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George Linus Cobb (August 31, 1886 – December 25, 1942) was an American composer. He composed over 200 pieces of music, including
Audio recording of "Russian Rag" at the Library of Congress jukebox"Alabama jubilee"
New York: Remick Music Corp., 1915, from th
Alabama Sheet Music Collection
An overview of Cobb's life and compositions
George Linus Cobb
An overview of Cobb's life and compositions 1886 births 1942 deaths 20th-century American composers American male composers Ragtime composers 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-19thC-stub
George Linus Cobb (August 31, 1886 – December 25, 1942) was an American composer. He composed over 200 pieces of music, including 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 J ...
s, marches
In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...
, and waltz
The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position.
History
There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...
es. He also wrote columns for music trade publications.
Career
Cobb attended the School of Harmony and Composition at Syracuse University in 1905, and his compositions began soon thereafter. Cobb collaborated with lyricistJack Yellen
Jack Selig Yellen (Jacek Jeleń; July 6, 1892 – April 17, 1991) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs " Happy Days Are Here Again", which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the th ...
on many early songs, and in 1950 ''Billboard'' described Cobb as a "roving music teacher" during Yellen's sophomore year in college. They sold their first big hit, ''All Aboard for Dixieland'', for $100 in 1913, but the two had been writing songs as early as 1909, beginning with ''Moonlight Makes Me Lonesome For A Girl Like You.''
Cobb's most famous work is '' Russian Rag'', a composition based on the opening chord progression of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.3, No.2. The piece was such a hit in 1918 that Cobb wrote '' The New Russian Rag'' in 1923 in an attempt to arrange more of the Rachmaninoff prelude for ragtime piano.
By 1917, Cobb began writing a monthly column titled "Just Between You and Me" in ''The Tuneful Yankee,'' a ragtime music magazine owned by publisher Walter Jacobs. The magazine also published many of Cobb's musical compositions. Cobb continued writing for the magazine after the name changed to ''Melody'' in 1918.
Selected compositions
*Cobb, George L., and Jack Yellen. ''Alabama Jubilee''. New York: Jerome H. Remick & Co, 1915. *Cobb, George L., and Jack Yellen. ''All Aboard for Dixieland''. New York: Jerome H. Remick & Co, 1914. *Cobb, George L., and Jack Yellen. ''Are You from Dixie?: 'cause I'm from Dixie Too''. New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1915. *Cobb, George L., Jack Yellen, and Will Rossiter. ''Bring Me Back My Lovin' Honey Boy''. Chicago: Will Rossiter, 1913. *Cobb, George L., and Jack Yellen. ''Moonlight Makes Me Lonesome For A Girl Like You''. 1909. *'' The New Russian Rag''. 1923. *'' Russian Rag''. 1918. *Cobb, George L., and Jack Mahoney. ''See Dixie First''. Boston, Mass: Walter Jacobs, 1916. *Cobb, George L., and Irving Crocker. '' Send Me a Line When I'm Across the Ocean'', Boston: Walter Jacobs, 1917. *Cobb, George L., and Robert Levenson. ''When the Lilies Bloom in France Again
"When the Lilies Bloom in France Again" is a World War I era song released in 1918. Robert Levenson wrote the lyrics. George L. Cobb composed the music. It was published by Walter Jacobs of New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. There are two ...
''. Boston: Walter Jacobs, 1918.
Death and legacy
Cobb died ofcoronary thrombosis
Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart at ...
on December 25, 1942.
See also
*List of ragtime composers
A list of ragtime composers, including a famous or characteristic composition.
Pre-1940
*Felix Arndt (1889–1918), "Nola" (1916)
*May Aufderheide (1888–1972), "Dusty Rag" (1908)
* Roy Bargy (1894–1974), "Pianoflage" (1922)
* Harry Belding (1 ...
References
External links
*Audio recording of "Russian Rag" at the Library of Congress jukebox
New York: Remick Music Corp., 1915, from th
Alabama Sheet Music Collection
An overview of Cobb's life and compositions
George Linus Cobb
An overview of Cobb's life and compositions 1886 births 1942 deaths 20th-century American composers American male composers Ragtime composers 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-19thC-stub