Sometimes it's amazing how modern an old tune can sound.
You're looking at the cover of the Cubanola
Glide, a rag written and published by Harry Von Tilzer with words by
Vincent Bryan in 1909. The cover's nothing to speak of, it kind of reminds me
of all the Hawaii and South Pacific themed covers that were common through the
twenties when the wealth of the stock market boom allowed average people the
opportunity to travel the world. Cubanola features a simple sea view with
potted palms and what might be El Morro Castle in the background. The whole
thing is done in a questionable green, but I guess all things tropical should
be green.
Harry Von Tilzer
Von Tilzer holds a special place for me since he's a local
boy. He was born in Goshen, Indiana and at the age of 14 ran away to fulfill
every boy's dream of joining a traveling circus. Harry was a successful calliope
player and he wrote new tunes and incidental music for the shows. Once he left
the circus, he wrote and played for Burlesque and Vaudeville shows. In 1898 he
sold his song My Old New Hampshire Home
to a publisher for the grand sum of $15, and then watched it become a national
hit that sold over 2 million copies. Bolstered by this success, he began
writing professionally.
In 1900 his tune A
Bird in a Gilded Cage became one of the biggest hits of the age and Von
Tilzer became one of the best known Tin Pan Alley songwriters. In 1902 Von
Tilzer formed his own publishing company, where he was soon joined by his
younger brother Albert.
Harry Von Tilzer's other hits included Wait 'Til The Sun Shines Nellie, Old King Tut, All Alone, Mariutch, The Ragtime Goblin Man, I
Love My Wife, But Oh You Kid!, They
Always Pick On Me, I Want A Girl (Just
Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad), And The Green Grass Grew All Around, and On the Old Fall River Line among others.Harry died in New York City on January 10, 1946.
I managed to find a version of the Cubanola Glide by Arthur
Smith. It's nice to actually hear a piece. So many times you're left with the
cover image and no idea of what it might have sounded like. I imagine there was a Cubanola Glide dance too, but I couldn't find any videos showing the steps. I guess sometimes the past keeps her secrets.
Welcome to the record of Kelly and Gary's experiences in the world of dancing. Here we provide our observations about dance and dancing. In our blog you'll find information about dancing in the Midwest - especially swing, lindy hop, and Latin dancing.
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