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Get ready for the most amazing harmonies and most intricately arranged ragtime
vocals you have ever heard. Here, for the first time ever, are the complete
releases by the first supergroup of the acoustic recording industry. The Heidelberg
Quintet combined the singular talents of the hottest star of the day, Billy
Murray, with a top-notch performer whose fame was rapidly growing because of
the amazing high notes he could reach with his natural voice—Will Oakland.
Together with seasoned veterans John Bieling, Steve Porter, and William F.
Hooley, these singers laid down harmonies that latter-day barbershop quartets
dream of!
Roots in the Minstrel Stage
Will Oakland and Richard Jose were the most famous countertenors of a century
ago, and they were already a dying breed. Both performed in minstrel shows,
arousing wonder among audiences by the peculiar beauty of their high registers.
Oakland was with the Cohan and Harris minstrels, and he is reputed to have
discovered Al Jolson on one of his early tours with the troupe. Word got
around quickly that Oakland was a sensation, and he began recording for Edison
in 1908, performing tear-jerker sentimental ballads like "Just
Before the Battle, Mother" and "White Wings," which were his typical
fare on stage. Two such numbers, "In the Gloaming" and "Stick to Your Mother,
Tom," Oakland recorded with the American Quartet before the group formally
coalesced into the Heidelberg Quintet. These two beautiful renditions open
our CD.
An Historic New Experiment
Recording executives must have liked what they heard and decided to try something
new: a quintet with carefully arranged parts to take advantage of Oakland's
unique gifts while still allowing Murray to shine through. Thus, in July
1912, the Heidelberg's first offering was "Under the Love Tree." The difference
is apparent; no longer do we have a lead singer who is "decorated" by the
back-up quartet. Instead, we have an intricately designed vocal arrangement
with beautiful textures, harmonic coloring, and spacing. No serious attempts
at recording a quintet had been made to this date (other than one cylinder
for Edison by the Knickerbocker Quintet), making the achievements by the
Heidelberg Quintet truly momentous in the history of popular vocal recording.
Ragtime Arrangements
With the help of ragtime composer George Botsford ("Black and White Rag," "The
Grizzly Bear,") soon the Heidelberg Quintet was recording the catchiest—and
most demanding—vocal ragtime of the period. Songs like "I
Want to Love You While the Music's Playing," "Ragtime
Regiment Band," and "Floating
Down the River on the Alabam'" are ragtime masterpieces. But even on traditional
material, such as "Emmett's Lullaby," the
Heidelberg left their distinctive stamp.
Lazy Days on the River, Fun in the Sun
Owing to Oakland's vaudeville commitments, the Heidelberg Quintet made records
only during the late spring and summer of 1912, 1913, and 1914. The music
echoes the season. The themes center around languorous days in the old South,
nights underneath the June moon, or trips to the sea. The group's two most
popular songs, "By the Beautiful
Sea" and "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee," are just this sort of song.
You will want to grab your beach towel and boom box and head off to where
the water flows!
Fans of ragtime and barbershop quartets, take note: Floating Down the River
by the Heidelberg Quintet is a must-have CD for your collection. It represents
a "missing piece" in understanding and appreciating the story of recorded ragtime.
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