Since the last post, my sole interest in Fred Hylands has been re-sparked. This interest is more regarding his family than his own life, but for the sake of all your sanity, I will skip over all those discoveries, as it's all rather complicated and difficult to explain without speaking in the flesh.
All I can say regarding this matter is that Hylands definitely looked a little strange for a reason, and that his hair was almost certainly a vibrant firey red.
I hope you can all see it now.
Time to move on!
With this reawakening of Hylands interest, this has also prompted a lot more listening to his records and dissecting his style. Like any time that I get on kicks of doing this, I pick up on and notice small things in thoughtless moments. One thing that I have long wondered about is whether Fred Hager listened to his fellow studio pianists before he took over Zon-O-Phone's piano chair in 1900-1902. We can assume that Hager listened to all those other pianists, and even came to know their sound and characteristics well, considering his position in his early recording days. So with all these studio pianists, it should be generally assumed that they all heard each other, considering that they were the ultimate insiders in the business. Each of these pianists had to listen to their records, just to get by and make sure they knew what they were doing.
Edward Issler certainly listened to his own orchestra's records, as he was so early in the business that he was also the engineer for many of his own recordings. This must have been protocol that Issler established, as he was the first studio pianist there was, anything he did became where the bar was set. So consider that Issler was Frank P. Banta's studio mentor(as I am almost certain he was), with that in mind, Issler would have taught young Banta how to play for the phonograph, how to announce, perfecting timing, and of course would have influenced his playing. This mentorship began in 1892, and it likely lasted until at least 1895, around when Banta was making records with his own orchestra.
This is actually where this idea came from, Banta's Orchestra. That very concept was almost certainly inspired by Issler. Banta's Orchestra had the same instrumentation as Issler's, and even had a similar sound and played similar repertoire. Recently I grabbed one of those(outstanding) CDs that Tinfoil put out quite awhile ago, just because of the few Banta's orchestra tracks they had on there. I have been studying those quite carefully in the last few weeks, and pairing them up with Issler's orchestra records from around the same time. The similarities are quite shocking really.
So here are two examples of Banta's orchestra, both were recorded in 1895 or so:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder11738
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder10472
Now listen to two records by Issler's orchestra from around the same time that are of very similar selections:
https://archive.org/details/DancingOnTheHouseTopByIsslersOrchestra1890s
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder8101
I picked these particular Issler records because they are very similar selections, the first is a typical syncopated 1890's dance, and the second is a sketch with lots of talking and strange affects. Every one of these four records was recorded around 1895. I am fully convinced that Banta spent a his first few years in the studio with Issler, learning the ropes, and putting together his own Issler-like ensemble. So with all that in mind, it would make sense that some of the earliest Banta accompaniments would sound an awful lot like Issler's playing. So it makes sense why I've become rather confused after learning that Banta began recording in 1892. Banta and Issler crossed over for a little while at North American and later Columbia(before Hylands came along), so it would entirely be logical for Banta to sound a little bit like Issler, particularly since Banta had an impeccable ear. Anyone Banta worked with often would rub off just a bit, and that's guaranteed.
(Banta in 1900 or so)
There are a handful of records I can think of where Banta seems to have been channelling Issler's playing, and this is especially so whenever I hear Banta play a schottische. Take this record for example:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder17203
This record is a classic example of a very authentic yet progressive schottische. This is what Banta took from Issler, the straight and very steady rhythm. Much like Issler's records, if you count the beat throughout the record, the tempo remains exactly the same at the beginning as at the end.
But did Banta listen to the others?
I would assume that too, as those Edison people were always listening to the competition, whatever their position was in the studio. Banta would have known about Hylands at Columbia, as it seems that it was quite a hot thing when he was just starting there. The new fangled "rag time" proved well with the Columbia people, as Hylands attracted some attention that their previous pianists just hadn't. Integrating one of the new hot "rag-timers" was ambitious, but also definitely a fascination. Banta being a still young veteran of the business would have caught on, and probably listened to quite a few of Hylands' accompaniments on records, to brush up(or roughen rather) his own rag playing style(that was already well established from traveling around with Ossman and from who knows what else).
A good example I can think of is Banta's 1903 Edison of "The Whistling Girl", as in 1897 we don't really hear Banta play that steadily rollicking rag-time, but in 1903(sadly at the very end of his life) we can hear that something like Hylands' records helped him solidify that style.
Here's the 1903 record:
(skip to 3:30 for the music to start!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=groIZgk0EJU
So compare that with the 1898 Columbia of "Medley of Negro Songs" by Billy Golden and Hylands:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By7WuiOUrg7YTVVTR1BlamV3SHdRWmNGSWU3MHRLR2JkdXRZ/view?usp=sharing
For an even more definite comparison, here's the 1903 Edison of Golden's "medley of Negro Songs" with Banta!
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder2649
(It's kinda messy and transferred too fast, but you get the point).
It's actually quite similar, despite the time difference. Now Banta likely helped to arrange this medley in the first place in 1898, but when Hylands got a hold of it, you know Banta was compelled to listen and dissect it. Hylands and Banta play the same bell affect at the "hear dem bells" on both takes, which is astounding. Once again, I am pretty sure that the medley originated with Banta(the arrangement at least), but after it was recorded a few times Hylands took from Banta and Banta took from Hylands.
Also, listen to one of the many edison and Columbia takes of Billy Golden's "Turkey in the straw", this is another selection that proves well for distinguishing Banta and Hylands, and what they heard from each other.
Here's one of my favorite Hylands takes of "Turkey in the Straw":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsxttjZ6FY
This particular take very inventive and folksy. Hylands even throws in a few blues like melodies, more so than others I've heard scattered through several records.
Here's the classic 1897 Edison "turkey in the straw" by Golden with Banta:
https://archive.org/details/TurkeybyGoldenwBanta1897
This is the classic take where Banta plays "Mister Johnson Turn me Loose" at the whistling choruses, which is quite genius. Now you may notice that on the 1898 Columbia, Hylands goes off quoting his own thing(I have no idea what it is he's quoting), but on a certain later Columbia-Hylands take, Hylands plays exactly the same quote, and even integrates the chord changes of "Mister Johnson" throughout the song(which is strange and doesn't really work to be honest):
https://archive.org/details/TurkeyInTheStrawGoldenandHylands1899
In some kind of way, whatever it was, Banta's way of playing the tune with Golden influenced Hylands. One thing is for sure, we can safely say that the 1898 Columbia take is quite older than the 1900 Columbia with Golden.
I am not quite sure who took from whom here, but there was definitely some inspiration taken, whichever one of them done it.
Now back to Hager. I mentioned Hager earlier in this post, and I intend to return to him. Where does Hager fall in all this studio pianist crossover? Well actually, Hager can be considered the descendant of the Issler-Banta-Hylands studio style. Hager was in the business by 1897, when it was the ideal time to be listening to piano accompaniments(particularly for a young hot-blooded music student like Hager), so it would seem entirely reasonable for him not only to have a phonograph to hear them, but also to head out to the theaters and clubs they were playing at. Hager likely frequented Pastor's theater in 1896-1897, when ben Harney and Mike Bernard were the biggest new acts there(and when Hylands was also creeping around playing accompaniments). So when he heard cylinders, he was hearing Hylands and Banta, and from the sound of his own accompaniments on Zon-O-Phone later, he certainly did hear them both around the same time. Now how can I begin to prove this? A good example has been in my thought process for awhile now, and it was right under my ears and I didn't know it.
That piece actually has become more interesting as I've studied this pianist crossover. This rather eccentric piece of studio insiders was performed often at those Columbia exhibitions by the composer, at a prime time for Hager to be wandering around New York in search of musical inspiration. I can easily see Hager(as well as Banta) going to one of those bright spectacles Columbia held at one point six nights a week.
I have come to know this Hylands piece very well, spending a long frustrating time learning it, re-learning it, and arranging it in the various keys that I have heard it in.
Here's the 1898 Columbia orchestra recording to refresh the memory:
https://archive.org/details/DarkeyVolunteerColumbiaorchFredHylands1898
So what has this piece to do with Hager?
Actually, Hylands' queen like nature must have rubbed off on the young impressionable Hager. Hager's 1904 piece "Handsome Harry"(Or Hager if you want to get right to the obvious pun) sounds somewhat similar to Hylands' 1898 piece "The Darkey Volunteer".
Here's Hager's own orchestra playing his "Handsome Harry":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkKOHd0P6vM
That first section is taken almost directly from Hylands' piece. Some of the orchestration throughout is also rather similar to the 1898 Columbia orchestra recording(which I am almost 100% sure Hylands himself orchestrated). I always like to talk about this piece of Hager's, mostly because I am convinced that the silhouette on the cover is of Hager:
I know, I know, wasn't Hager slimmer?
Right, that's what I was wondering, but I forget that the piece was published in 1904, and that pretty picture of Hager that was in The Phonoscope was taken in at least 1896-1897. That's almost a decade difference.
So with that, it's pretty interesting to see all the crossover that these studio pianists had with each other. This group that Hager was involved in at Zon-O-Phone however is another story, quite different from the traditional crowd of Edison-Columbia. Hager was close friends with Banta, Arthur Pryor, and Victor Herbert, which created more diversity, and better connections for Hager in the recording community overall. This crossover creates an interesting story, and a better sense of closeness within these competing record companies. I'm going to have to end it here, as it's late when I'm writing this, and I have exhausted this topic as far as I'll go for now.
All I can say regarding this matter is that Hylands definitely looked a little strange for a reason, and that his hair was almost certainly a vibrant firey red.
Time to move on!
With this reawakening of Hylands interest, this has also prompted a lot more listening to his records and dissecting his style. Like any time that I get on kicks of doing this, I pick up on and notice small things in thoughtless moments. One thing that I have long wondered about is whether Fred Hager listened to his fellow studio pianists before he took over Zon-O-Phone's piano chair in 1900-1902. We can assume that Hager listened to all those other pianists, and even came to know their sound and characteristics well, considering his position in his early recording days. So with all these studio pianists, it should be generally assumed that they all heard each other, considering that they were the ultimate insiders in the business. Each of these pianists had to listen to their records, just to get by and make sure they knew what they were doing.
Edward Issler certainly listened to his own orchestra's records, as he was so early in the business that he was also the engineer for many of his own recordings. This must have been protocol that Issler established, as he was the first studio pianist there was, anything he did became where the bar was set. So consider that Issler was Frank P. Banta's studio mentor(as I am almost certain he was), with that in mind, Issler would have taught young Banta how to play for the phonograph, how to announce, perfecting timing, and of course would have influenced his playing. This mentorship began in 1892, and it likely lasted until at least 1895, around when Banta was making records with his own orchestra.
This is actually where this idea came from, Banta's Orchestra. That very concept was almost certainly inspired by Issler. Banta's Orchestra had the same instrumentation as Issler's, and even had a similar sound and played similar repertoire. Recently I grabbed one of those(outstanding) CDs that Tinfoil put out quite awhile ago, just because of the few Banta's orchestra tracks they had on there. I have been studying those quite carefully in the last few weeks, and pairing them up with Issler's orchestra records from around the same time. The similarities are quite shocking really.
So here are two examples of Banta's orchestra, both were recorded in 1895 or so:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder11738
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder10472
Now listen to two records by Issler's orchestra from around the same time that are of very similar selections:
https://archive.org/details/DancingOnTheHouseTopByIsslersOrchestra1890s
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder8101
I picked these particular Issler records because they are very similar selections, the first is a typical syncopated 1890's dance, and the second is a sketch with lots of talking and strange affects. Every one of these four records was recorded around 1895. I am fully convinced that Banta spent a his first few years in the studio with Issler, learning the ropes, and putting together his own Issler-like ensemble. So with all that in mind, it would make sense that some of the earliest Banta accompaniments would sound an awful lot like Issler's playing. So it makes sense why I've become rather confused after learning that Banta began recording in 1892. Banta and Issler crossed over for a little while at North American and later Columbia(before Hylands came along), so it would entirely be logical for Banta to sound a little bit like Issler, particularly since Banta had an impeccable ear. Anyone Banta worked with often would rub off just a bit, and that's guaranteed.
There are a handful of records I can think of where Banta seems to have been channelling Issler's playing, and this is especially so whenever I hear Banta play a schottische. Take this record for example:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder17203
This record is a classic example of a very authentic yet progressive schottische. This is what Banta took from Issler, the straight and very steady rhythm. Much like Issler's records, if you count the beat throughout the record, the tempo remains exactly the same at the beginning as at the end.
But did Banta listen to the others?
I would assume that too, as those Edison people were always listening to the competition, whatever their position was in the studio. Banta would have known about Hylands at Columbia, as it seems that it was quite a hot thing when he was just starting there. The new fangled "rag time" proved well with the Columbia people, as Hylands attracted some attention that their previous pianists just hadn't. Integrating one of the new hot "rag-timers" was ambitious, but also definitely a fascination. Banta being a still young veteran of the business would have caught on, and probably listened to quite a few of Hylands' accompaniments on records, to brush up(or roughen rather) his own rag playing style(that was already well established from traveling around with Ossman and from who knows what else).
A good example I can think of is Banta's 1903 Edison of "The Whistling Girl", as in 1897 we don't really hear Banta play that steadily rollicking rag-time, but in 1903(sadly at the very end of his life) we can hear that something like Hylands' records helped him solidify that style.
Here's the 1903 record:
(skip to 3:30 for the music to start!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=groIZgk0EJU
So compare that with the 1898 Columbia of "Medley of Negro Songs" by Billy Golden and Hylands:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By7WuiOUrg7YTVVTR1BlamV3SHdRWmNGSWU3MHRLR2JkdXRZ/view?usp=sharing
For an even more definite comparison, here's the 1903 Edison of Golden's "medley of Negro Songs" with Banta!
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?queryType=@attr+1=1020&num=1&start=1&query=cylinder2649
(It's kinda messy and transferred too fast, but you get the point).
It's actually quite similar, despite the time difference. Now Banta likely helped to arrange this medley in the first place in 1898, but when Hylands got a hold of it, you know Banta was compelled to listen and dissect it. Hylands and Banta play the same bell affect at the "hear dem bells" on both takes, which is astounding. Once again, I am pretty sure that the medley originated with Banta(the arrangement at least), but after it was recorded a few times Hylands took from Banta and Banta took from Hylands.
Also, listen to one of the many edison and Columbia takes of Billy Golden's "Turkey in the straw", this is another selection that proves well for distinguishing Banta and Hylands, and what they heard from each other.
Here's one of my favorite Hylands takes of "Turkey in the Straw":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsxttjZ6FY
This particular take very inventive and folksy. Hylands even throws in a few blues like melodies, more so than others I've heard scattered through several records.
Here's the classic 1897 Edison "turkey in the straw" by Golden with Banta:
https://archive.org/details/TurkeybyGoldenwBanta1897
This is the classic take where Banta plays "Mister Johnson Turn me Loose" at the whistling choruses, which is quite genius. Now you may notice that on the 1898 Columbia, Hylands goes off quoting his own thing(I have no idea what it is he's quoting), but on a certain later Columbia-Hylands take, Hylands plays exactly the same quote, and even integrates the chord changes of "Mister Johnson" throughout the song(which is strange and doesn't really work to be honest):
https://archive.org/details/TurkeyInTheStrawGoldenandHylands1899
In some kind of way, whatever it was, Banta's way of playing the tune with Golden influenced Hylands. One thing is for sure, we can safely say that the 1898 Columbia take is quite older than the 1900 Columbia with Golden.
I am not quite sure who took from whom here, but there was definitely some inspiration taken, whichever one of them done it.
Now back to Hager. I mentioned Hager earlier in this post, and I intend to return to him. Where does Hager fall in all this studio pianist crossover? Well actually, Hager can be considered the descendant of the Issler-Banta-Hylands studio style. Hager was in the business by 1897, when it was the ideal time to be listening to piano accompaniments(particularly for a young hot-blooded music student like Hager), so it would seem entirely reasonable for him not only to have a phonograph to hear them, but also to head out to the theaters and clubs they were playing at. Hager likely frequented Pastor's theater in 1896-1897, when ben Harney and Mike Bernard were the biggest new acts there(and when Hylands was also creeping around playing accompaniments). So when he heard cylinders, he was hearing Hylands and Banta, and from the sound of his own accompaniments on Zon-O-Phone later, he certainly did hear them both around the same time. Now how can I begin to prove this? A good example has been in my thought process for awhile now, and it was right under my ears and I didn't know it.
I have come to know this Hylands piece very well, spending a long frustrating time learning it, re-learning it, and arranging it in the various keys that I have heard it in.
Here's the 1898 Columbia orchestra recording to refresh the memory:
https://archive.org/details/DarkeyVolunteerColumbiaorchFredHylands1898
So what has this piece to do with Hager?
Actually, Hylands' queen like nature must have rubbed off on the young impressionable Hager. Hager's 1904 piece "Handsome Harry"(Or Hager if you want to get right to the obvious pun) sounds somewhat similar to Hylands' 1898 piece "The Darkey Volunteer".
Here's Hager's own orchestra playing his "Handsome Harry":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkKOHd0P6vM
That first section is taken almost directly from Hylands' piece. Some of the orchestration throughout is also rather similar to the 1898 Columbia orchestra recording(which I am almost 100% sure Hylands himself orchestrated). I always like to talk about this piece of Hager's, mostly because I am convinced that the silhouette on the cover is of Hager:
Right, that's what I was wondering, but I forget that the piece was published in 1904, and that pretty picture of Hager that was in The Phonoscope was taken in at least 1896-1897. That's almost a decade difference.
So with that, it's pretty interesting to see all the crossover that these studio pianists had with each other. This group that Hager was involved in at Zon-O-Phone however is another story, quite different from the traditional crowd of Edison-Columbia. Hager was close friends with Banta, Arthur Pryor, and Victor Herbert, which created more diversity, and better connections for Hager in the recording community overall. This crossover creates an interesting story, and a better sense of closeness within these competing record companies. I'm going to have to end it here, as it's late when I'm writing this, and I have exhausted this topic as far as I'll go for now.
Hope your holidays have been pretty good so far! I hope you enjoyed this!
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