Lewis F. Muir, born Louis Meuer (May 30, 1883 – December 3, 1915) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

pianist.

Biography

Originally a millinery peddler, Muir started as a pianist in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

cafes and played in the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. He moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

in 1910. His first published composition was "Play That Barber-Shop Chord" from 1910.

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

entertainer

Bert Williams Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as bein ...

used the song in his shows. Other compositions published by Muir in 1910–1911 include "Oh, You Bear Cat Rag", "The Matrimony Rag" and "When Ragtime Rosie Ragged the Rosary". In 1912, he collaborated with

Maurice Abrahams Maurice Abrahams (March 18, 1883 – April 13, 1931) was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century. Biography Abrahams was born in Odessa, Russia, and emigrated to the US as a child i ...

in composing music for the song

Ragtime Cowboy Joe Ragtime Cowboy Joe is a popular western swing song. The lyrics were written by Grant Clarke and the music was composed by Lewis F. Muir and Maurice Abrahams. It was copyrighted and published in 1912 by F.A. Mills. Artists The song has been ...

. Journalist L. Wolfe Gilbert criticized Muir's use of the Catholic

rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or ...

in the name of a ragtime piece, which he considered sacrilegious. Muir confronted Gilbert in person and, after a heated argument, challenged Gilbert to write a song with him. The result was a romantic song called "Do You Feel It in the Air?" and " Waiting For The Robert E. Lee", the latter becoming the best-known title written by either man. This version of events is somewhat contradicted by Gilbert himself, who said in an interview: " One day I was given a chance to write some stuff for the Clipper, which assured me of my room rent. About this time I met Lew Muir, and he asked me why his songs did not "get over." I told him I thought they were too clever for the average theatre audience. He asked me if I would write some songs with him, but I couldn't see any money in them and refused. Later he brought me a melody that I liked and I took a chance on it and made a few dollars, and shortly after we turned out the ' Robert E. Lee. ' After that everything was plain sailing." Muir composed productively in 1912–1913 and travelled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

with pianist Pete Wendling to play ragtime in the

Oxford Theatre Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. He also collaborated with Italian composer

Ruggero Leoncavallo Ruggero (or Ruggiero) Leoncavallo ( , , ; 23 April 18579 August 1919) was an Italian opera composer and librettist. Although he produced numerous operas and other songs throughout his career it is his opera ''Pagliacci'' (1892) that remained hi ...

. In 1914 published "Camp Meeting Band," "Buy a Bale of Cotton for Me," "I Had a Gal, I Had a Pal" and "Mooching Along". Lewis F. Muir died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

on December 3, 1915, at the age of 32.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muir, Lewis F. American male composers American composers American pianists Ragtime pianists American male pianists 1883 births 1915 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in the United States