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Lyr Req: Rosalie the Prairie Flower (G F Root)

22 Jan 00 - 07:01 PM (#166919)
Subject: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: richardw

Looking for a song called "Rosalie, The Prairie Flower." it is mentioned in the estate papers of a saloon keeper in 1868. Any ideas?

Richard

22 Jan 00 - 08:31 PM (#166946)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: Lesley N.

It goes back to the 1850s and was popularized by the Christy Minstrels. The author on the original music was G.F. Wurzel - a pseudonym for George F. Root. Therefore it might be on Benjamin Tubb's site The Music of the American Civil War (http://pdmusic.org/civilwar.html). Try there, and I'll work on getting the lyrics here as well.

22 Jan 00 - 09:20 PM (#166967)
Subject: Lyr Add: ROSALIE THE PRAIRIE FLOWER (G F Root)
From: Dale Rose

It is a very nice George F. Root song from 1855 or maybe a bit earlier, though I have seen one comment that the words were actually by Fannie Crosby. I'd have to have more than that to substantiate the claim, though. Here is the sheet music at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music: ROSALIE THE PRAIRIE FLOWER and if you are interested in better copies, but have lots of time for them to load, here is the sheet music at Duke.

And, by all means, do visit Benjamin R. Tubb's great music site at http://pdmusic.org/ Here is his George F. Root page of midis and lyrics. Putting in a plug for one of my favorites, do check out his William S. Hayes page, too. Benjamin R. Tubb has put together a wonderful site which helps to keep the old songs alive, and to resurrect some that have been virtually forgotten. We all owe him and others like him (including our own Lesley Nelson) a great debt of gratitude.

Lyrics posted here are borrowed from his site as well.

Rosalie the Prairie Flower
George Frederick Root, 1855

On the distant prairie,
Where the heather wild
In its quiet beauty
Lived and smiled,
Stands a little cottage,
And a creeping vine
Loves around its porch to twine;
In that peaceful dwelling was a lovely child,
With her blue eyes beaming soft and wild,
And the wavy ringlets of her flaxen hair,
Floating in the summer air.

CHORUS
Fair as a lily, joyous and free,
Light of that prairie home was she.
Every one who knew her, felt the gentle power
of Rosalie the prairie flower.

On that distant prairie,
When the days were long,
Tripping like a fairy,
sweet her song,
With the sunny blossoms
And the birds of play,
Beautiful and bright as they;
When the twilight shadows gathered in the west,
And the voice of nature sunk to rest,
Like a cherub kneeling seemed the lovely child,
With her gentle eyes so mild.

CHORUS

But the summer faded,
And a chilly blast,
O'er that happy cottage
swept at last,
When the autumn songbirds
Wake the dewy morn,
Little prairie flower was gone!
For the angels whispered in her ear,
"Child, the Father calls thee; stay not here."
And they gently bore her, robed in spotless white,
To their blissful home of light.

LAST CHORUS
Though we shall never look on her more,
Gone with the love and joy she bore.
Far away she's blooming, in a fadeless bower,
sweet Rosalie the prairie flower.

22 Jan 00 - 09:24 PM (#166971)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: Dale Rose

Oh, Lesley! You can see how long I was looking this up and getting it all put together! Your comment was not there when I got started on this. REALLY!

22 Jan 00 - 09:28 PM (#166972)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: Lesley N.

No problem - happens to me all the time! It's called, "Great minds think alike!"

22 Jan 00 - 09:30 PM (#166973)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: wildlone

Thanks for some great links for me to pass on to my friends in the ACW re-enactment groups here in the UK.

22 Jan 00 - 09:44 PM (#166980)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: Dale Rose

Oh, and Richard, when you get back here, tell us more about the saloon keeper's papers. That sounds like an interesting story, too.

22 Jan 00 - 11:34 PM (#167012)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: richardw

Thanks Lesley and Dale;

That was fast. All I have now for the saloon keeper is a reference. I am going to the archives next week to find the papers and his "clipping of Rosalie. the Prairie Flower." I'll let you know what I find.

Thanks again

Richard

22 Jan 00 - 11:52 PM (#167021)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: richardw

Dale;

Thanks again. Tubbs is a great site. Found Rosalie and another I've been looking for. You seem familiar with the site. What am I doing wrong? When I download I get a .mid file but it will only convert to text . Presumably it is like other .mid files I have, which play. These won't. Am I doing something wrong?

Richard

23 Jan 00 - 12:26 AM (#167029)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: Dale Rose

I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone who knows more. They work fine for me. All I can do with midis is play them. I have had that problem before with RA, but not often. I will pass the word around to a few who might know.

He's got an email link at the bottom of the page. You might try that.

24 Apr 00 - 11:37 PM (#217433)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: Dale Rose

Still looking for your info on the saloon keeper's papers, richard! Did you find out how to play the midi files? I passed your problem on to a couple of others who might know what the problem is.

I am also using this as an excuse to get the info about Benjamin R. Tubb's great site where new Catters might see it. He is continually working on "new" stuff ~~ at the moment I am listening to/reading the lyrics for The Grave of Gentle Annie, William S Hays, 1858, added on April 20.

26 Apr 00 - 11:09 AM (#218277)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Rosalie, The Prairie Flower
From: richardw

Dale;

Yes , I found the papers. Didn't amount to much as there were no other songs. The words of Rosalie the Prairie Flower were on a well-worn song sheet, 6 x 9, which due to it's poor condition I did not copy. It did show that the song was known and likely sung here in the early 1860s.

Yes, I was able to play the mdi finally, after a long session over preferences. The song is a good one. We will likely record it on Volume 2 of our Frontier series, Songs from the BC Goldrush years.

Tubb's site is great. I find it very useful and he is doing a great service to old music.

Cheers

Richard