[78-L] Titanic Songs

[Philip Carli]

Well, not only were the crew British, the ship was the pride of Britain's merchant marine at a time of enormous competition (TITANIC was exceeded as "world's largest ship" by the German HAPAG liner IMPERATOR in 1913, which itself was exceeded by the Cunarder AQUITANIA in 1914 and then bounced back to HAPAG's VATERLAND that same year before war broke out), and the majority of passengers were British or under British governance.  As for popular song memorialization at the time, perhaps this was too awe-inspiringly terrible.  Take a look at two poems written immediately after the disaster: Ben Hecht's bitter "Master and Man" (referring to White Star Chairman J. Bruce Ismay surviving while Capt. Edward Smith went down with the ship), and Thomas Hardy's sombre "The Convergence of the Twain".  Both were written for public display, Hecht's for printing in a Chicago newspaper, and Hardy's for reading at a London Titanic benefit performance.  They might give some sense of contemporary general popular feeling. PC
________________________________________
From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com [78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com] on behalf of Rodger Holtin [rjh334578 at yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, April 09, 2012 12:34 PM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] Titanic Songs

Hmmm.  so that's the story: one Hebrew prayer record issued in America and a handful of patriotic items from the British, and the rest waited until the Dalhart Era.  I can see why this may have resounded with the British a bit more than in America - the crew were British, we lost tourists and incoming immigrants.  Still seems a little odd that Tin Pan Alley didn't jump on this, they sure cranked out the maudlin in previous decades, and could have churned out something.

That said, I have noticed, however, that a bunch of Christian hymns with nautical themes got recorded or re-recorded about that time:
Let the Lower Lights be Burning
Throw Out the Life Line
Remember Me Oh Mighty One
There Is a Sea
Oh God Our Help in Ages Past
and others, not to mention Nearer My God to Thee which was supposed to have been played by the band as the ship went down, or so it was told at the time.  I think I even read that on a vintage news paper or somewhere like that.  I think I've heard that later research seems to inidicate it was another, similar tune and those who have read the books about the band members might have more information on that.  True, those are and have been evergreens for decades, but I see them show up on records from the 'teens pretty regularly.

I also note that Asleep in the Deep was recorded in 1913, so no direct Titanic items until the Dalhart Era, but lots of ancillary items in America anyway.

Rodger

For Best Results use Victor Needles.

.

--- On Mon, 4/9/12, Eric <bear128 at verizon.net> wrote:


From: Eric <bear128 at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [78-L] Titanic Songs
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Date: Monday, April 9, 2012, 4:18 AM


Hi,

I don't know if the following cantorial will help, but  Cantor Yossele
Rosenblat recorded the funeral prayer, "El Mole Rachmin für Titanik (Farn
Titanik)" in 1913 on Victor 35312-B.  It certainly does not fall under
bluegrass/country.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Knowlton
Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2012 9:53 PM
To: 78-L (2)
Subject: [78-L] Titanic Songs




Hey, Gang...help me with country/bluegrass recordings about theTitanic so I
can get some of 'em on my tribute show next weekend.

Thank yew!




#########################################################################

BILL KNOWLTON, "Bluegrass Ramble," Sundays: 9 pm to midnight (EST) over
WCNY-FM (91.3) Syracuse, WUNY (89.5) Utica, WJNY (90.9) Watertown NY, also:
www.wcny.org udmacon1 at hotmail.com  Since 1973! PO Box 2400, Syracuse NY
13220-2400. 315-457-6100

BLUEGRASS RAMBLE SEMI-ANNUAL FUNDRAISER..we took in over $3K. Thanks one and
all!!
_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l

_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l

________________________________

This email message and any attachments may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you are prohibited from using the information in any way, including but not limited to disclosure of, copying, forwarding or acting in reliance on the contents. If you have received this email by error, please immediately notify me by return email and delete it from your email system. Thank you.