Music question: "The Russian Song"??

[Robert A. Rothstein]

On 2/27/2014 9:41 AM, David J. Galloway wrote:
>
> A music question which hopefully someone can answer. My mother-in-law 
> remembers her mother playing a piece entitled “The Russian Song” on 
> the piano years ago, and is trying to relocate it. Apparently there 
> were no words to the song as it was published in the US. This would 
> have been in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s. It may have come from a 
> film. The mother who played it was born in Russia, but the fact that 
> there was evidently sheet music in English makes me think this might 
> be an American invention and not a Russian piece, or at the very least 
> a song modified by Americans.
>
> Her sister recorded what she remembers it sounding like, and I’ve 
> placed the mp3 here:
>
> https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7Yhugbv9VDCVFYyVnQ2U0NRT1k&usp=sharing
>
> Apologies for the quality: it was recorded on a cassette over the 
> phone and then digitized, thus making several passes through ancient 
> history.
>

     The song in question seems to be "Chanson Russe" by the English 
pianist and composer Sydney Smith (1839-1889). The piece was composed in 
1863 as Smith's op. 31. Sheet music published by "A. Teres, Music Dealer 
and Publisher" at 159 Delancy St. in New York City bears the subtitle 
"Russian Song" and was copyrighted in 1909. If you google "Sydney Smith 
Chanson Russe," you will find YouTube performances of the piece and 
downloadable copies of the sheet music.

Bob Rothstein

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