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The definitive biography of Henry Russell, famed nineteenth-century songwriter and performer.
Henry Russell was an entertainer and songwriter—arguably the leading popular singer, on both sides of the Atlantic, in the 1840s—who is best remembered today for his song "A Life on the Ocean Wave" and for such classics as "Woodman, Spare that Tree! and "Cheer Boys, Cheer!" A child performer as a singer, he was born to a distinguished Jewish family and was already working in his teens as a musician and as a vocalist. Russell travelled to America in 1836 and established himself there as a popular singer and songwriter. Returning to England five years later, he produced a number of musical programs, which were among the most popular entertainments of the day. His songs went beyond sentimental themes and subjects to include purposeful social commentary, attacking, among other topics, slavery and the mistreatment of the mentally ill. Russell’s combination of showmanship and songwriting made him the Elton John of his day. This revised edition has been updated using newly available archival and other sources, as well as new illustrations.
From a Review of the First Edition
"The story of [Russell's] life, his performances and his songs, his endless brushes with the press, with the publishers of his songs, with plagiarists and with imitators, with the musical snobs who sneered at him as 'popular' while he filled vast halls with paying customers … makes for highly entertaining reading. Impeccable in its facts, important in its subject matter, always interesting and enjoyable, A Life on the Ocean Wave … is the very model of an historical musical biography." — Operetta Research Center
Introduction and Acknowledgements to the First Edition
Introduction to the Second, Revised Edition
1. Sheerness to Italy
2. London in the 1830s
3. Toronto, Rochester, and New York
4. Albany, Philadelphia, and Boston
5. Charlatan, Plagiarist, Pirate, Quack
6. Oratorio in Boston, Song in New York
7. A Trumpeter's Lip
8. Old Tippecanoe
9. Dreaming of Home
10. Home Again
11. American Encore
12. British Concert Touring
13. Russell v. Smith
14. "The Emigrant's Progress"
15. To Law Again
16. Retirement
17. De Lara
18. Howley Place
Appendix 1: Performing Engagements
Appendix 2: Chronological List of Compositions
Index of Compositions
Index of People