Rosalie Balmer Smith Cale Explained

Rosalie Balmer Smith Cale (September24, 1875January4, 1958) was an American pianist and composer,^{[1] [2]} whose operettas were performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and New York.

Cale was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a musical family. Her parents were Rosalie T. Balmer ("Sally") and Thaddeus Smith. Her mother composed several pieces for violin.^[3] Her maternal grandfather was Charles Balmer, head of the Balmer & Weber Music Company in St. Louis. Her paternal grandfather, the actor Sol Smith, owned and operated the St. Louis Theatre.^{[4] [5]} She married the violinist Charles Allen Cale in 1897.^{[6] [7]}

Cale studied music first with her mother and grandparents, then with Abraham I. Epstein and Ernest R. Kroeger. She taught in St. Louis for over 30 years.^[8] Her papers are archived at the Missouri Historical Society.^[9]

Compositions

Cale’s music was published by Balmer & Weber. Her compositions include:

Dance

• Masque of Pandora (based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)^[10]

Operetta

• Four Pecks or A Bushel of Fun (performed in New York as Cupid’s Halloween)^[11]
• Love, Powder and Patches (text by Alice E. Hellmers)^[12]
• Summer: A Flirtation (text by William C. Unger)^[13]

Piano

• Idyl ^[14]

Vocal

• "Master and Pupil" (text by William C. Unger)

Notes and References

1. Book: Stewart-Green, Miriam. Women composers : a checklist of works for the solo voice. 1980. G.K. Hall. 0-8161-8498-4. Boston, Mass.. 6815939.
2. Book: Hixon, Donald L.. Women in music : an encyclopedic biobibliography. 1993. Scarecrow Press. Don A. Hennessee. 0-8108-2769-7. 2nd. Metuchen, N.J.. 28889156.
3. Book: Cohen, Aaron I.. International Encyclopedia of Women Composers. 1987. Books & Music. 978-0-9617485-1-7. en.
4. Book: Sampson. Francis Asbury. Missouri Historical Review. Shoemaker. Floyd Calvin. 1923. State Historical Society of Missouri.. en.
5. Web site: 2021-01-03. Adelina Patti the opera diva. 2022-02-11. Lafayette Square Archives. en-US.
6. Book: Wells, Katherine Gladney. Symphony and Song: The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra : the First Hundred Years, 1880-1980. 1980. Countryman Press. 978-0-914378-62-4. en.
7. Book: Leonard, John W.. The Book of St. Louisans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of St. Louis and Vicinity. 1906. St. Louis republic. en.
8. Book: Krohn, Ernst Christopher. A Century of Missouri Music. 1924. Privately printed. en.
9. Web site: Cale. Rosalie Balmer Smith. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON WOMEN'S CLUBS IN ST. LOUIS, 1890-1920. 2022-02-11. mostateparks.com. 5. en.
10. Web site: Sheet Music Collection. 2022-02-11. www.slpl.org. en-US.
11. Book: Borroff, Edith. American operas : a checklist. 1992. Harmonie Park Press. J. Bunker Clark. 0-89990-063-1. Warren, Mich.. 26809841.
12. Book: Catalogue of Title Entries of Books and Other Articles. 1898. U.S. Government Printing Office. en.
13. Book: Office, Library of Congress Copyright. Catalog of Copyright Entries. 1912. U.S. Government Printing Office. en.
14. News: Humanities. National Endowment for the. 1904-02-04. The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, February 04, 1904, Image 9]. The St. Louis Republic. 9. 2022-02-11. 2157-1368.