Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child

Subject: Origin of Song - lovely dancer
From:
Date: 12 Oct 01 - 09:54 PM

A friends mother sang this song, but no one knows the origin. Here are some of the lyrics, and I would like to find the title, the artist, and from where did the song originate.

I saw tonight a lovely dancer
And when I asked her her name
She wouldn't stop to give an answer
But kept on dancing just the same.

As she was dancing on the water
I said I've guessed who you are
You're one of twilight's fairy daughters
Who must have fallen from a star

I appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks,

Subject: RE: Origin of Song - Saw Tonight a Lovely Dancer
From: GUEST,AFiscus
Date: 27 Jan 10 - 03:15 PM

My mom always sang this song to me when i was little girl, and now i sing it to my son (I've changed to the words a little bit to refer to a boy) I would love to know the origin as well

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,Wow
Date: 02 Sep 10 - 09:51 PM

A few months ago, I too, was looking for the origin of this song. I couldn't find anything on it. My mother also sang this to me as a little girl. My mom is 89. I sang this song when I was 6 years old in front of my classroom for a "show and tell" day. That would have been in 1964, but I believe the song goes back to at least the 1930's. If anyone out there knows anything let us all know.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 11 - 06:19 PM

My grandfather used to sing this to my mother. She remembers him saying he learned it in pre-school. That was in the early 1900s, possibly late 1890s.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Sep 11 - 07:16 PM

My mother sang it to us as well. She said it was called 'Starchild' She won an award for singing it in late 50s or 60s at the Fall Fair

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,AFiscus3
Date: 06 Oct 11 - 10:39 AM

Does your mother know where the song came from? or where she heard it?

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 17 Jan 12 - 11:20 PM

Amazing. My mom sang this song to me too as a lullaby over and over. I cant find anything on it either. My mom is dead but would of been 89 years old too. Wow, I would like to know too.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Jan 12 - 11:39 AM

My mother sang this to me nightly and at age 94 asked me to find it's origin. Her memorial service is this weekend and we will sing it to her as a lullaby.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 05 Nov 12 - 10:37 AM

My father, who would have been 90 sang this to me and my 2 daughters. I would love to print the lyrics and frame them for my 3 sisters and 2 daughters.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,Sharon
Date: 02 Feb 14 - 11:01 PM

I think it was in the song book 'The High Road to Singing', when we were in elementary school (Early 60s or late 50s)

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 08 Mar 15 - 10:16 PM

I too was sung this by both my parents. My father would be 92...my mother is 87. She told me my father learned it in kindergarten in 1927
I now sing this to my children...its lovely and haunting.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 17 - 11:45 AM

I am Dutch, living in Holland. When I was eight years old I lived in Drayton, Ontario. My schoolclass would sing songs in the Town Hall on a feastday in September 1958. I was chosen to sing this song, and exercised a lot, but before it all happened my family went back to Holland. I am very glad to have the song back in my memory, the melody and some words were my whole life in my mind.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Feb 17 - 03:24 AM

Amazon lists 2 copies of the The New High Road to Sight Singing Book I (One) 1967 but related IMHO.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Feb 17 - 09:13 PM

Any update on this? What a gripping story!

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Feb 17 - 12:55 PM

I found mention of this song in a romance novel by Jeanell Bolton titled Where the Heart Leads. I posted a question about the song on the author's Website. I'll let you know if I get a reply.
-Joe-

https://books.google.com/books?id=T3-BAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT24&lpg=PT24

The High Road to Sight Singing was a Canadian school songbook. Book One was for Grades III to V, and Book Two was for Grades VI to VIII. The New High Road to Sight Singing was also in two volumes, published in 1956. Authors were George Roy Fenwick, Hollis Dann, and Robert Foresman.

Subject: ADD: A Star Child (Loomis & Johnstone)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Feb 17 - 03:08 PM

I found it! Words are almost the same as in the original post - just two words are different.

A STAR CHILD
Harvey Worthington Loomis and Arthur Edward Johnstone

I saw tonight a lovely dancer,
And when I asked her her name,
She wouldn't stop to give an answer,
But went on dancing just the same.

And she was dancing on the waters;
I said "I've guessed who you are;
You're one of Twilight's fairy daughters
Who must have fallen from a star."

Source: Hollis Dann Music Course: Third Year Music, by Hollis Dann, Mus.D., Professor of Music and Head of the Department of Music, Cornell University.
Published by American Book Company, New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago.
Copyright 1915

Loomis and Johnstone wrote a number of songs that appear in this book. It's unclear to me who wrote the words and who wrote the music - the name of Loomis is on the left side at the top of the music, and Johnstone on the right.

American Composer Harvey Worthington Loomis (1865-1930) was a favorite pupil of Antonin Dvorak.

American Composer Arthur Edward Johnstone (1860-1944) served for many years as Music Editor for the American Book Company.

Here's the songbook: https://books.google.com/books?id=bgk8AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA77#v=onepage&q&f=false

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Click to play (joeweb)

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I tried emailing the original requester, but the address doesn't work any more. -Joe-

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: leeneia
Date: 24 Feb 17 - 12:51 PM

Well done, Joe!

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,GypsyKiss
Date: 27 Sep 17 - 09:13 PM

My grandfather sang this song to my mother when she was a baby in 1947. She sang it to me when I was a baby in 1980 and tonight, I began singing it to my new daughter. Thank you, so much, for doing this research. It means a lot to me!

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Mar 20 - 07:45 PM

Your first verse is a little different than what I remember. My Mom was first generation American. Grandparents from Poland and some how I think this song has to go back to the Depression era. I have listened to my Mom sing this......so glad you all are looking.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 12 Mar 20 - 05:24 PM

Start at 1:35 of the recording.

https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-32617/

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 12:37 AM

My grandmother, born in 1927, would sometimes sing this, among many other songs she knew and loved. Until finding this thread, I could find nothing of its origins. She also sang a lyrical ballad about The Miller's Lovely Daughter, but I can find little on that either.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: cnd
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 12:55 AM

GUEST -- any more info on "The Miller's Lovely Daughter" song? If you have more we can make a new thread about it, but from my searching almost certainly looks like "On the Banks of Allan Water"

- https://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=479

But without more info it's hard to say for sure

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Gibran Lewis
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 12:57 AM

My grandmother, Audrey nee` Franklin, born in 1927, would sometimes sing this, among many other songs she knew and loved. Until finding this thread, I could find nothing of its origins. She also sang a lyrical ballad about The Miller's Lovely Daughter, but I can find little on that either. She was a repository of songs, but those are two I've had the hardest time finding historical background on. This thread was a wonderful find regarding the first, Twilight's Fairy Daughter/A Star Child. If anyone knows origins on the Miller's Lovely Daughter, please let me know. It was slower, and included the lines, "the miller's lovely daughter was standing at the door, reflected in the water, I saw her face once more; reflected in the water, I saw her face once more."

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Mar 20 - 05:56 PM

Gibran Lewis, please go to this thread (click) - "Banks of Allan Waters."

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Apr 20 - 11:41 AM

Thank you Joe Offer for the research, I'd looked and looked. My great-grandmother sang this to my grandfather, he to my mother, her to me and me to my son! Had never found others who knew it. Grateful to find this forum.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,#
Date: 08 Apr 21 - 11:00 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssXMpEF5Yi0

I think the song the OP requested is on that record, but because the voice was driving me nuts I couldn't locate the start time for the Star Child song. Sorry, but her voice made my teeth itch.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Apr 21 - 12:32 AM

I wonder if there are other sites on the internet where people work at a puzzle for twenty years, such as getting words, tunes, and authors for a little-known musical work.

Bringing back memories and keeping the song alive as new singers sing it - that's what it's all about.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 29 Jun 21 - 09:38 AM

Re the Gasoline Man song, I learned it in Girl Guides in Ontario Canada in the early 1970s and sing it to my sons when we see a tanker truck. Cannot find it on the web.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Feb 22 - 10:25 AM

My mom sang this song to me when I was a child. I’m 74. She would be 107, if she were still here! She also would recite a poem called The Raggety Man, He worked for Pa. She was born in Kentucky

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 06 Apr 24 - 03:24 PM

Yes, it was in the Highroad of Song Book (red). I sang this song in the Kiwanis Music Festival when I was about 8 years; that would have been 1954. It has been going around in my mind lately. I could remember the first, but not the second verse. Thanks for posting it.

Subject: RE: Origin: I saw tonight a lovely dancer/A Star Child
From: GUEST,Sarah Davis
Date: 19 Dec 24 - 08:26 PM

My mom sang The Gasoline Man to us when we were young, and now I sing it to my boys. It’s one of our favourites. Sad that it’s not published somewhere, it’s got a great little melody to it. My mom’s from Geraldton, Ontario Canada and I think she learned it in school when she was young.