Oscar Rasbach (August 2, 1888 – March 23, 1975) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

and

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 Defi ...

and

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

art songs An art song is a Western world, Western vocal music Musical composition, composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical music, classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is ...

and works for

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Biography

Oscar was born in Kentucky, but studied "academic subjects in Los Angeles". He also studied music with Ludwig Thomas, Julius Albert Jahn, José Anderson, and A. J. Stamm. He became a businessman, but went to

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to study

with

Theodor Leschetizky Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky, pl, Teodor Leszetycki; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915 was an Austrian-Polish pianist, professor, and composer born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land of ...

and

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

with Hans Thorton. He returned to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1911 and settled in

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...

. There he worked as a pianist, accompanist, teacher, and choral director. His obituary in the local news and the ''Musical Times'' claimed that he was a founding member of

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

, but the 1966

Dictionary says that he joined in 1932.

Music

Rasbach composed two

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

s, around 20 published songs, solos for student pianists, and a few arrangements and instrumental pieces. His most important musical composition was his 1922 setting of ''Trees'', the popular poem by

Joyce Kilmer Alfred Joyce Kilmer (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an American writer and poet mainly remembered for a short poem titled "Trees" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in 1914. Though a prolific poet who ...

, published by G. Schirmer. It was performed and recorded by many important singers of the 20th century, such as

Ernestine Schumann-Heink Ernestine Schumann-Heink (15 June 186117 November 1936) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American operatic dramatic contralto of German Bohemian descent. She was noted for the flexibility and wide range of her voice. Early life She was born Ernest ...

John Charles Thomas John Charles Thomas (September 6, 1891December 13, 1960) was an American opera, operetta and concert baritone. Biography John Charles Thomas was born on September 6, 1891 in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. He was the son of a Methodist minister of ...

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclub ...

Robert Merrill Robert Merrill (June 4, 1917 – October 23, 2004) was an American operatic baritone and actor, who was also active in the musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting an ...

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor and film actor. Early life Richard Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to Elisabeth Seifferth (née Denemy), a widow and an actress who played soubrette roles at the local theat ...

and

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

. More recently, tenor

John Aler John Aler (October 4, 1949 – December 10, 2022) was an American lyric tenor who performed in concerts, recitals, and operas. He was particularly known for his interpretations of the works of Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, and Handel. Bi ...

recorded it on a program entitled ''Songs we Forgot to Remember'', and

Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julian ...

included an instrumental version for cello and piano on his

Unexpected Songs ''Unexpected Songs'' is a 2006 album by Julian Lloyd Webber. Track listing # "Star of the County Down"/"Lady D'Arbanville" by Cat Stevens/Trad. arr. Chowhan # "Oblivion" by Ástor Piazzolla arr. Lenehan # "Marble Halls" by Michael Balfe # "Prelu ...

cd.

Musical compositions

Songs for voice and piano

*April (text by Elsie M. Fowler), 1932 *Beloved (text by Josephine Johnson), 1941 *Crossing the Bar (text by

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

), 1939 *Debt (text by

Sara Teasdale Sara Teasdale (August 8, 1884January 29, 1933) was an American lyric poet. She was born Sarah Trevor Teasdale in St. Louis, Missouri, and used the name Sara Teasdale Filsinger after her marriage in 1914. In 1918 she won a Pulitzer Prize for her ...

), 1926 *Discovery (text by Gilean Douglas), 1945 *The Eagle, (text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson), unpublished manuscript *Gifts (text by Juliana Horatia Ewing), 1930 *The Greater Thing (text by C.T. Davis), 1941 *The Laughing Brook (text by Elizabeth Ellis Scantlebury), 1926, B.F. Wood Music Co. publisher *The Look (text by

), 1925 *Love Shall Light the Haven (Prothalamium) (text by Leigh Hanes), 1936 *Motherhood *Mountains (text by Leigh Hanes), 1930 *Overtones (text by

William Alexander Percy William Alexander Percy (May 14, 1885 – January 21, 1942), was a lawyer, planter, and poet from Greenville, Mississippi. His autobiography ''Lanterns on the Levee'' (Knopf 1941) became a bestseller. His father LeRoy Percy was the last United ...

), 1929 *Prelude in March (text by Gilean Douglas), 1941 *Promise, 1932 *The Redwoods (text by J. B. Strauss), 1937, Sherman, Clay & Co. publisher *

Trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

(text by

), 1922 *A Wanderer's Song (text by

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ''The Box of Delights'', and the poem ...

) *When I am dead, my dearest (text by

Christina Rossetti Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romantic, devotional and children's poems, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well known in Brit ...

), 1941

Piano solo

*Barefoot Boy, 1939 *Day Dreams, 1938, Willis Music publisher (John Thompson's students series for the piano) *El Burrito, 1941 *Étude Mélodique, 1946 *Evening at Padua Hills, 1939 *Folk-Song Sonatinas (In Colonial Days, etc.), 1943 *From 'way Down South (Turkey in the Straw), 1934 *The Old Mill Wheel, 1934 *Pleading, 1934 *Scherzo, 1921 *Spanish Nights, 1934 *Tango, 1936 *Valse Charlene, 1936 *Valse Elaine, 1938 *The Village Blacksmith, 1939 *Waltz Improvisation *Wishing *Woods at Night, 1938

Musical arrangements

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(

Emmanuel Chabrier Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier (; 18 January 184113 September 1894) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and pianist. His Bourgeoisie, bourgeois family did not approve of a musical career for him, and he studied law in Paris and then worked ...

), for piano solo *Sigh No More, Ladies (James H. Rogers/Shakespeare), for women's chorus, 1959 *The Skaters (

Emil Waldteufel Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...

), for piano solo, 1941 *Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State! (text by

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

) ( Engelbert Humperdinck, "Abends, will ich schlafen gehn" from Hansel and Gretel), for women's chorus, 1943 *You and You (

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...

, ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original ...

''), for piano solo

Other works

*''Dawn Boy'', Indian Operetta in 2 Acts and 3 Scenes (book and lyrics by C. Allen), 1933 *Gifts, violin and piano *''Open House'', operetta *Songs Without Words, string ensemble with piano (arr. by Louis Hintze), 1937

Filmography

His song ''Trees'' was used in 10 film and television productions:IMDb web site *''The In-Laws'', 1979 (uncredited) *''All in the Family'' (TV series), "The Bunkers Go West", 1978 (uncredited) *''Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall'' (TV series), Episode dated 21 March 1959 (uncredited) *''Melody Time'', 1948 *''Blondie in Society'', 1941 *''Woman Chases Man'', 1937 (uncredited) *''Toyland Broadcast'' (short), 1934 (uncredited) *''The Tree's Knees'' (short), 1931 *''Dorothy Whitmore'' (short), 1928 *''Mme. Ernestine Schumann-Heink'' (short), 1927

Footnotes

References

* *. * *http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0711017/ * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rasbach, Oscar People from Dayton, Kentucky Songwriters from Kentucky 1888 births 1975 deaths People from San Marino, California Songwriters from California