Kate Vanderpoel Explained

Cornelia Townsend (born 11 August 1851)^[1] was an American song composer who published most of her music under the name Kate Vanderpoel.^{[2] [3]}

Biography

Townsend was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Horace Gilbert and Eliza Ann Thornton Townsend, one of nine children. Her siblings included her twin brother George who built the Kansas City, Clay County & St. Joseph Railway, and her brother Edward, a writer, journalist, and U.S. Congressman.^[4] She studied with Achille Errani in New York.^[5] In 1891 she moved to Chicago, Illinois and lived on Calumet Ave.^{[6] [7]} By 1912 she lived in Milwaukee (as did her sister Anna); several of her publications have ended up in Milwaukee Public Library's Historical Sheet Music Collection.^{[8] [9] [10]}

In 1896, the Republican National Committee sponsored the publication of 20,000 copies of three of Townsend's self-published songs: "Flag Song", "That Man from O-Hi-O" about President William McKinley, and "On To Victory".^{[11] [12] [13]}

Her music was published by S. Brainard Sons, Orpheus Publishing Company, Clayton F. Summy Company, and herself.^{[14] [15] [16]} She took a particular interest in the frontispiece design of her published music, going so far as to commission a cover for her Florimella Waltz from J. C. Lyndecker.^[17] Several of her songs were transcribed for organ, some made it into Clarence Eddy's repertoire. Several of her compositions were also transcribed and recorded for some of the earliest player pianos and organs for the Aeolian Company,^[18] Wilcox & White Company,^[19] and Melvin Clark Piano Company^[20]

Compositions

Her works include:

Opera

• Peronella^[21] (1893^[22]), libretto by Mrs. O. L. Fox^[23]
• The Colonel (1912), light opera in three acts

Vocal

• Book of Songs^{[24] [25]} published in 1911 by Orpheus which included:
  • Asleep, Adream, Awake (1898?), lyrics by Edmund Vance Cooke. Transcriptions for organ (made by Henry S. Sawyer) and solo piano (made by Nellie Bangs Skelton) were published in her lifetime.^{[26] [27]}
  • La Miniature (1898), lyrics by Ancella Fox, dedicated either to soprano Genevra Johnstone Bishop or Amelia Küssner.^[28] A transcription for organ was made by Albert F. McCarrell.
  • Darling, Darling (1904), lyrics by Katrina Trask, epigraph by Elizabeth K. Reynolds
  • Golden Poppies (1897), lyrics by Ancella Fox, dedicated to soprano Genevra Johnstone Bishop^[29]
  • When Apple Blossoms Give Their Fragrance Rare (1891), lyrics by Jane Thornton
  • Where Love Is (1894), lyrics by Cornelia Townsend (copyright originally held by Clayton F. Summy)^[30]
  • When Love Is Young (1911), lyrics by Elizabeth K. Reynolds
  • Eyes of Blue (1911), lyrics by Elizabeth K. Reynolds
  • Little Boy Blue (1911), lyrics by Eugene Field
  • Grandmother's Song (1911), lyrics by Edmund Vance Cooke
  • Mother's Picture (1911), lyrics by Joseph W. Humphries
• The following three songs commissioned by the 1896 Republican National Convention, where Ohioan William McKinley secured the nomination for president:
  • Flag Song, lyrics by John Swinton
  • That Man from O-Hi-O dedicated to William McKinley
  • On To Victory
• Carminella Waltz^[31]
• Chimmie Fadden of de Bow'ry,^[32] lyrics by her brother Edward Townsend.^[33] Henry S. Sawyer also made an arrangement of this song.^[34] Dan W. Quinn made an early 1896 phonograph recording of this song for Columbia.^[35]
• Cradle Song^{[36] [37]}
• Either
• Elinore^[38]
• Entrée de cortège.^[39] This work was also arranged for band by George D. Barnard,^[40] and transcribed for organ by Harrison M. Wild (transcription dedicated to Clarence Dickinson.^[41]
• Florimella Waltz^[42]
• Go Sleep, My Honey (1895) (words by Edward D. Barker)
• Major Max
• Memory^[43] (lyrics by Vanderpoel)
• My Dan (lyrics by Vanderpoel)
• Philomella Waltz (transcription from her opera Peronella)^[44]
• Please Smile^[45]
• Supplication. This song was transcribed for organ by John A. West, transcription dedicated to Clarence Eddy.^[46]

By 1901, Florimella Waltz, Philomella Waltz, Golden Poppies, La Miniature, and Supplication were all recorded for Aeolian piano rolls. Several years later, these same five works were available for Wilcox & White and Melvin Clark reproducing pianos and organs.

External Sites

Scores by Vanderpoel at the New York Public Library Digital Collections

Notes and References

1. Web site: Townsend. Cornelia. ancestry.com. 6 April 2021.
2. Book: Book Notes: A Monthly Literary Magazine and Review of New Books. 1899. Siegel-Cooper. en.
3. Book: Hills. William Henry. The Writer: A Monthly Magazine for Literary Workers. Luce. Robert. 1897. Writer Publishing Company. en.
4. Book: Hills . William Henry . The Writer: A Monthly Magazine for Literary Workers . Luce . Robert . 1897 . Writer Publishing Company . en.
5. French . Florence . October 20, 1897 . Music of Chicago . . 35 . 16 . 27.
6. Web site: The Inter Ocean 19 Jul 1903, page Page 26 . 2022-12-15 . Newspapers.com . en.
7. Book: The Chicago Blue Book of Selected Names of Chicago and Suburban Towns for the Year Ending 1902 . The Chicago Directory Company . 1901 . Chicago . 639.
8. News: 1915-11-24 . Clipped From St. Louis Post-Dispatch . 9 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch . 2022-12-16.
9. Book: Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [B] Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series ]. 1912 . . 4543 . en.
10. Web site: Sheet Music Collections · MPL . 2022-12-17 . www.mpl.org . en.
11. Book: Crew, Danny O. . Presidential Sheet Music: An Illustrated Catalogue of Published Music Associated with the American Presidency and Those who Sought the Office . 2001 . McFarland . 978-0-7864-0928-0 . en.
12. Web site: Wm. McKinley & G.A. Hobert 1896 Campaign Songsters and . 2022-12-16 . iCollector.com Online Auctions.
13. Book: Lowy, Jonathan . The Temple of Music . 2005 . Three Rivers Press . 978-0-307-20984-9 . en.
14. Web site: Old Time Song Lyrics for 49 Go Sleep My Honey . 2021-04-07 . www.traditionalmusic.co.uk.
15. December 1, 1897 . Clayton F. Summy Company's Publications . . 35 . 22 . 32.
16. Web site: Donald and Suellyn Garner Sheet Music Collection University Archives. 2021-04-07. www.eiu.edu.
17. Pollard . Percival . February 1898 . Poster Lore, and the Newer Movement . The Inland Printer . 20 . 5 . 668.
18. Book: Company, Aeolian . Music for the Orchestrelle & Aeolian Grand . 1901 . Aeolian Company . en.
19. Book: Company, Wilcox & White . Fifty-eight Note Music for All Styles of the Angelus: (either Interior Or Cabinet Form) and the Symphony, Styles 1000, 950, 558, 258 and 208 . 1905 . en.
20. Book: Chicago, Melville Clark Piano Co . Catalog of Music Rolls for the Apollo Piano: Apollo Concert Grand, Apollo and Apolloette Piano Players and the Orpheus, Self-playing Orchestrion . 1905 . en.
21. Book: Journal of Historical Research in Music Education. 2004. School of Music, Arizona State University. en.
22. Book: Peronella . 2022-12-15 . lcweb2.loc.gov.
23. Book: Catalogue of Title Entries of Books and Other Articles . 1898 . U.S. Government Printing Office . 495 . en.
24. Book: Pacific Coast Musical Review . 1912 . A. Metzger . en.
25. Book: Townsend, Cornelia . Book of Songs . 1911 . Orpheus Publishing Company . en.
26. Book: Catalogue of Title Entries of Books and Other Articles . 1899 . U.S. Government Printing Office . en.
27. Book: Vanderpoel, Kate . Four organ transcriptions of the Vanderpoel compositions . Orpheus Pub. Co. . 1898 . Chicago . 774537723.
28. December 29, 1897 . Kate Vanderpoel . . 35 . 25 . 21.
29. French . Florence . November 10, 1897 . Music of Chicago . . 35 . 19 . 30.
30. Book: Women Composers: A Biographical Handbook of Women's Work in Music . 1913 . Chandler-Ebel . en.
31. Book: Library of Congress. Copyright Office. . Catalog of Title Entries of Books Etc. June 29-Jan 2 1896-97 No. 261 . 1896 . U.S. Govt. Print. Off. . United States Copyright Office . English.
32. Web site: Inventory of the Christopher A. Reynolds Collection of Women's Song . 2021-04-07 . oac.cdlib.org.
33. December 13, 1900 . Wavelets . . 52 . 23 . 386.
34. Web site: Inventory of the Christopher A. Reynolds Collection of Women's Song . 2022-12-19 . oac.cdlib.org.
35. Web site: COLUMBIA cylinders numerical listing discography: 4000 - 5999 . 2022-12-19 . www.78discography.com.
36. Book: Cohen, Aaron . International Encyclopedia of Women Composers . Books & Music (USA) Inc. . 1987 . 0961748516 . New York . 718.
37. Book: Music: Devoted to the Art, Science, Technic and Literature of Music . 1895 . en.
38. Web site: Donald and Suellyn Garner Sheet Music Collection University Archives . 2021-04-07 . www.eiu.edu.
39. Web site: Four organ transcriptions of the Vanderpoel compositions WorldCat.org . 2022-12-14 . www.worldcat.org . en.
40. Book: Office, Library of Congress Copyright . Catalogue of Title Entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Register of Copyrights, Library of Congress, at Washington, D.C. . 1902 . Treasury Department . en.
41. Knight . Rev. George L. . December 1970 . Letters to the Editor . . 62 . 1 . 11.
42. Book: The Inland Printer . 1898 . Maclean-Hunter Publishing Corporation . en.
43. Web site: - NYPL Digital Collections . 2021-04-07 . digitalcollections.nypl.org.
44. Book: Peronella . 2022-12-19 . lcweb2.loc.gov.
45. Book: Laurence, Anya . Women of Notes: 1,000 Women Composers Born Before 1900 . Richards Rosen Press Inc. . 1978 . 9780823904631 . 32.
46. February 16, 1898 . Music Chicago . . 36 . 7 . 33.