20 Aug 08 - 03:08 PM (#2418838) Subject: RE: Old Allegheny and Monongahela From: GUEST does anyone know if the (two, to my knowledge) robert schmertz albums have been re-released? i have an LP of the second, but not the first. paul |
20 Aug 08 - 03:17 PM (#2418846) Subject: RE: Old Allegheny and Monongahela From: Joe Offer Hi, Paul - I just came across one of them yesterday, when I was looking for a recording of "Never Touch Water," which was written by Schmertz. Smithsonian/Folkways has Sing Oh! The City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh. If you prefer MP3, you can download at many of the usual sources - most cheaply at emusic.com. You can download the liner notes for free at Smithsonian Global Sound. What's the name of the second album, and what label was it on? Did it have "Never Touch Water"? -Joe- |
20 Aug 08 - 03:30 PM (#2418861) Subject: Lyr Req: Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord From: Joe Offer Another thread (click) made mention of Robert Schmertz, who apparently came from Pittsburgh and wrote a number of good songs in the traditional style. One I saw mention of was "Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord." Can anybody post lyrics to Schmertz songs other than those linked above, and tell us more about Schmertz? -Joe- |
20 Aug 08 - 03:36 PM (#2418866) Subject: ADD: Noah Found Grace (Robt. Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Well, I searched, I really did - but this came up only the third time I looked.
Posted By: masato sakurai 22-Oct-01 - 03:28 PM Thread Name: Lyr Req: 'Old Man Noah' Subject: Lyr Add: NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE LORD
This seems to be the one. You'll find a great YouTube recording of this song here (click). A note posted below the video says this:
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21 Aug 08 - 01:42 AM (#2419218) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: georgeward To the list of Schmertz's songs, add the one that begins "In 1763 George Washington came to th Ohio". Title might be "The Forks of the Ohio" or something similar. I believe "The Locktender's Lament" that Burl Ives recorded is Schmertz also. Sure sounds like him. [ "Oh, I'm the locktender at lock number ten / I whistle and sing every now and again."] There's more about Bob Schmertz online, though not enough. And some links in the Queen Anne Front thread linked at the head of this one. |
21 Aug 08 - 10:22 AM (#2419394) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Art Thieme Be sure to check Smithsonian Folkways Records for CDs of albums by Vivien Richman---another fine folksinger and a keeper of the songs of Robert Schmertz's Pittsburgh. Art Thieme |
11 Dec 09 - 03:15 PM (#2786347) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST,Burgh The Pittsburgh based band the NewLanders (www.newlanders.com) have recorded Monongahela Sal on their record "Where the Allegheny Flows". |
12 Dec 09 - 10:43 AM (#2786888) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: autoharper I still perform Bob's "Queen Anne Front", and did so in Pittsburgh in July. Has anyone identified the actual location of the house in this song which was "over on the old north side" built on the hill that "sloped down to the river from River Avenue" where later "wooden shacks across the tracks spoiled great-grandma's lovely view"? |
14 Jan 10 - 06:34 PM (#2812142) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST,aschmertz My understanding from family stories (I'm a granddaughter) is that there was no singular house that he wrote about - it was just a fable about urban decay. Our family was in Squirrel Hill, not in the North Side,so there was nothing autobiographical about it. |
14 Jan 10 - 08:59 PM (#2812247) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: autoharper Dear Ms. Schmertz, Thanks a million for posting here. -Adam Miller |
14 Jan 10 - 09:57 PM (#2812298) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer My octogenarian folkie friend, Mrs. Lev, just loves "Never Touch Water". She had us all singing it last Friday night. I'd sure like to know more about Robert Schmertz. Seems like he must have been a very creative person. -Joe- |
29 Apr 10 - 08:45 PM (#2896994) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST,hedgerow Hi, I found this forum via google. Does anyone know if Mr. Schmertz collaborated with Morton Rosenthal ? Also did he write a waltz "Nile Song" ? I tried submiting a question to the Robert Schmertz website to no avail ! Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks! |
13 Oct 10 - 03:03 PM (#3006251) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST,cjriley42 I was an architecture student at Carnegie Tech (Carnegie Mellon) when Bob still taught. An incredible character who loved to let the ash grow very long on the cigarette dangling from his ample lip as he reviewed a drawing. The but bobbed up and down until it inevitably dropped onto the drawing. Then, to the student's dismay, casually brushed the ashes across the drawing, up and over the top. He was in the first graduating class from the school of architecture and wrote many of CIT's songs: Fight for the Glory of Carnegie and,I believe, the alma mater. I still have a very warped, signed copy of "Songs for Architects and Their Girlfriends" that I treasure. |
13 Oct 10 - 06:11 PM (#3006387) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer CJ, I really appreciated your post, but now I'll spend the rest of my life looking for a copy of Songs for Architects and Their Girlfriends. Luckily, I found a copy of it online, for all to see. -Joe- |
13 Oct 10 - 08:29 PM (#3006481) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: dick greenhaus Joe, many thanx for discovering the site. It's a treasure. |
14 Oct 10 - 08:00 PM (#3007270) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: LadyJean One of his daughters in law sold me my house. Try the Pittsburgh History Center. They will, certainly, have his songbook and may have something on record. Also try Calliope House, the Pittsburgh folk music society. They may be able to help. Or call directory assistance and ask for Schmertz in Pittsburgh. There aren't that many of them. The daughter in law works for Howard Hanna. The real estate situation being what it is, she may have some time on her hands. By the way, she's a great real estate lady. She kept the new kitten for three days while I moved, and it isn't her fault that my house totaly sucks. |
15 Oct 10 - 12:23 AM (#3007480) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: LadyJean Sorry, I meant the Heinz History Center. I think they have the book and they may have recordings. |
17 Jul 11 - 08:59 PM (#3189752) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST,Bill Kerr I posted this in two places hoping someone might find it useful: I was cleaning up some of my deceased father's things and found a copy of Bob Schmertz album, Ladies Beware of an Architect. I enjoyed it as a kid but now would like to get it to someone who'd appreciate it and pass on the music. If you'd like it, just email me at bkerr(at)dom(dot)edu and I'll send it your way. Bill Kerr |
17 Jul 11 - 10:27 PM (#3189773) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer Thanks, Bill. I sent you an e-mail requesting the LP. -Joe Offer- |
04 Apr 12 - 09:40 PM (#3333839) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST I grew up listening to all the old songs (Mom put on at my nap time as a kid)..Heard Bob and Vivian et al in concert...My brother recorded/converted our old album to tape...somewhere....Locktender is Schmertz all the way...and don't forget the 'bonnie wee squirrel who lives in a tree'! |
23 Nov 12 - 07:47 PM (#3441248) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST I have a lovely copy of A PICTURE BOOK OF SONGS & BALLADS, with pages and transcriptions beautifully enhanced by Robert Schmertz' illustrations. Printed 1976, a jovial colorful compendium of Schmertz favorites prefaced by a brief biography and photo of this talented musician/artist. This book is offered for sale and all details will be supplied to interested party(ies). Thank you, Judy in New York State
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04 Dec 12 - 07:35 PM (#3447119) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer There used to be a terrific Website on Robert Schmertz, www.robertschmertz.com. It was operated by Ann Shear, who describes herself as "Designer, Webmaster, and Supergroupie." The Website is gone, and appears to be available only at archive.org. I think I'll copy and post some of the Website, to make sure it doesn't get lost. Ann, if you come across this, I hope you don't mind. If it's a problem, contact me, joe@mudcat.org Introduction I was raised on the songs of Robert Watson Schmertz. Many others of my baby boomer generation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania can say the same. Bob cut a wide swath through the town, collecting friends and fellow artists wherever he went. In the early 1950's my father was head of the architecture department at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and a colleague of Bob Schmertz. Our family lived in faculty housing across Forbes Avenue from the C.I.T. campus and our first floor apartment was a gathering place for fellow professors at the end of many a day. Bob never went anywhere without his banjo and when he stopped in to visit my parents my brothers and I always waylaid him in the house's large common vestibule. He would sit with us on the long oak bench and begin to play his repertoire of children's songs. The banjo echoed up the stairwell and the two Pekruhn kids on the second floor (another architect family) would run down to join the chorus until the grown-ups dragged Bob away with them for martinis, cigarettes, and boring faculty politics. The annual Schmertz Christmas parties were legendary. Bob on the banjo, his own family members, fellow musicians and friends joined the inevitable musical extravaganza. And all the kids came along with their parents to be underfoot and under piano and generally adding to the raucous atmosphere. I have no doubt that those other Schmertz-inoculated boomer babies did the same thing as my brothers and I when we went out into the world; we carried with us cassettes copied from our parents' overplayed Schmertz albums, scratchy pops and clicks with the addition of the tape recorder's hiss. I presume that those fellow Schmertz-o-holics have passed along Bob's music to their own children, singing Angus MacFergus and Quack Quack Paddle-Oh as bedtime lullabies. The topics of Bob's songs and poems encompass his varied passions: architecture, history, river lore, religious subjects, creatures great and small … all seen through his unique prism reflecting the comedy and tragedy of the human condition. Now that we are in the 21st century and a fifth generation is appearing on the horizon, it seems a shame that only the original group of people who bought his albums and Songbook can enjoy and pass along Bob Schmertz's joy of music and his talent with words. Ann Shear Designer, Webmaster, and Supergroupie |
04 Dec 12 - 08:28 PM (#3447147) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: LadyJean Hello Bill Kerr. Marian Kerr was a classmate of mine at Ellis, and a friend. Somebody put the lyrics to Schmertz's song about the Ohio Company on the mudcat. It's a beautiful song. |
07 Dec 16 - 03:10 AM (#3824959) Subject: ADD: Lord, Lord I got some singing to do(Schmertz) From: Joe Offer |
07 Dec 16 - 05:22 AM (#3824984) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer The robertschmertzcom Website is no longer online, but I found an archive of the Website at Archive.org. I think I'd better post the songs from that Website. Songs 1 Monongahela Sal |
07 Dec 16 - 05:24 AM (#3824985) Subject: ADD: Monongahela Sal (Robt. Schmertz)^^^ From: Joe Offer I happened to participate in the experience that led to “Monongahela Sal.” Bob and I traveled from Pittsburgh to the American Institute of Architects convention at Cincinnati on the steamer “Jason,” the last and most powerful of the stern-wheelers. The social life of these towboats centers in the pilot house where, for four days, we listened to the Captain and crew gossip of river affairs. Reference was frequently made to various river pilots, their exploits, bizarre habits and dress. It was a painful wrench to leave the boat and its fascinating crew to sit on hard convention seats in a city hotel. The thought of the legendary river personalities and the charm of those few days on the Ohio simmered in Bob’s mind to finally become this melodramatic ditty.
Charles M. Stotz 1949 MONONGAHELA SAL
She wandered one day by the river
His name, so they say, was Mote Stanley
Then Mote gave a toot of his whistle
It was love, careless love on the river,
He swore that he always would love her
Now, no one could say that Sal was sickly;
Then Sal hit the grit at Rochester
She raised up that big shootin’ iron
Then Sal to the judges said “Good Mornin’!”
Recorded also by:
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07 Dec 16 - 05:29 AM (#3824988) Subject: ADD: Lock Number Ten (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer LOCK NUMBER TEN (Robert Schmertz) Oh, I’m the lock tender at Lock Number Ten; I whistle and sing ev’ry now and again. I’ll sing you a ditty about how and when I saw a young mermaid at Lock Number Ten.
’Twas night as the moon shone on Lock Number Ten
Oh, a lock tender’s lot can be lonesome at times,
“'Tis government property, Madam!” I said;
I said to her, “Lizzie, you might catch your death!”
Oh, a lock tender’s lot can be lonesome at times,
“I met pretty Jackie at Tilbury Docks
And then I said, “Lizzie, young Jack is my son -
Oh, a lock tender’s lot can be joyous and free,
Then sadly, oh, sadly she gazed upon me
Recorded also by:
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07 Dec 16 - 05:30 AM (#3824990) Subject: ADD: Lorenzo il Magnifico (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer LORENZO IL MAGNIFICO (Robert Schmertz) Oh, Lorenzo Il Magnifico, he was the Duke of Florence. He dearly loved his hi-de-ho for ho-hum had abhorrence, Abhorrence, abhorrence, for ho-hum had abhorrence. And so to be specifico, he really was terrifico - That hyperglandular so-and-so, Lorenzo Il Magnifico!
Lorenzo Il Magnifico, Il Duce de Firenza
Lorenzo Il Magnifico was very fond of culture;
Lorenzo Il Magnificio was quite a politician;
Lorenzo trod so proudly the Piazza del Signori,
Lorenzo Il Magnifico was on his death bed lying. |
07 Dec 16 - 05:34 AM (#3824992) Subject: ADD:The Palazzo Massimi (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Page not found at archive.org. Anybody have lyrics to this song? |
07 Dec 16 - 05:36 AM (#3824993) Subject: ADD: Hyacinth Harry (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer HYACINTH HARRY (Robert Schmertz) There’s a man in town you soon will hear about - He’ll soon be all the rage without a doubt - I’m gonna let you in the know, he’s a garden gigolo, A man the ladies just can’t do without - At a nightclub or a beach club he’s a lout - But a garden’s where he knows his way about - When he gets amongst the plants He’s the slickest thing in pants And soon you’ll hear those garden mamas shout!
He’s Hyacinth Harry, old Hyacinth Harry |
07 Dec 16 - 05:38 AM (#3824994) Subject: ADD: Nellie of Meadow Farm(Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Not available at archive.org. Anybody have it? |
07 Dec 16 - 05:39 AM (#3824995) Subject: ADD: The Rambling River Line (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Not available at archive.org. Anybody have it? |
07 Dec 16 - 05:40 AM (#3824996) Subject: ADD:José (Hozay) the Horse (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Not available at archive.org. Anybody have it? |
07 Dec 16 - 05:42 AM (#3824997) Subject: ADD: The Forks of the Ohio(Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Robert Dinwiddie, the Governor of Virginia dispatched young George Washington, then about 21 years old, to St. Pierre at Fort Le Boeuf where he was to deliver a letter to the commander of the French forces, requesting him to withdraw from the area. The fact that the trading interests of the Ohio Company were being seriously threatened by the French traders in the west moved Dinwiddie to action. In 1750 and 1751, the Ohio Company sent Christopher Gist out to make a clandestine survey of the country, as far as the falls of the Ohio River. This was followed by Washington’s mission to Lake Erie with Dinwiddie’s letter which complained of French encroachment in British territory, expressing surprise that the French should build forts and make settlements on the Ohio River. Washington visited with Queen Aliquippa, ruler of the six Indian nations, in an effort to ease troubled relations between them. Of this visit, Washington wrote, “I made her a Present of a Matchcoat and a Bottle of Rum which latter was thought much the best Present of the Two.” With Christopher Gist, young George traveled to Fort Le Boeuf - but the French stood their ground and the mission was unsuccessful. Bob Schmertz’s song, filled with unexpected internal rhymes, retells this colorful story.Vivien Richman
THE FORKS OF THE OHIO In seventeen fifty-three, George Washington came to the O-hi-o.
Lord Dinwiddie the royal Governor of Vir-gin-i-ay,
Queen Aliquippa was the Indian skipper of a tribe down Logstown way,
He met a trapper whose name was Christopher Gist the hist’ries say,
Then George and Christopher kept on travelin’ clear to Fort Le Boeuf,
They came back down to the wide Allegheny and they built themselves a raft.
Now if you go a-ridin’ or a-walkin’ on a Sunday afternoon,
Recorded also by:
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07 Dec 16 - 05:45 AM (#3824999) Subject: ADD: Angus MacFergus MacTavish Dundee (Schmertz) From: Joe Offer ANGUS MacFERGUS MacTAVISH DUNDEE (Robert Schmertz) I know a wee squirrel who lives in an oak. He loves a good lunch and he loves a good joke. There’s a wee bit of scotch in his family tree; He’s Angus MacFergus MacTavish Dundee, Angus MacFergus MacTavish Dundee.
Of chestnuts and acorns he’s gathered a store,
His brothers and sisters and uncles and aunts
Once while they were dancing a hunter came by
The rifle went off with a terrible blast
The hunter looked ’round and the squirrels were gone,
I often imagine that I’d like to be
Recorded also by: |
07 Dec 16 - 05:50 AM (#3825001) Subject: ADD:Christmas Song for Gretchen (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer CHRISTMAS SONG FOR GRETCHEN (Robert Schmertz) Sleep my baby in your sweet manger, Sleep my child in your trundle bed. The new born lamb needs to fear no danger, For three small angels watch overhead. And three Wise Men are on their way, And it will soon be Christmas day.
Sleep my baby for when you waken,
Sleep my baby, for on the morrow, |
07 Dec 16 - 05:53 AM (#3825003) Subject: ADD: The Lonely Grenadier (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer The lives of these hardy people who fought and labored in the early days of Pittsburgh and Fort Pitt were certainly not untouched by poetry, loneliness and romance. Again, Bob Schmertz, touching his hand to the new Fort Pitt which was built on the ruins of Fort Duquesne by General Forbes in 1759, gives us a strangely haunting love song. The five bastions of the Fort, the Grenadier, Ohio, Monongahela, Flag and Music bastion give structure to his ballad; his delicate melody and poetry lend a truly enchanted quality to this moment from our past. Vivien Richman
THE LONELY GRENADIER
Ohio bastion’s two, Monongahela’s three,
The Flag is bastion four, the one called Music’s five
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07 Dec 16 - 05:57 AM (#3825005) Subject: ADD: Cousin Athalia (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer COUSIN ATHALIA (Robert Schmertz) Way down under in far-off Australia Where summertime comes when it’s winter up here, I’ve a kangaroo cousin, my cousin Athalia, And I hear from her twice, maybe three times a year. My kangaroo cousin has such a nice fam’ly And a husband she won at a Kangaroo Hop. They had a quite recent vest pocket addition Who looks like his ma but behaves like his pop. From far-off Australia she phoned the glad news: When she reversed the charges, I couldn’t refuse!
They named him Fitzpatrick Fitzwilliam Fitzsimmons
They speak to him sweetly, they speak to him gently:
I wrote to Athalia in far off Australia, |
07 Dec 16 - 05:59 AM (#3825006) Subject: ADD: Mon Petit Lapin (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Not available at archive.org. Luckily, I found it in the album notes at Smithsonian/Folkways. http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW05258.pdf Surely there must have been fine French chefs at Fort Duquesne ••• and this fellow, one of Bob Schmertz's "people", skillfully coaxed a little rabbit into a gourmet's rabbit stew for his commander. MON PETIT LAPIN (Robert Schmertz) When Frenchmen lived at Fort Duquesne, They lived as Frenchmen are inclined, And in this valley trans-montaigne, They sang, and they wined and they dined. So here's a peu petite chanson Of the Cuisiniere Militaire, How he cooked at Fort Duquesne In this valley trans-montaigne, Un Grand Artiste Culinaire! He will now prepare pour vous, Un tres bon pot-a-feu, rabbit stew! Mon Petit Lapin! Dans la grande Cuisine, entrez, voulez-vous! Mon Petit Lapin! I have merveilleux plans for you! Pour mon Capitaine, Je l'arrange un melange entre nous! Il exclame, Je t'adore! Quelle affaire, quel amour!" Mon petit, petit, joli lapin! La-la-la -- pomme de terre! La-la-la -- Haricot vert! Celerie, les radis, Garni just like in old Paris! La-la-la -- beaucoup de vin! "Fortunaire" jeune lapin! Just a touch of garlic! Un grand triomphe gastronomique! Pour mon Capitaine, Je l'arrange un melange entre nous! Il exclame, "Je t'adore! Quelle affaire, quel amour!" Mon Petit, Petit, Joli Lapin! |
07 Dec 16 - 06:00 AM (#3825007) Subject: ADD: Never Touch Water(Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer Not available at archive.org. Here's this: Thread #112482 Message #2407264 Posted By: Joe Offer 07-Aug-08 - 12:15 AM Thread Name: Lyr Req/Add: Rapidan River / Never Touch Water Subject: ADD: Never Touch Water (Robert Schmertz)
George, you're the man! |
07 Dec 16 - 06:01 AM (#3825008) Subject: ADD: The Knight of Small Renown (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer THE KNIGHT OF SMALL RENOWN (Robert Schmertz) He was a Knight of small renown, Who journeyed to the wars, It was eventide as he rode along, And he sang beneath the stars; He sang a very merry thing, He sang with right good cheer, He sang of fighting, fame and love, His steed lent charm’ed ear (he did), His steed lent charm’ed ear. Sing, “Fa la la, fa la la, fa la lah”, His steed lent charm-ed ear.
The warbling Knight on list’ning steed,
The Knight looked up, the moon shone pale,
And so the twain did settle down,
And lo, the maid grew matronly, |
07 Dec 16 - 06:04 AM (#3825009) Subject: ADD: Lord, Lord, I've Got Some Singing To Do From: Joe Offer LORD, LORD, I'VE GOT SOME SINGING TO DO (Robert Schmertz) The Lord made all the world in just six days, And on the seventh day we sing his praise, For land so green, for sky so blue, Lord, Lord, I’ve got some singing to do!
I’ll sing about the moon, the queen of night,
I’ll sing about the sun, my friend the sun,
I’ll sing about the rain, the gentle rain,
I’ll sing about the wind, that brings to me,
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07 Dec 16 - 06:07 AM (#3825010) Subject: ADD: Gideon Bible (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer GIDEON BIBLE (Robert Schmertz) When the shades of night are falling And you’re in a small hotel, If you hear temptation calling Do not phone or ring the bell. While the shades of night still darken Do not think of girls and booze, To your conscience you should harken And this will help you choose:
You should read how Father Adam
You should read how Captain Joshua
You should read how Brothers Shadrach,
You should read how young Delilah
You should read how Father Noah
You should read how Father Moses |
07 Dec 16 - 06:09 AM (#3825012) Subject: ADD: My Baby Eskimo (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer MY BABY ESKIMO (Robert Schmertz) Oh, I’ve been looking for a sweetie far and wide. I’ve met a lot of mamas hot on ev’ry side But an ice-cold mama stole my heart away, Ice-cold mama from the Northern Bay. They tell me that the brown-skinned gals away down South Will make you lose your dignity, But it took a pretty baby from way up North To make a happy fool of me! I’m going back to my baby Eskimo. I’m breakin’ track to the land of ice and snow.
Eskimo babies ain’t hard to handle, |
07 Dec 16 - 06:11 AM (#3825014) Subject: ADD: Forty-Nine Angels (Robert Schmertz) From: Joe Offer FORTY-NINE ANGELS (Robert Schmertz) Forty-nine angels looking down, Seven all around a golden crown; Seven with a harp and seven with a horn Play for the Baby newly born, Play for the Baby newly born.
Forty-nine angels looking down,
And where are the rest of the forty-nine? |
07 Dec 16 - 06:14 AM (#3825016) Subject: ADD:The Queen Anne Front (and the Mary Ann Behind) From: Joe Offer Marcia Davenport brought Pittsburgh’s North Side to literary life, featuring the one-time glory of the Victorian residences, without quite completing the architectural or social cycle. Bob carries the whole movement to its realistic conclusion in the song “The Queen Anne Front and the Mary Ann Behind” - a complete commentary on the housing problem. He probably remembered an experience he had had when we were seeking a building to rent for permanent quarters of the Pittsburgh Architectural Club. Bob applied at a pretentious building on the North Side that displayed a “for sale” sign. The door was answered by a rather over-decorated middle-aged woman who showed him up the old circular marble stair and through lavishly upholstered bed rooms. She was uncertain of what Bob was after and Bob gradually became aware that this was not exactly what he was looking for. Years later this, like so many events of his life, blossomed into song. Charles M. Stotz 1949
THE QUEEN ANNE FRONT (AND THE MARY ANN BEHIND) (Robert Schmertz) When Great Grandfather was a gay young blade And great Grandmother was his bride, They found a lot, a very pretty spot, ‘Twas over on the old North Side. It sloped down to the river From River Avenue. Great Grandma said that it would give her Such a lovely view. They took a look in “Godey’s Ladies’ Book” To see what they could find. And they found a house, a jolly little house, With a Queen Anne front and a Mary Ann behind.
Great Grandfather was a handy man
When Great Grandpaw at last was laid away
When Aunt Amanda’s work at last was done
The poor old house got looking worse and worse |
07 Dec 16 - 10:17 AM (#3825048) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: leeneia The song is missing the inevitable next step - gentrification, where yuppies tear out half the walls and replace the painting above the mantel with a flat-screen TV. Then they paint it either all white or all beige. The Onion recently had an article describing what happens to the local businesses: "Gentrified neighborhood consists entirely of cheese shops." That makes sense. All you have to do with cheese is open the package and eat it. (Just like potato chips.) So while you are working long hours to pay for the renovation, your kids can just feed themselves. |
08 Dec 16 - 06:10 PM (#3825349) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer There's an interesting article about Schmertz on the BAAHA Website (Ben Avon [PA] Area Historical Association): BAAHA Links: Robert Schmertz by John Warren This article is the second in a series spotlighting websites which focus on local history, and thus might be interesting to readers of this newsletter. Try to imagine this scene from many years ago. It’s a cool and quiet Sunday evening in Ben Avon. At 6941 Perrysville Avenue, two school-age children – a girl and a boy – have completed their after-dinner chores. Somewhat reluctantly, they head upstairs to get ready for bed. It’s a school night, after all. As they reach the top of the stairs, however, the doorbell rings. The children turn around and peer down to the front door, as their parents open it and greet the visitors. Two men step into the hall, each carrying an instrument case. Recognizing the visitors, the children race to their rooms, jump into their pajamas, and hustle down to sit on the first floor landing. Maybe it is a school night, but this is a special occasion! By that time, their mom has brought out refreshments and their dad has fetched his violin. One visitor lifts an accordion out of its case, and the other begins to tune a banjo. Soon the house is filled with music. About 80 years have passed, but for Marjorie Todd Simonds, a lifelong resident of this community, the memories of evenings like that remain vivid. Her eyes sparkle as she describes how the two men made a point of visiting with her and her brother Jack, telling them stories and singing songs just for them. The man with the accordion was Charles M. Stotz (1898 – 1985), an architect and historian whose impact on historical sites in Western Pennsylvania will be described in a future article. This time around, however, he appears in association with the man with the banjo, who was Robert W. Schmertz (1898 – 1975). John and Marguerite Todd got to know Bob Schmertz through their good friend, Charlie Stotz. Todd and Stotz were active members of the local Cornell University alumni organization. Schmertz taught for 35 years in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Tech (now CMU) and also maintained a substantial private practice. Folks who are familiar with the Ligonier area have probably seen a church that he designed – St. Michael’s of the Valley, Rector, PA. Within architectural circles, and well beyond, he was known for composing and playing songs, many of them associated with Pittsburgh. But many years passed before he could be persuaded to record any of his music, and that only happened when three dozen of his friends passed the hat to cover the cost of a recording session and the pressing of 300 copies of a 78 rpm album. The year was 1949, and a nationwide revival of folk music was underway, led by Pete Seeger and his fellow Weavers. When nationally known folk singers came through Pittsburgh, they would visit with local friends and get to know Bob Schmertz, either in person or through the album. Soon they were including his songs in their concert performances. Burl Ives recorded Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. So did Tennessee Ernie Ford and (many years later) the Statler Brothers. Ives, who recorded several albums of children’s songs, included Angus MacFergus MacTavish Dundee on one of them. Most significantly, Pete Seeger recorded Monongahela Sal and sang it and other Schmertz songs all across the country, identifying the songwriter when he introduced each song. One memorable concert took place in the early Sixties, when Seeger appeared with the American Wind Symphony, performing from their floating stage, tied up along the Allegheny River side of Point State Park. The highlight of the evening came when Seeger asked Schmertz to join him on the stage to sing Monongahela Sal and several other songs. The widespread interest in his music led Schmertz to assemble several friends and two of his children to record albums in 1955, 1959, and 1960. The 1959 album is a collection of the songs that Schmertz wrote to celebrate Pittsburgh’s 200th birthday. They feature such people as George Washington, Christopher Gist, General Forbes, and Queen Alliquippa. This album has now been reissued as a CD by Smithsonian Folkways. To learn more about the albums, and the man who wrote the songs, you can visit the following website that is a tribute to Robert Schmertz. The creator was Ann Shear, whose father was the head of the School of Architecture at Carnegie Tech in the early Fifties. If you read her introduction to the site, you will be struck by the similarity of her memories to those of Marjorie Simonds. Photo courtesy of www.robertschmertz.com
The music of Bob Schmertz can still be heard in the Pittsburgh area. Larry Berger includes Schmertz songs on his ‘Saturday Light Brigade’ program, www.slbradio.org, which is broadcast from a studio in the Children’s Museum. Ann Shear’s tribute website includes the lyrics of 21 of the songs, some with notes by Charlie Stotz on how they came to be written. On the site’s ‘Miscellany’ page is a collection of articles about Bob Schmertz and some of his friends and collaborators. One highlight from that page is ‘The Biggest Living Room in Town’ by Gretchen Haller, which describes Schmertz’s final concert in April 1975, a few weeks before his death. From the concluding paragraph of Gretchen’s article: Since I grew up with Bob Schmertz’s music, I hope you’ll pardon my prejudice. He and his banjo have been frequent visitors to my father’s house and I feel I should thank him for many things. It is through him that I discovered folk music, a bit of architecture and local history, and the artistry of grand old men. It is clear that Gretchen Haller, like Ann Shear and Marjorie Simonds, had special memories to treasure. And, one suspects there are many, many more. As you may know, each issue of the newsletter is posted and available to you at http://www.benavon.com/BAAHA/ our BAAHA website. Thanks to Jeff Cieslak (our webmaster), you can read the newsletter online as an HTML page or display it as a PDF file. The PDF version of the newsletter can also be printed or downloaded. Share it with family and friends, and convince them to join in supporting BAAHA! For these ‘BAAHA Links’ articles, the plan is to collect them on a separate page of the website. Within each article, the links (like the one in the preceding paragraph) will be clickable, so that you can read the text and then visit the website it describes. |
15 Jan 23 - 07:23 PM (#4162605) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: GUEST,Record collection- great grandfather’s copy My dad is moving. He unearthed his dad’s R. W. Schmertz record collection in a pile of old books. It’s a sort of book with 3 records, a Few Words About the Author and his Songs, and the lyrics for 6 songs. I don’t know if any of the records are in good condition because I don’t have a record player to play them. So I looked online to see if I could find some to listen to. There’s not a lot available. I stumbled on this page and thought someone might be interested. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord Nellie of meadow farm The Queen Ann front Spring on the Campus The Palazzo Massimi The cover the the record book is illustrated with pictures for each song. I wish I knew how to upload a picture. Loosely inside the “book” are 2 copies of xerox copied song lyrics for 12 songs. It looks like it was copied from an album, because it references the songs on side one and a songs on side two. Finally there is a smaller sleeve with two copies of the 45rpm record titled “Monongahela Sal and other ballads.” It includes “You Should Read You Gideon Bible,” “Sinner You Won’t Find a Parking Place,” and “Swing Away Pearly Gates.” |
15 Jan 23 - 10:36 PM (#4162616) Subject: RE: Robert Schmertz - songs and information? From: Joe Offer That record album sounds very interesting, but I decided long ago that it was just too much work to try to resurrect old vinyl. I hope somebody preserves your treasure, though. I found a Robert Schmertz album on YouTube. It's titled Ladies Beware of an Architect (Side 1): And don't forget Ladies Beware of an Architect (Side 2): |