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Alfred Baldwin Sloane

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Alfred Baldwin Sloane, published in 1906.

Alfred Baldwin Sloane, often given as A. Baldwin Sloane, (28 August 1872, Baltimore – 21 February 1925, Red Bank, New Jersey) was the most prolific songwriter for Broadway musical comedies in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.[1][2] Despite his output and success during his lifetime, none of his music has had enduring popularity.[1] Two of his most popular songs were "When You Ain't Got No Money You Needn't Come Around" and "Coming Through the Rye".[3] His most successful hit tune was “Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl" which was first performed by Marie Dressler in the 1910 show Tillie's Nightmare.[1]

Early Life in Baltimore

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Alfred Baldwin Sloane was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 28, 1872.[4] He was the son of Francis James Sloane and Emma Sloane (née Baldwin);[5] both of whom came from families with musical heritage.[6] His first music lessons were from his mother,[7] and he also studied privately with music teachers in his native city.[8] Despite the strong music background of his parents, they strongly objected to him pursuing a career in music.[6]

Sloane was educated in the Baltimore City Public School System.[9] His parents wished him to pursue a career in business,[10] and in his youth he worked in his native city as an apprentice at a wholesale dry goods dealer. He lost his job there after spending most of his time at work surreptitiously composing music on boxes and other miscellaneous items.[6] He also worked nights as an usher at the Academy of Music,[7] and spent some time as the secretary for a company managing a Baltimore cemetery.[6][10]

Sloane's interest in lyric theatre led him to take a leading role in the founding of an amateur dramatic group in Baltimore, the Paint and Powder Club (PPC).[11][12] The club originally began in 1892 at the Maryland Banjo and Mandolin Club with Sloane, Harry Price, Rowland West, and Reece Cassard as its founding members. The club expanded its scope and was transformed into the PPC not long after.[7] Sloane's first songs were written for amateur productions in Baltimore with this group.[8] His first score was written the PPC's production Mustapha;[12] an opera for which Sloane wrote both the music and libretto.[7] It was given its premiere in February 1894 at Ford's Grand Opera House with Sloane himself portraying the title role of the Turkish sultan.[13][14]

One of Sloane's first songs, "While Strolling Through the Forrest", was published in 1894.[9] In 1895 he ended his connection with the PPC, and founded another amateur Baltimore performing group, the Rouge et Blanc Club.[7] He wrote his second stage work for this group, the burlesque Midas, which was given its premiere at Albaugh's Lyceum Theatre on 5 February 1895 with Sloane once again portraying the title role.[15][12] His brother, Francis James Sloane Jr., was also in the cast in the role of Antinous.[15]

New York composer

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A. Baldwin Sloane and Robert Barnet during rehearsals of Jack and the Beanstalk in 1896.

Sloane moved to New York City not long after the premiere of Midas in Baltimore in 1895.[7] The theatre impresario Edward E. Rice caught a performance of the work while in Baltimore with a touring show he was producing, Robert Barnet's 1492.[12] Impressed by what he heard,[12] he met with Sloane and bought the rights to Midas from him.[16] A number of his songs form this work were interpolated into Rice's next musical Excelsior, Jr..[12] These included the songs "The Alpine Horn", "Grandpa's Hat", "Hush, Silence", "I Love You Evaline; I'm a Very Fly Conductor", and "My Little Sunday Girl" among others.[17]

The success of Excelsior, Jr., first in Boston and later on Broadway, launched Sloane's career in the New York theatre scene.[12] His first original score for the Broadway stage was in 1896 with the musical Jack and the Beanstalk;[8] a work which featured several well known fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters.[18] It too used lyrics by Barnet and was mounted at the Casino Theatre by producers Klaw and Erlanger.[12] The work was very successful financially between its run in New York and a subsequent national tour, and significantly raised the profile and popularity of actress Madge Lessing in the title role of Jack.[19]

In New York, Sloane quickly adapted his compositional style to what was then the current trend of the Tin Pan Alley publishing houses; a shift which enabled him to be gainfully employed by having his songs interpolated into shows both on the musical stage and in vaudeville.[11] These included several songs by Sloane incorporated into the musical Papa's Wife (1899) which starred Anna Held.[12] His first big hit was the 1898 song "When You Ain't Got No Money, (Well You Needn't Come Round)" which was popularized on the stage by May Irwin.[9] His biggest success as a songwriter was the tune "Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl," which Marie Dressler introduced in Tillie's Nightmare (1910), but none of his songs found enduring popularity.[8]

In 1900 he married Mae Auwerda.[20] His most successful work as a composer in terms of quality was The Mocking Bird (1902).[8]

After 1912, Sloane's composition output declined as he embarked on a second successful career as an exhibition dancer.[12] He did provide much of the music for the 1919 and 1920 Greenwich Village Follies. He wrote one of his musicals, Lady Teazle, for Lillian Russell when she was at the height of her national popularity. His last score, for the 1925 Broadway production China Rose, was in production at the time of his death. China Rose had been produced in Boston, by Christmas Eve, 1924.[21]

While in the home of his daughter, Mrs. June H. Brackett, Alfred Baldwin Sloane died of heart disease at the age of 52 in Red Bank, New Jersey on 21 February 1925.[22][23]

At the time of his death, Sloane was the president of Composers' Publishing Company and vice president of Authors and Composers Publishing Company.[7]

He was a member of The Lambs, the Green Room Club, and Old Strollers.

Musicals and operettas with scores by Sloane

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Louis Benton as Queen of tbe Fairies in The Strange Adventures of Jack and the Beanstalk (1896).[24]
Still from "The Gingerbread Man" 1909 production, Seattle, WA
0–9
Work Type Year Premiere Music Libretto/Book/Lyrics Notes Reference
Mustapha operetta in two acts 1894 Baltimore: Ford's Grand Opera House, February 5, 1894 Sloane Libretto by Sloane Performed by the Pain and Powder Club [12][25]
Midas operatic burlesque in three acts 1895 Baltimore: Albaugh's Lyceum Theatre, February 5, 1895 Sloane Libretto by Sloane Performed by the Rouge et Blanc Club. Toured by them to the National Theatre, Washington, D.C.. [15][12][26]
The Strange Adventures of Jack and the Beanstalk
(also known as Jack and the Beanstalk) 		"fairy extravaganza in three acts" 1896 New Haven, Connecticut: Hyperion Theater, October 26, 1896 Sloane Libretto by Robert Barnet Production moved to Broadway's Casino Theatre where it opened on November 2, 1896. It subsequently had a successful tour. [27][12][28][29][19]
Simple Simon burlesque 1897 Boston: Tremont Theatre, February 8, 1897 Sloane and George Lowell Tracy Libretto by Robert Barnet Performed by The Cadets [12][30][31]
The Marquis of Michigan musical farce in three acts 1897 Washington, D.C.: Columbia Theatre, August 2, 1897 Sloane book and lyrics by Glen MacDonough and Edward W. Townsend Performed at the Collingwood Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York and elsewhere before arriving at Broadway's Bijou Theatre on September 21, 1898 [32][12][33]
The Queen's Fan operetta in one act 1899 New York City: Proctor's Twenty-Third Street Theatre, March 6, 1899 Sloane libretto by George Totten Smith The production starred a group of three performers known as the Dresden Trio and toured the United States in performances at theaters owned by Benjamin Franklin Keith. [34][12][35][36]
Broadway to Tokio musical in three acts 1900 Broadway: New York Theatre, January 23, 1900 Sloane lyrics and book by George V. Hobart and Louis Harrison Ended its Broadway run at the Olympia Theatre on April 7, 1900 after 88 performances. The production then toured to Philadelphia, Boston, and Brooklyn. [37][38] [39][40][41][42]
Aunt Hannah musical in three acts 1900 Broadway: Bijou Theatre, February 22, 1900 Sloane lyrics by Clay M. Greene; book by Matthew J. Royal Ended its Broadway run at the Bijou Theatre on March 10, 1900 after 21 performances. [43][44][45]
A Million Dollars musical in three acts 1900 Broadway: New York Theatre, September 27, 1900 Sloane lyrics by George V. Hobart; book co-authored by Hobart and Louis Harrison Ended its Broadway run on October 20, 1900 after 28 performances. [46][47]
Nell-Go-In "bill of a burlesque, ballet, and vaudeville in three acts" 1900 Broadway: New York Theatre, October 31, 1900 Sloane lyrics and book by George V. Hobart Ended its Broadway run on November 17, 1900 after 25 performances. [48][49]
Madge Smith, Attorney musical play in three acts 1900 Broadway: Bijou Theatre, December 10, 1900 Sloane, Dave Reed, Francis Bryant, Ernest Hogan, Theodore H. Northrup, and James O'Dea book by Ramsay Morris; lyrics by many authors Transferred to the Grand Opera House in Manhattan where it ended its New York run in March 1901 after 46 performances. [50] [51]
After Office Hours 1900 December 24, 1900 Sloane Closed May 11, 1901 Staged with The Giddy Throng [52][53][54]
The Giddy Throng 1900 December 24, 1900 Sloane Closed May 11, 1901 Staged with After Office Hours [52][53][54]
In A Japanese Garden musical in one act 1901 Broadway: Casino Theatre, May 3, 1901 Sloane lyrics and book by William Gill [52]
The King's Carnival musical burlesque in two acts 1901 Broadway: New York Theatre, May 13, 1901 Sloane lyrics and book by Sydney Rosenfeld Broadway production closed on October 12, 1901 after a total of 102 performances [55][56]
Fun on the Beach musical in one act 1901 Broadway: Cherry Blossom Grove, August 4, 1901 Sloane lyrics and book by George V. Hobart [52]
The Supper Club musical in three acts 1901 Broadway: Winter Garden Theatre, December 23, 1901 Sloane, Mae Anwerda Sloane, J. Rosamond Johnson, Robert Cole, Ben Jerome, William Penn, Will D. Cobb and Gus Edwards book by Sydney Rosenfeld; lyrics by Sydney Rosenfeld, A. Baldwin Sloane, Mae Anwerda Sloane, J. Rosamond Johnson, Robert Cole, Ben Jerome, William Penn, Will D. Cobb and Gus Edwards Broadway production closed on January 25, 1902 after 40 performances [57]
The Hall of Fame musical in three acts 1902 Broadway: New York Theatre, February 5, 1902 Sloane lyrics by George V. Hobart; book by Sydney Rosenfeld Broadway production closed on June 4, 1902 after 137 performances [58][59]
The Belle of Broadway musical in one act followed by a vaudeville program 1902 Broadway: New York Winter Garden Theatre, March 15, 1902 Sloane lyrics by George V. Hobart; book by William H. Post Broadway production closed on March 29, 1902 after 17 performances [60]

New York productions

Chicago

Atlantic City

  • Li'l Mose, music by Sloane; lyrics and book by Owen Davis and George Totten Smith; April 20, 1908[98]

Milwaukee

Musicals and operettas with interpolated music by Sloane

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Filmography

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Soundtrack

  • 1952: Somebody Loves Me, Toddling the Todalo lyrics by Sloane
  • 1940: Strike Up the Band, Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl, music & lyrics by Sloane (uncredited)
  • 1939: Frontier Marshal Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl, music & lyrics by Sloan (uncredited)

Writer

Self

Selected sheet music

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William Pilling, New York (publisher)

M. Witmark & Sons

  • Susie, Mah Sue, music & lyrics by Sloane (lyricist) (1900) – from the musical Broadway to Tokio
  • Lazy Bill, A Volunteer Of Rest, music by Sloane, lyrics by Glen MacDonough (1897) - from the musical The Marquis of Michigan

Joseph W. Stern & Co., New York

  • There's a Little Street in Heaven That They Call Broadway, lyrics by James T. Waldron & Sloane, music by Sloane (1903) OCLC 26005231

Charles K. Harris, Chicago

The Gingerbread Man (musical)
Book & lyrics by Frederic Ranken, music by Sloane (1905)

Family

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He married Lucille Mae Auwerda in Manhattan on February 15, 1900. They had one daughter – June Augusta Sloane (1901–1984) – who married Isaac Hosford Brackett (1901–1976).

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Bordman & Hischak 2004, p. 577.
  2. ^ Hischak 2015, p. 570.
  3. ^ "A. Baldwin Sloane, Musical Comedy Composer, Dies". The Atlanta Constitution. February 22, 1925. p. 16A.
  4. ^ "Sloane, Alfred Baldwin". Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912–1976 – A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Directors, Playwrights, and Producers of the English-Speaking Theatre. Vol. IV. Detroit: Gale Research. 1978. pp. 2206–2207.
  5. ^ Knox 1918, p. 986.
  6. ^ a b c d Austin & Browne 1906, p. 204.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "A. Baldwin Sloane". Musical America. 41 (19): 47. February 28, 1925.
  8. ^ a b c d e Gerald Bordman (2002). "Sloane, A(lfred) Baldwin". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.47018.
  9. ^ a b c Ewen 1962, p. 156.
  10. ^ a b Briscoe 1907, p. 192.
  11. ^ a b Bordman & Norton 2010, p. 172.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Gänzl 2001, p. 1878.
  13. ^ "Paint and Powder Club: The First Performance of a New Organization". The Baltimore Sun. February 6, 1894. p. 8.
  14. ^ "The History of the Paint and Powder Company". The Paint and Powder Club of Baltimore City: 11. April 20, 1908.
  15. ^ a b c "Midas, A Burlesque". The Baltimore Sun. February 6, 1895. p. 8.
  16. ^ "Maryland Affairs". The Democratic Advocate. January 12, 1895. p. 2.
  17. ^ a b c Bloom 1996, p. 299.
  18. ^ Bordman & Hischak 2004, p. 571.
  19. ^ a b Barnet 2004, pp. 90–98.
  20. ^ "A. Baldwin Sloane". Variety. LXXVIII (2): 35. February 25, 1925.
  21. ^ "Christmas Eve". Boston Herald. December 23, 1924. p. 6.
  22. ^ Spillane, J.B., ed. (March 15, 1925). "Alfred Baldwin Sloane, Noted Composer, Dies". The Talking Machine World. XXI (3): 181.
  23. ^ "Rusty Lyre Muted, Alfred Sloane Dies". Dallas Morning News. February 23, 1925. p. 1A.
  24. ^ Barnet 2004, p. 90.
  25. ^ "Paint and Powder Club: The First Performance of a New Organization". The Baltimore Sun. February 6, 1894. p. 8.
  26. ^ "Amusements". Washington Evening Star. February 19, 1895. p. 12.
  27. ^ "Entertainments: Hyperion". New Haven Daily Morning Journal And Courier. October 26, 1896. p. 7.
  28. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 554.
  29. ^ "The Strange Adventures of Jack and the Beanstalk; 1898 program". Library of Congress. 1898. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  30. ^ "Sloane's New Extravaganza". The Prince Georges Enquirer And Southern Maryland Advertiser. February 12, 1897. p. 2.
  31. ^ Barnet 2004, p. 103.
  32. ^ "Amusements: The Marquis of Michigan". The Morning Times. August 3, 1897. p. 5.
  33. ^ "SAM BERNARD AS A STAR.; His Success at Poughkeepsie in "The Marquis of Michigan."". The New York Times. August 27, 1898. p. 7.
  34. ^ "Notes of the Stage". New York Tribune. March 5, 1899. p. 47.
  35. ^ "Keith's Theatre". Philadelphia Times. April 16, 1899. p. 22.
  36. ^ "Keith's Theatre". The Boston Post. April 25, 1899. p. 5.
  37. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 5-6.
  38. ^ "DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL; Another Big Spectacle Produced at the New York Theatre. MUSIC HEARD YESTERDAY "Broadway to Tokio" Is Lively and Splendid". The New York Times. January 24, 1900. p. 7.
  39. ^ "The Stage: The Call Boys Chat". Philadelphia Inquirer. April 15, 1900. p. 28.
  40. ^ "Theatrical Matters". The Boston Post. April 23, 1900. p. 5.
  41. ^ "Ballet and Music: Gorgeous Presentation of Broadway to Tokio". The Boston Globe. May 9, 1900. p. 3.
  42. ^ "The Amphion". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 24, 1900. p. 10.
  43. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 9-10.
  44. ^ Mantle & Sherwood 1944, p. 363.
  45. ^ "Musical and Dramatic: A New Musical Farce". The New York Times. February 23, 1900. p. 7.
  46. ^ Mantle & Sherwood 1944, p. 372.
  47. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 30.
  48. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 789.
  49. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 39.
  50. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 682.
  51. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 47–48.
  52. ^ a b c d Gänzl 2001, p. 1879.
  53. ^ a b Bloom 1996, p. 7.
  54. ^ a b Dietz 2022, p. 48.
  55. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 593.
  56. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 64-66.
  57. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 86.
  58. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 93–94.
  59. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 439.
  60. ^ Dietz 2022, pp. 99–100.
  61. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 743.
  62. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 129.
  63. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 143.
  64. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 995.
  65. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 205.
  66. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 208.
  67. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 614.
  68. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 266.
  69. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 331-332.
  70. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 338.
  71. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 991.
  72. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 361.
  73. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 732.
  74. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 404.
  75. ^ Bloom 1996, pp. 911–912.
  76. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 6.
  77. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 20.
  78. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 1081.
  79. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 24.
  80. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 469.
  81. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 62.
  82. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 104.
  83. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 491.
  84. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 138.
  85. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 442.
  86. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 162.
  87. ^ a b Bloom 1996, p. 960.
  88. ^ a b Dietz 2021, p. 188.
  89. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 1082.
  90. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 191.
  91. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 607.
  92. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 451.
  93. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 425.
  94. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 426.
  95. ^ Dietz 2019, p. 244.
  96. ^ Dietz 2019, p. 346.
  97. ^ a b Bloom 1996, p. 19.
  98. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 635.
  99. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 654.
  100. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 1070.
  101. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 186.
  102. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 78.
  103. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 630.
  104. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 82.
  105. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 166-167.
  106. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 190-191.
  107. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 936.
  108. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 198.
  109. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 385.
  110. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 396.
  111. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 959.
  112. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 371.
  113. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 3.
  114. ^ Dietz 2022, p. 420.
  115. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 308.
  116. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 84.
  117. ^ Dietz 2021, p. 92.
  118. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 466.
  119. ^ Bloom 1996, pp. 307–308.
  120. ^ Bloom 1996, p. 1025.

Bibliography

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