"Juanita" ("Nita Juanita") is a love song variously subtitled "A Spanish Ballad", "A Song of Spain", and others. "Juanita" was number two of a six song collection entitled Songs of Affection published December 1853 by Chappell & Co. and composed by noted Victorian society figure and social reformer Caroline Norton. ''Juanita'' was the first

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

by a woman composer to achieve massive sales, and its original setting (for a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

) has been seen to be subtly subversive of

gender roles A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

(as the woman singing the song is taking the part of the wooing lover), a topic of some significance to Mrs. Norton. As composing was seen as a masculine occupation, it was typical to borrow or adapt the melodies. The opening four-bar phrase of the song is taken from

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's aria ''

Lascia ch'io pianga "" ( en, "Let me weep"), originally "Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa" ( en, "Leave the Thorn, Take the Rose"), is an Italian-language soprano aria by composer George Frideric Handel that has become a popular concert piece. History Its melody is f ...

'' from the opera ''

Rinaldo Rinaldo may refer to: *Renaud de Montauban (also spelled Renaut, Renault, Italian: Rinaldo di Montalbano, Dutch: Reinout van Montalbaen, German: Reinhold von Montalban), a legendary knight in the medieval Matter of France * Rinaldo (''Jerusalem Lib ...

'', although the subsequent melody differs from that of the aria. The name of the song is derived from the refrains: "Juanita" appears in numerous songbooks and has been recorded many times. Early successes were by Frank C. Stanley (1905) and by Emilio de Gogorza in 1919. The song was included in the

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

and

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who pl ...

album '' Memory Songs'' (1955). A crowd of picnickers sings the song, near the 41-minute mark, in the 1955 film ''

Picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...

included the song (as 'My Juanita') in his album ''Girls I Have Known'' (1958) and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

featured the song in a medley on his album '' 101 Gang Songs'' (1961).

References

Bibliography *Metropolitan Quartette (1909)
"Juanita" mp3

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
'. University of California, Santa Barbara *Morgan and Stanley (1905)
"Juanita" mp3

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project
'. University of California, Santa Barbara *Norton, Mrs. "Juanita" (sheet music). Boston: Oliver Ditson (1885).

External links

1858 Juanita sheet music with piano arrangement
1855 songs American popular music {{song-stub