Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Larboard Watch

Those of you who don't read music won't be able to thank me … and those who do, will probably not want to! Zheesh! I guess you had to be there. Cope is interesting in showing how much people a hundred years ago had to rely on home/self-entertainment. Illustrating that was the best part of the movie Bright Star where Keats got to sing clarinet in the Mozart Adagio.

4 comments:

DCSteve1441 said...
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Terry said...
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Terry said...

I found "Larboard Watch" a charming period piece when I heard it sung by Frank Stanley and Henry Burr, popular tenors in the first days of the recorded music. It was recorded in 1910, according to information provided by the website. Listening to their rendition, I could easily imagine Arthur's mounting and dramatic excitement as they rendered the climactic "Larboard Watch Ahoy!" There are several recordings available, including the Stanley/Burr one.

DCSteve1441 said...

Thanks for your usual diligence in finding and posting the link to the sheet music, Tim, and for providing the additional info, Terry. However, I trust that renditions of the song did not literally induce "mounting excitement" and other "climactic" reactions, even in impressionable listeners of the day! :-)

I had never heard of "Larboard Watch," but when I read Foster's description of Bertram and Arthur's duet, I instantly "heard" something uncannily close to the actual music. I'm just not sure whether that demonstrates my uncanny musical intuition or a dangerous overfamiliarity with popular music of that era--but I very much hope the former!

Cheers, Steve