Oscar Seagle (October 31, 1877 – December 19, 1945) was a prominent musician and music teacher active in the early 20th century. He founded the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake, New York.

Early life

He was born on October 31, 1877 on

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. He studied music in Paris, France with

Jean De Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

Musical career

Oscar Seagle was a renowned

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

during the early 20th century. He toured the United States and Europe, with performances at Carnegie Hall, in Minnesota, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, etc. He recorded songs for

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. His performances were booked by Winton & Livingston. In 1915, Seagle founded the Seagle Music Colony. The colony moved to its current location in the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...

when Seagle purchased property there in 1922. Seagle's summer musical school expanded due to demand in 1923. He employed well-known operatic instructors from Europe, including Beatrice LaPalme and Salvatore Isorel. In 1918, he recorded "

Dear Old Pal of Mine Dear Old Pal of Mine is a World War I song written by Harold Robe and Gitz Rice. The song was first published in 1916 by G. Ricordi & Co. in New York, NY. Irish tenor John McCormack earned the nickname the "Singing Prophet of Victory" by popul ...

". His other hits with the Columbia Stellar Quartette included " There's a Long, Long Trail", "

Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and Smile, Smile, Smile" is the full name of a World War I marching song, published in 1915 in London. It was written by Welsh songwriter George Henry Powell under the pseudonym of "George Asaf", and s ...

", and " The Old Folks at Home". Seagle also recorded the following ballads: " Deep River" in 1917 with Columbia, "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired" in 1917 with Columbia, and "

Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is an African-American spiritual song that originated during the period of slavery but was not published until 1867. The song is well known and many cover versions of it have been done by artists such as Mar ...

" in 1918 with Columbia. He studied music under

Jean de Reszke Jean de Reszke (14 January 18503 April 1925) was a Polish tenor and opera star. Reszke came from a musically inclined family. His mother gave him his first singing lessons and provided a home that was a recognized music centre. His sister Josep ...

in Paris and sang there for several years. He then returned to the United States in 1921. He recorded a cover of the song "

Calling Me Home to You "Calling Me Home To You" is an American song written by Edward Teschemacher and composed by Francis Dorel. The song was first recorded on May 31, 1916, by Alfred De Manby, a baritone vocalist, for Columbia Records. Recording and commercial succ ...

" in March 1918, which had previously been recorded by John McCormack. Seagle's rendition charted at #4 on the US charts. Other songs recorded by Seagle for use by educators include: " Smilin' Through", "Can't Yo Heah Me Callin' Caroline", "Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming", "

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" is a song written circa 1878 by James A. Bland (1854–1911), an African-American composer and minstrel performer. It was Virginia's state song from 1940 until 1997. There is some evidence suggesting that it i ...

", "The Banks of the Daisies. My Love's an Arbutus", "The Meeting of the Waters", "

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...

", "

Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes" is a popular old song, the lyrics of which are the poem "To Celia" by the English playwright Ben Jonson, first published in 1616. Lyrics After this song had been popular for almost two centuries, scholars bega ...

", and "I'se Gwine Back to Dixie". Besides teaching music at the Seagle Music Colony, Seagle also taught at the Homer Institute in Kansas City. His students included John Seagle, Saba Doak, James Hardesty Johnson, J. Erwin Mulch, and Capt. Donald W. Johnston, who organized the 102nd Infantry Division Chorus.Turner Publishing Co. 102nd Infantry Division: "The Ozarks.". Paducah, KY: Turner Pub. Co, 2000, page 37, .

Personal life

Oscar had a son named John, who was one of his prominent students.

Death and legacy

Oscar Seagle died on December 19, 1945 in

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. A theater at the Seagle Music Colony is named after him.

References

External links

Discography for Oscar Seagle HonkingDuck.com Discography for Oscar SeagleWWI: "Keep The Home Fires Burning Till The Boys Come Home" Oscar Seagle & Columbia Stellar Quartet

Oscar Seagle recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...