The Water Sprite—Polka
Louis Gottschalk wrote “The Water Sprite—Polka de Salon” soon upon his return to the United States after spending most of his teenaged years in Europe, where he was sent by his father to study music at the Paris Conservatoire. He dedicated the composition to “Miss Mary J. Smith of Philadelphia,” who may have been a woman he was courting.
Credits
Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.
You may also like
Kerakh shel romi (City of Rome)
The Bah (Bayit Hadash) was asked concerning the practice in synagogues of using music which is sung in the houses of worship (of non-Jews). It is only forbidden regarding…
Super flumina Babylonis
Charles-Valentin Alkan composed this setting of Psalm 137 (“By the rivers of Babylon”) in 1859, the same year that his friend Franz Liszt composed a setting for the same biblical verses. Unlike Liszt…
Songbird, or Six Folk Songs
(The songs)
It frightens us so,
With our poor wares to go
And face the wide world and its scorn.
We have lived many days,
But know only the ways.
Of the villages where we were born.
(The author)
Yo…
Aggudat Shirim
Aggudat Shirim (Collection of Songs) was one of several collections of synagogue music published by Samuel Naumbourg between 1847 and 1874. It included a scholarly article about Jewish music.
Song of the Railway
A whole world of railways appeared in our time
They carry their passengers—poor men and rich.
Admire the wonder, but bear this in mind:
It’s really a parable, meant just for you.
It is we who are…
Engage with this Source
Related Guide
Music and Opera in Jewish Culture
1750–1880
One of the most striking changes in European Jewish culture toward the later eighteenth century was marked by the entry of Jews into art music, opera houses, and the stage.
You may also like
Kerakh shel romi (City of Rome)
The Bah (Bayit Hadash) was asked concerning the practice in synagogues of using music which is sung in the houses of worship (of non-Jews). It is only forbidden regarding…
Super flumina Babylonis
Charles-Valentin Alkan composed this setting of Psalm 137 (“By the rivers of Babylon”) in 1859, the same year that his friend Franz Liszt composed a setting for the same biblical verses. Unlike Liszt…
Songbird, or Six Folk Songs
(The songs)
It frightens us so,
With our poor wares to go
And face the wide world and its scorn.
We have lived many days,
But know only the ways.
Of the villages where we were born.
(The author)
Yo…
Aggudat Shirim
Aggudat Shirim (Collection of Songs) was one of several collections of synagogue music published by Samuel Naumbourg between 1847 and 1874. It included a scholarly article about Jewish music.
Song of the Railway
A whole world of railways appeared in our time
They carry their passengers—poor men and rich.
Admire the wonder, but bear this in mind:
It’s really a parable, meant just for you.
It is we who are…