of Love.")
Dermis Smith, Trombone. Pandora PAN 2001. ("Blue Bells of
Scotland.")
Heritage of the March. Band of the Scots Guard, D. R. Beat,
conductor. Robert Hoe Records, vol. WV. ("Burlington
March," "Crescent Club March," "Heart of America March," "A
Kansas Two-Step," "Liberty Hall March," "That Flying Rag,"
"Triumph of Old Glory," "The Victor March.")
Heritage of the March. Memphis State University Band, Sidney
McKay, conductor. Robert Hoe Records, vol. YYY.
("Canhanibalmo Rag," "Captain Cupid," "The Gridiron March,"
"Mr. Black Man," "On Jersey Shore," "Razzazza Mazzazza,"
"The
Spirit of the Purple," "Trocadero March," "Vanity Fair
March.")
Heritage of the March. U.S. Coast Guard Band, Lewis Buckley,
conductor. Robert Hoe Records, vol. 39. ("Afifi March,"
"The Arcade Girl March," "Arms of America March," "Arthur
Pryor's American Legion March," "The March King Ma*rch,"
"Post
Dispatch March," "Soldiers of Fortune March," "The White
Rats
March," "Ye Boston Tea Party March.")
John Swallow, Trombone. Harriet Wingreen, piano. Golden
Crest RE 7015.
("Blue Bells of Scotland.")
159
Leonard Falcone! Baritone. Joseph Evans, piano- Golden Crest
RE
7016. ("Blue Bells of Scotland.")
The Pride of America-Golden Age of the American March. The
Goldman Band, Richard F. Goldman and Ainslee Cox,
conductors.
New World Records NW-266, 1976. ("On Jersey Shore March.")
*
Robert Isele, Trombone Solos. With U.S. Marine Band. Robert
Hoe
Records, PDB 117. ("Annie Laurie," "Blue Bells of Scotland,"
"Fantastic Polka," "Love's Enchantment," "Thoughts of
Love.")
Soloists of the Detroit Concert Band. William E. Lane,
trombone,
Detroit Concert Band, Leonard B. Smith,-conductor. ("Blue
Bells of Scotland.") 1
The Sousa and Pryor Bands. Original recordings, 1901-1926.
James R. Smart, commentary. New World Records <HW-282, 1976.
("The Patriot," Arthur Pryor, trombone, with the Sousa
Band.)
Too Much Mustard. Pryor's Band, Arthifr Pryor, conductor,
and *
others. London: Saydise Specialized Recordings Limited, SDL
221. ("Canhanibalmo Rag.")
c
A Tribute to Merle Evans. The New England Conservatory
Circus Band,
Merle Evans, conductor. Golden Crest Records, 1970. ("A Coon
Band Contest")
Trombone Solos--Arthur Pryor. With the Sousa Band, Pryor
Band
Pryor Orchestra, or piano. Original Recordings, 1897-1911.
Crystal Records SA51, 1983. ("Blue Bells of Scotland,"
"Little Nell," "Love Thoughts," "Love's Enchantment,"
"Parisian Melodies," "The Patriot," "Polka Fantastic.1')
Miscellaneous
St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, Missouri: newspaper a
r t i c l e s
concerning Arthur Pryor from S t . Joseph F r e e - P r e s
s , 1939-1975.
Long Branch Public Library, Long Branch, New Jersey :
newspaper
a r t i c l e s concerning Arthur Pryor from Asbury Park
Press., 1942-
1973.
Personal correspondence, 1981-84: ^
Bahr, Edward, Delta State University, Cleveland, MS,
Bierley, Paul E., Columbus, OH.
Bornemann, Charles, Orlando, FL.
Bridges, Glenn D., Fraser, Ml.
Brandon, Steve, Savannah, GA.
Bryan, P. R., Duke University, Durham, NC.
160
Burk, James, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
Byrne, MSgt. Frank, U.S. Marine Band, Washington DC.
Cox, Ainslee, Goldman Memorial Band, New York, NY.
Dillon, Steven, Edison, NJ.
Evans, Merle, Ringling Bros. Barnam and Baily Circus,
Sarasota, FL.
Falcone, Leonard, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI.
Ceiger, Loren D., Lancaster, NY. *
Graves, Alison, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MO.
Hawkins, Billy, Palomar College, San Marcos, CA.
House, Keith, Central Methodist College, Fayette, MO.
Isele, Robert, Hillcrest Heights, MD.
Johnston, Herbert, Abington, PA.
Kessler, MSgt. James, U.S. Army Band, Fort Mayer, VA.
Levine, MUC Gerald, U.S. Coast Guard Band, New London, CT.
Lillya, Clifford P., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Moses, Kenneth, University of Miami,- Coral Gables, FL.
Newsom, Jon, Library of Congress, Washington, OCT
Omeis, William, Youngstown, OH.
Perkins, Jim, Chatfield Brass Band, Chatfield, MN.
P f a f f , Fred, Maitland, FL.
Pruyn, William, Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus,
Sarasota, FL.
Rehrig, William, Baltimore, MD.
Sams, Lynn L., Napa, CA.
Scala, MaryRuth Pryor, San Jose, CA.
Scoles, Muriel, Long Branch Public Library, Long Branch, NJ.
Smart, James R., Library of Congress, Washington, DC..
Smith, Glenn P., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Smith, Leonard B., Detroit Concert Band, Detroit, MI.
tubiash, Pearl, American Bandmasters Association, College
Park,
MD.
Wiehe, Larry, Clemmons, NC.
Willaman, John, Byron, MN.
Williams, Frederick P., Philadelphia, PA.
Wolfinbarger, Steve, McNeese State University, Lake Charles,
LA.
Personal interviews, 1981:
Fennell, Frederick, Miami, FL.
Shiner, Matty, Duquesne University, Pittsburg, PA.
Spiros, Lucas, U.S. Marine Band, Washington DC.
Wiley, Russell, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
"N,
Record list from personal collection of Glenn D. Bridges.
161
Cooduclor
Solo lib Cornet*
1051
THE MARCH KING. THE LATEST TWO-STEP. ARTHUR PRYOR.
Swiss's BwJ.
TRIO
IW&ilO. >
t i Sols.
S£S=U>Hr£tfS£Z*
Km» T. KjUMvn £ Oo^ Uc-'
Solo p ' r ^ o t " ' A COON BAND CONTEST.
or Soprano Saxophone CAKEWALK. ARTHni TRYOR.
U±z*r,
TWO trsssr
=mJM
rr«r
Erall A*cher«Mftfi Bway,N V Cvpyrfghf fhfW by irlkut Pry
162
PRICE 7bf
pall Band*** Arms of America.
MARCH.
Solo Bb Cornet.
jjm'rtean
Star J'l.
1838.
Arthur Pry or.
a " fty
imffinBUSg
liur.s"27£r&srdi:f£c
SI a ass
U.S.cf*
Printed in the tl.S. A. QpyrfrM MVWU 6v Cart F % ^ g £ „ ^ b
^ £ , } r , t l , f l M y i m "
" T h © W l W l e r a n ^ S0/nr'AAP<'**ca
Solo orl8tB*»Cornet. ^ n Pan^yJ^p(ano ce^ot whutu. . A.
PRYOR.
M„«rtO ——"—T I ^ —
BendJt. M g o*-
^^sSstiSsTt
WbUtfeT •i ,«l CUT.
BSSCODA
hietie. PMMIL f / M
e^s> 4
Printed 1& the U.S.A. '••* . . .
. .. v » jntero atonal CopynjM Secured.
Co?rrf/rAf MCUVhy Ctrl FM<A<' New York
163
Solo Bt Cornet.
Mr. Black Man.
C«k* Walk.
JL
ARTHUR* PRYOR.
£
•15£2} .
n a « B r r ' * i i , a r i < m
Ba<« 8fcU.
• • I ' u > J I B B U I « I M
Copyrifktrf, MCMIV, by Sftepim, Rtmitk 4- Co. Detroil 4 Atie
Y" ri
Solo or 1st Bl Cornet
Q2281
40 and 8
March ARTHUR PRYOR
ft]4 3v»Ivft
TRIO 2
lir Sola
npen valves
DS<t! e
9 T 11
>8401-26(7*10) Copyright 1QW hy C * r l Pivhcr. fn< , N c u
Y»*k
inffrnrtficma/ Cof^isNr &cu*f>4 tn»tcii»r t *
164
soio or 1ST "in Lover'sLane"
C o r n e t . T o n e Poem.
Carl Flfchtr Edit (en
6 All? mod1.0
1037.
Full Band 76f ARTHtJH PRtfQR.
Bass. " " i Clar.
WW J IJijlJfefS
EBmmSff
Born.
Solo.
C2. Bar.
SL if-tfcf if_r
liSPP§|
CODA.
Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.
* • - i i p;fif- r-
TP rti. • * r
11989*8^ Copyright MCUVm,by Carl Fi*vher, Krw York
International Copyright Secured
165
, 'After Sunset" Full San J h.00
Solo or 1S.TB1> Cornet. Intermezzo.
Smttl/ Qrcfi-AiyG4ee.*t06 OrfiHcl oVfA.i Pa.atrti/ifl ARTHUR
FRY OH.
* Mo^l° —p rthfit FHUQKUA '»/>?» . MCM.60 JR e**•
994. m Alto A CI J
face el.
need.
Tempo I.
CUr. Bar. Bassoon.
h^h-BIri*1••• i " - l r-rl-rrf? Lr- - i p r i v 1* - &rJl v>
1 1 j i i i j j j *
Ob.Fl. m OTTVM? rit ofempn . ...
*rtd lib
O g f W i r i
4 1
" ' " ' ' i c . f f . W i 'T'll c»Py" fM ^ c r f d . •
Printed ic the U.S.A. feht MCMt'it by Curl FistKt'.tfm Y&rk.
166
POLKA-EXPOSITION ECHOES.
Solo for Trombone or Baritone.
*
Trombone.
\ r t h u r Pry or.
Intro. „ O fr*fif abcffif r-rff rffffrff t
/
Poltkk *.f t. ^ .
rrts.
r\ .
' US ^4 * ***
,r>
P fr* t .
Copyt>fk< MDCCCXCIV by J. W.P*ppt>
167
ff irmpn
it i 1 i s
/
s^rtrfr
Cad. 3^
Pnlfcn gxpfli.BrboM .'Tfomb.l
16S
CAPITAL
I ) H « M >
PHILADELPHIA
ItrVFUft
M l N M i
^ ' k *
*tJf + r + + + I ^ H K P r*
.<**•««»
I V I I A M ! • * • • > t<uu r * k « x A » : * p t o r i ' H
I M v<ji<
T it l e s | « ) M U C p O S l l 5 I«irrn< U it * * * *
0 * l r T n * i C w c « n r l f t t V H09M.
1 M ^ I H U V X • • < C * r * * I m x l « a«v>t
J ^ O a n S Ar»rwr1 U».Uc> & 3 I C S *«*TV».J<h
'o i * i u I M A I I I I I W Pircmci.Gutiiilm.
Tr*U«». A M ' i M * . H « r i > f i , P«JI»M»( Stilly ind A
f tm
fei C«IIIOI«A el fltnii, IK«KIW D<rW«n4b «UQuarin
ittd Alortgtgtt tar Sole.
»HJiA0Sb»M* eta<»*Kr »o» evA»4WT«tr«s w e a p o n
B« ?I«M tUUJi'l
\ \
THE LSND TITLE & TRUST Co. •• Sunday, June 6th, 1909 \
FFICIAL fO. J
RQ6RAMME
- Pryor
CONCERTS AFTERNOON<fc t V t H J N Q W
Pryor
^ it M V I ^»*C«vp
AND HIS Band
(WOMt *4WTt»
, 4 M C u f t lW
—J
169 »•
AMUSEMENT FEATURES
Willow Grove Park
DtfleeliAd
I*nneb Row Bead Theater
FhotCfr«ph Studio
Trort frf the World CoaJ Mine
Two C*rrwi«ti The Whip
Venice Cmiy Village
4 Scenic Railway Mlrror-Muc
Flytni Mtchfcrm Phonograph Parlor
Mountain Seen*: Railway
Skee Bill Radn* RoUer*Coa*ter
Miniature Electric Rillsvty
Cindy H>d Soft Drink Booths
C M bo
The Ufeslde Cafe
tarctM to fall * l r« »f tM L»i»
The Japanese Cafe
) N I \ M O M I U t V * l i W W
The Roatic Lunch
| K it M M M A m i H i . i
MUSICAL ATTRACTIONS FOR 1918
UUJt n u t ( A » W OICKBTU MVSMBIWM
tiTm HTH m n t in . •
ncroa nisnr w® o worm*
conu m re am . . . .
wrnai un w<>br—iTfi < • Mr»i»A«ira
«9UU A» IB
Monday, June 3,1918
FFIC1AL PO&PAHHE !9N.ctiitis5C
• <- - »
j .
^ • Pryor •
AFTUWQON AHt> £VEHWC
ARTHUR PRYOR'S
AMERICAN BAND
ARTHUR MtTOR
170
TROMBONE SOLO
WITH P I A N O ACCOMPANIMENT
3-sr —/
(TROMBONE SOLOIST OP SOUS AS QANO.J
NET P R I C E S . „d
TROMBONE SOLO WITH PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT2 6
SOLO PART 0.6
PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT 2.0
CHAPPELL&CP ITP
SO. NEW BOND STREET, LONDON. W
. c . «C5A-e*
MA* ae • t * f o a i > e a * m * 9 u t n • ©• wiecxsc
171
,-•*'/ -.
: V / / ^ \ ; . V / / A \ \ V / / ^ . \ V V / / A \ \ V / /
J ^ \ > V / / ^ . V ' ' , y / / A > \ V / / A \ \V
r itfn,u r j r r y o r s
B E S T C O N C E R T S O L O S
FOP^
l i b C O R N E r T
T R O M Q O N E
OP*
I b A I M T O N E
W it H
P I A N O
A C C O M P A N I M E N T
* r w T it T T Y . CHTCP
— P O L K A C A ? M d < -
0 L u e E>ei.L«s ° r 5 ^ O T L A N D
A T t S A H Q V A M A T I O N A
LOV<^'^ C M C H A N T M C - r it
V A L & C P C C O N < = . ^ I \ T
THC P A T R I O T
POL>*. A
T LOVC
V A L 4 C 8 C Q . y N Q f t . T v r
T H O U G H T S
ag-»&v^
ioo
LOO
1 . 0 0
1 0 0
1.00
C A R L F I S C H E R
S&fc&fcft NJE.W Y O R K SB0*>9» ftOVLSTOH »T 399-H9 M WABASH
AV6
B O S T O N • C H I C A G O
- - L- .» •
172
*
173
174
h 1 $ I
wm
tfciKTnl^Xannari' • * • '
'Dedicated to" c / "
J£S£P
Published by
P H I L A O C L ® H I A ,
AXQiocuST M R r r T s
CHICAGO.
147-149 WABASH AVENUG
175
THE LOVE KISS
WALTZ
PUBUSHED JU.SO TOR*
0 R . C H E 5 X R A
TOR PIANO 5 Q L O MU.ITK.TOT DAHD
ARTHUR PRYORP
u a t W K S D B v
C A R L H S C H E R - v
4«a AVE Cc e d ! f c £ ' t ^ l ' A , R - E , ^ E , * ' ^ O R
^ w '
176
r DON'T FAIL TO
" get a copy of
our Great CAKE WALK Hit
A COON BAND CONTEST.
by
ARTHUR PRYOR,
ASS'T CONDUCTOR OF
Sousa's Band.
Plnyed throughout Europe with phcnominal succe99 by JOHN
PHILIP SOUS A and Ms band.
* T
Head ivliut
Bandmaster
i *
1
Uie grc»nt
w ay a:
"My greatoftl encore'.' x
177
utmrn.—i imiiEiiiiiffl nm. % i».
ARTHUR W. PRYOR,
T M I i l i M f n » M l i MMll,
SOUSA'S PEERLESS CONCERT BAKO.
Arthur W. Hryur la lb« lr*J1i>c tramVut*
wlfllrt of lb« vntll. As a «PUJ«I be U «(>•
frjgstftl. |l« h » t&r rv» p i i ) l«
(be h1*1ml f n d * fnwn ih# ablnrf
«rli(oi and all i1* m»mt»r« • / tlit |x^rMl»n.
in* ultnt ami wwhlrrtVI FiMtijnn liave
a w l hl« pln/inr l»> >• ^ran"i#(*l rK^BJV
o*A*t TJi» •< * IUn»l «*Hft
*li»ni li» l« iu>W iiUvliijr, all micnl' hint lo
b>' »|h.»j»pru«Hk»b(y ft" «>*»*«"< "•• tlx
t r - n u j i r In Amrrl'm nr Kilfu*» Tlita l» •
cvan>l irtlMlv to 'IU«nVnifJ urti'i- rt f*ni«rk«
t<*s a*. •'•ins to Km Hifttfilf
f«l«4ln? In tlv- HuMint pfnfr^Uit, U
UK orll'l M » t (w wN^iInt niiiniKiiililM
iinl (RMII hu (-II™ n»u«lri»r» Mr
frynr< rifTMil'IIM« i >ri 11 uiil n ml h l> ttnilifiiF
of a in)
art lit* »J'- n» Bbitkcd * i th allin'Vio<)>
t-r onnel >•«) Int'lll^nl e»[i«*jnn ati<l
miitic foim^ Jte ]>).«>• «<t)u of Kir nw-4
lllljnilt *fc»Hn «4a «» tin- iR'mUiitp, ai»l
a»i«'«u*h t i c ir*'>+ nf Hi' •Urtlniliy <4
hi. MUI lUaliH r l ' M H ' A ka l*Krt
uculmti"! Mxl a|»|<m4ifnl l»» it '
pA^r^U"! than Iry llif s*nrni |«i»'tlf, li« I*
nlrem»l» pu|*jbr »ith hU all
nrvrilK Unit*.I «WI«*. lit* i«u*»»CU-i>l aoti»
•(ni)lnc )<JAI »|i(iUu*.
sir »• >r> in w i . afiO
It |*tnl;>f"ir \ run lVi»n«Uj >1<I
••riallrhe I' *A airmrtlr* r-nltvrru»-ln(«l>
IlKvnl. ••( ph^»lnf u*r»ei-«lllj a * ! • «*«1
rnnwmivnilM, (ml tia» ni«a* ««rm u d
ffo<v><-*»ri'[»ln nn«|.nrf»w»of
* * * « ' • fetid nuk« nn mrnH*! iM)» riwrlnr «l* U l
„r out m l r n t U t. Pry« erU • » b ( » m «
than <h« avrru* r r » H « »
.a ft*J IK« "t M*l> H», aiul *">n tnak*
rS!TrM i f ' llt*» M «1«f »M puw M If UfT
S j S l S - r - n 3 * a r t lh» III.to d.toVJn'*™#. " 0 «
H.<D« Till M«hio* ' *Uki,
k a Cfcmtl* «ow* »Uh61m, b« plaj»lnflAjr<*i*Tf%
Tti» ft»Uo»1o« .•m of Mr. Pry*?* vlll ten* U «bo* hh n m l o
* aNHiy U tt '»Un
ftoni hi* r™»CaDK "Air Vartf."
Aimolt w. P8TM.
W* adH* «hfl bar* the r^pwtun I I j lo go and h^ar hlia
llaiiil
anJ *lote». plains thU <MJ|b(fOl lr»« »1«WB rcmtti *1 a » m
niMij-r
M iA-1 ponlf tU r«>lal F>, »HkU li a bair i » - a i*w*i• Hi
wlikb la M*Xo th» InrtrumfM. (Kit ]« i»ttli lt» lip alen* Ha
Mr Pmr MN. ndvJt*1 •. a J. W, t V r c " Pwnlw—AltlB'a W*
Timber* BtRfi an t A K - ulo*!1y
Ufi « eltwUhaeilieWmwf bait •llb«iol aat itimwilty, Anrt h*
U -ell lh-1 »f itmulU'
tmnbm«"a voederand ' i W ih ilralrf' io all «*h#T«rak»^~ On
u lw |»w1an«*4nrtlilnK o w r «ir»<»i«»-J w*
MarleC aail U»%aed baal»>rt aT»* j#«WiHr"®«d». Is (MUI1®O,
ftwtitb*bulm M» i««e>4
M3c ^
i l l i nait* ~4 iba / W Prpprt Tiw'«i4»a
fsurUidufi^ballc«Un*' r. Pmu blih n» V. (o M*1 &
m
178
*
NOVELTY BULLETIN o r
BAND AND ORCHESTRA MUSIC
» U 1 U « H B D A N D F O R • A L E
CARL FISCHER « a - 6 i e o o p c n « q u M i
0>I0 P O U t t t H AVENUI
vcir. HI NOVEMBER, I * 0 3 .
NEW YORK
KO. IV.
^o.^urwa^c.Kenthi1 , ^ W his T L E R A N D his D O G
B>llc about Artlmr Pry or'* — •
There's plenty of rc»<AQ (or aeir joy. If ever
Inclined In lieveme A popular crare, ttien the "The
WHISTLER 1,c.ii!er3uho h
10 themselves
11 hold* them
cheering,
A W|]MIIȣ
Novell y in two-
«cp form msd
positively the
mn-t cxtraonltattiy number we have ever heard to
cntcli tliv pnWIe ecvr. Your whole tudtenee trill
tvliiwtl" it with yon. The nielody |» » catchy yoa
can't low it. *
TRY IT AND MAKE THE
HIT OF YOUR LIFE : : :
conception in ti novelty two-Ale p ever published,
es il. Everybody wanta il. It*4 the lill of l!W.r>.
t 10 Plrti, 6 0 1 4 Parta, OOc.t *•». 11.00; PUM
l PUao Aele, ReulJ, Me,
wo* a ?iovelt> composition
Whistler and I fin Dog" i« It.
.< neverheard iu-nnnol picture
awitiaku «itli an audience
nni start to 6ttl»li find leaves it
aod demanding it repeat*
til •Riio tntl uphill Recently t
l««l«f who U»AJ jt fot tb« first
Itcnr mnarbrO to see of Lbe
boyJ ' " Ifid yon evtr M I Iroosb
hook ©0 w neydilag tb« wy
the/ did 10 'THE
• m | W his T L E R ? "
U I C Not jpod Barf tit
n i « P«>»P«. bat It
tells lieUie."
NOW.
OTHER SUCCESSES BY ARTHUR PRYOR
Irish King March
Tie Vwcb Willi the Jriafc Soap.
'Blood Liliies Intermezzo
A qsila! BSH qurer, b«t *t<7 catchy JafitBfte
JntemetKs
La Spaniola Waltz
A beautiful, f*M<onu» Wclu.
'Bunker Hill flarch
Aims big fait.
Arkansas Huskin' Bee
CbUtrtwfrtlt, tfluAl, tetthy ^p«w
'On Jersey Shore March
Tfe« big ktdTtfc bit «t A»bQxj Pt*k,
Love Thoughts Waltz
A s4saifie«sv mtluJlOM H'alti
'The Gridiron flarch
Plot mpfj U.trcli. Great Ifuj.
' Ye Boston Tea Party
AM Donbl* Bomber for Orth.. urd Baod,
ITJ SrCu to««tbrr ««tb -IWrr? A•<*u f d t l *
'Southern Hospitality
Fta«. U good * M*rtb u lite beat.
PVICG5 OP ABOVBT" (0 P«n* Mc.1 14 Part*. OOc.: Fun, SI.OOi
Pbino J3c.
•AIM F«Wih*j fee *md. Prta* »0c.
isr B«B4 wiy. pric*, (ftc. fn Preparsthn r RQ7QZZQ IWtlVCh
179
4
Pryor ' S
P O P U L A R P I E C E S
RAZZAZZA • •
• « MAZZAZZA A Clmf TrombflR* SOMI«<
M l l K W it " * * 1 f a m U t t » U » a t 11 • l u l l * 7
X
W r w > • " n l M M n l j w t w M W M H I H i X • W W I I
B A B Y
P A R A D E A | * it r a l
TVtaml HW>n>V l U a a H W ' ^ f T v m
« t w « . [ i it i x n w i i K M ^ > i » « i n f « . • • • )
IRISH KING MARCH
I M n a w O I I W
M it ( M f i r f lw M w f U I W « » t » »«1 «<l H»
ON JERSEY SHORE MARCH
N r t M t , 1 1 ^ 1
m n B i * U t l w t* M * « l
> ! • • • * 4 v% > i » y < O M it e * v t o > • • i> v w i
LA SPANIOLA WALTZ •
& '—"•-* n « M ) ~ r - - n l i | « •/ a w n MM
BUNKER HILL MARCH
« * • «J M p i i f l M r 7 « m <
ARKANSAS HUSKIN' BEE
m WHISTLER
AND HIS DOG
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