Dominic Vautier 2/22/2012
This piece was the product of Harry Von Tilzer, the most successful songwriter of early 19th century music.
When he arrived in New York around 1892 (according to Harry that is), he had $1.65 in cash and lots of songs in his head. He first worked at Tony Pastor's Vaudeville theater as a piano player and songwriter for six years. According to his own estimate, this guy wrote no less than 3000 songs during this early period. That's a lot of music. Hmmm. In 1898 Harry's career hit gold when he did a song about Dewey’s victory at Manila Bay called My Old Hampshire Home.
On the strength of this two million smash success he was able to join the music publishing firm of Shapiro, Bernstein & Von Tilzer, and by 1902 he ran his own publishing firm. Seven of the top-ranking songs that year were composed and published by this talented burlesque piano player who had a great gift for melody and an unerring knowledge of songs the country would like.
It was in 1900 that Harry composed his "Bird Cage" song that was intended as a joke, a put down of the "tearjerker" genre. Bird in a Gilded Cage turned the music industry on its ear much like Heartbreak Hotel did in 1955.
Harry Von Tilzer followed his astounding success two years later with this sequel which also enjoyed million copy success. The team of Lamb-Von Tilzer also had several other big hits.
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