from "Musical Scenes For Public Entertainment
Designed For Amateur and Professional Performers" (#1 of 5)

"The Old Melodeon" [Copyright Filed Oct. 16, 1894]
A Descriptive Scene for Eight (or Four) Ladies)
1st and 2d Soprano and 1st 2d Alto
by Frederic Woodman Root[, 1846-1916]

             ... PERSONS ...
BELLA, 1st Soprano    LUCETTA, 1st Alto
BELINDA, 1st Soprano  LUCINDA, 1st Alto
MELISSA, 2d Soprano   CLOTILDA, 2d Alto
MELINDA, 2d Soprano   CLORINDA, 2d Alto

                 } OR {

BELINDA (including the part of Bella), 1st Soprano
MELINDA      "        "        Melissa), 2nd Soprano  
LUCINDA      "        "        Lucetta), 1st Alto
CLORINDA     "        "        Clotilda), 2d Alto

          ____________
          Published By
 C L A Y T O N   F.  S U M M Y
     174-176 Wabash Avenue
            CHICAGO

       ___________________
Copyright, 1894, by Clayton F. Summy


                            Synopsis.

     (_Which may be printed on a program of performance._)
  It is a reunion of ladies who lived together as children and
youth in an old country home, the memory of which is still dear
to them.  With varying sentiments they recall the persons and
objects associated with their years in the old home; and upon
these they make comment both humorously and seriously.
  They dwell upon Aunt Jemima and her beau with the scriptural
name who came to see her every Wednesday night, but nver made
the proposal that was expected of him; and they recall one by
one the old fashioned chairs, the gable nooks, the dim attic
and the old clock.  But they are most interested in memories
of the old melodeon whose many uses they describe and
illustrate.

                      Special Directions.

  The ladies may stand upon the stage in a line that is but
slightly curved so that those at the end shall not sing and
speak with their backs to any section of the audience of the
audience.  The costume may be any evening dress.
  The parts of Bella and Clotilda should be taken by performers
who can infuse some humor into them.  The parts of Melissa and
Lucetta contain some musical items more difficult than the
others.  Still, the comparitive difficulty of all the parts is
about the same.  The piece may be sung without accompaniment
throughout if it is found that the singers can keep the music
in tune and can remember the pitch from one musical number to
the next;---the selections are all in B flat or F, so it is
possible to remember and take the pitches without an instru-
ment.  If this proves too difficult, however, the pitch may
be given lightly upon the piano before each number.
  Certain numbers may be accompanied in performance if
necessary; but the less the piano is used the more spontaneous
and real will the representation seem.  There need be no
special stage setting for the piece;---it is intended for
performance in the parlor or on any concert stage.  Still, if
circumstances made it possible and desirable, a stage could be
set to represent a parlor scene.  Some of of the performers
would be seated about a center table, one at a piano or a desk,
another sketching material etc.  The singers chould change their
positions on the stage, singing one piece while separate in
different places and attitudes, singing another clustered about
the piano or table, another at the front the stage, etc.  But
this could be done with effect only under good stage management
and after a great deal of pactice.

                       General Directions.

  The performers should strive to maintain the interest of their
parts throughout; and each should appear to be as interested
while are speaking as while taking part herself.  Those who for
the moment are not taking part should not forget the character
but should help by face and manner the effect of what another is
saying.
  An effort should be made to speak very loudly and distinctly
in the speaking parts.  Amateurs must seem to themselves to
exaggerate in this particular.  The face should be kept toward
the audience as much as possible even when the one spoken to is
behind or outside the speaker.  Each performer should learn her
part be herself, and should take care to learn the cues as well
as the speeches and the music which she must utter,---i.e. learn
what preceedes as well as the thing itself.  As a rule let
speech and song follow each other glibly---without awkward
waits.  Of course if the performers' efforts are rewarded with
laughter or applause it is well to wait a little so that the
speech following may not be lost.
  Amateurs can never safely trust to the inspiration of public
performance for such an action as they assume in the expression
of their roles; all that must be carefully rehearsed.  After a
piece is learned by all the performers so that it can be
recited without book it should be rehearsed from six to ten
times more to give it effect.

                     THE OLD MELODEON

======
No. 1.
======

Far from care and strife is our childhood's home,
There the fields are green and the flowers bloom,
Mem'ry oft recalls what we loved so well,
In the old farm house where the old folks dwell.
There were quaint old chairs standing and prim,
Cozy gable nooks and the attic dim,
And a stately clock ticking slowly on;
And our great delight, the melodeon,
The melodeon.
Far from care and strife is our home,
There the fields are green and the flowers bloom.

  LUCETTA.  Yes; the old melodeon was a dear old friend!
  MELINDA.  Like other old friends, it had its moods---
  LUCINDA.  And tenses;
  BELLA.  But only one case,---rosewood.
  CLOTILDA.  You ought to know! you were shut up in the closet
often enough for scratching it with a pin.
  BELLA.  (_Retorting._)  Well, who was it that used to waste
time picking out tunes, and so forget to dust it, until mother
could write her name on it anywhere with her finger?
  (_All smile knowingly and look at Clotilda, indicating to each
other that they remember the incident._)
  CLOTILDA.  (_Loftily._) My dear, I prefered to commune with
the soul of the instrument, not its exterior!  That's the way
with genius.
  (_Some laugh; and some exchange a word or two of comment among
themselves.  After a moment of confused sound, Melissa
continues,_)
  MELISSA.  Now I haven't any genius at all; so naturally I am
anxious to pull down any one's else pretensions in that
direction.  Here is one of her "communions": (_Explaining._)
Tune, America; Key, F.  (_Using the fingers of her right hand
upon the back of her left, she makes the motions of a child
awkardly playing a tune, singing at the same time as follows._)

======
No. 2.
======
La la la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la la la
la la la
la la la la
la.

  (_If Melissa cannot learn to do this alone, one of the others
may do it with her, or all may unite in it.  At the close and
during the imitation, there should be ejaculations and actions
indicating recollections, appreciation, etc._)
  CLOTILDA.  (_With superiority._)  There! that is just what
might be expected.  Genius in its more subtle phases is always
misunderstood.
  LUCETTA,  (_Laughing._)  O, I think we understand this phase
of it.
  CLOTILDA.  (_Positively._)  No, you don't!
  BELINDA.  Is it that you thought to be natural be avoiding B
flat?
  CLOTILDA.  That is an unworthy quibble; I shall not reply!
(_Scornfully._)  Besides, it's old!
  MELINDA.  I think the reason is not hard to find.  Any thing
was preferable to dusting,---even discords.
  CLOTILDA.  (_With resignation._)  I see!  You are not capable
of appreciating me unless I explain myself.  I played altogether
on white keys didn't I?
(_Spoken like one unbroken sentence._
  MELISSA.  Yes!
  BELINDA.  Persistently.
  LUCINDA.  In defiance of all rules.
)
  CLOTILDA.  (_Emphatically._)  Well in my states of exaltation
I can't bear to touch anything so black as B flat!
  (_All laugh and each makes some remark laughingly to another
as "That was a small hole to creep out of"! "That will do for
want of a better", etc.  Let these remarks be made in a loud
clamorous way and all all at once._)
  Lucinda.  (_Speaking during the confusion._)  That is
ingenious but shows depravity.  (_Speaking alone._) You may be
sure that everything was clean and in good order every Wednesday
night, though.
  MELINDA.  That's so!  Aunt Jemima's beau came that evening and
she attended to matters herself.
  CLORINDA.  What was his name?  (_Trying to think._) I forget.
Jeremiah, Joshua.  Hezekiah,---something like that.
  BELINDA.  All I remember is that he somewhow reminded me of my
sunday school lesson; "Young Obadias, David and Josias, all were
pious."
  CLORINDA.  She used to set her cap for him desparately.
  BELLA.  And she seemed to consider the melodeon one of her
principal means of attraction.  How dillegently she practiced
all Wednesday afternoon on---(_Striking immediately into the
music._)

======
No. 3.
======
La la
la la la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la la
la la la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la
la la la la
la la la la la
la la la
la la la
la.

  (_During the singing, any of Aunt Jemima's peculiarities
may be imitated, especially those relating to her style of
playing._)

  LUCINDA.  But we were never present at the performance in the
evening.
  CLORINDA.  Indeed we were not!  We were hustled off to bed at
an unreasonbly early hour.
  BELINDA.  (_Humorously._)  We were cleared away, as it were,
with the supper things and the rubbish.
  MELISSA.  But we got even with her by lying awake and taking
in all we could hear of their courtship.
  LUCETTA.  I don't know what they would have done without the
instrument; their conversation seemed to lag fearfully.
  CLOTILDA.  He appeared to need the melodeon as much as she
did.  True he had not much technique---
  MELINDA.  (_Amused._)  No, not much.  (_Opening and shutting
her hand._)  His flexors and extensors were a trifle slugglish.
  LUCINDA.  And his wrist movement somewhat spavined!  (_Imi-
tating laborious wrist action as in playing octaves._)
  BELINDA.  And his Stuttgard touch out of repair.  (_Imitating
finger action, the fingers very straight._)
  CLOTILDA.  I know that his technique was better adapted to
pitching hay then interpreting the classics.  However, he had
the ability when silence became too oppressive, to go to the
instrument and enliven matters with this gem of though;
(_Clotilda sings, making motions as if playing.  Only the index
of each hand is to be used, alternately with the right and left
hands [R.&L.] as indicated, crossing hands as required._)

No. 4.
La
la la la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la la la
la.

  CLOTILDA.  (_Speaking immediately._)  He did not always hit
the right note especially at the end; but (_humorously_.) he
was conscientous.
  MELISSA.  Speaking of enlivening matters,---I don't think his
selections were usually calculated to _enliven_ any occasion;
Old Hundred appeared to be his favorite morceau.
  LUCETTA,  That's so.  (_Eagerly._)  I remember one time a
reed---or whatever you call it that makes the sound---(_Several
assure her that the word is correct._)  a reed was gone on the
instrument, and whenever you touched that particular key, the
response was only a hissing sound.  (_Makes a sharp, loud hiss,
apparently touching a key at the same time._)  But he _would_ he
play Old Hundred just the same!  (_She imitates by playing with
the right forefinger upon the back of the left hand, and sings
as follows, making a sharp hiss instead of the tone at the
places indicated.  _If necessary, all may do this together._

No. 5.
La
la la la la
la la la
la la (s-s-s) la
la la (s-s-s) la
(s-s-s) la (s-s-s) la
la la la la
la la (s-s-s) la
la (s-s-s) la

  LUCETTA.  The melodeon hissed the performer as it were.
  CLORINDA.  That's a fact.  I verily believe the old thing had
a mind of its own.
  BELLA.  Aunt Jemima furnished all the lively airs of the
program; and one of these was certainly deserving of a more
satisfactory response than it ever elicited from her auditor.
  MELINDA.  What was that?
  BELLA.  Why, don't you remember?  "Pop goes the weasel".
  LUCINDA.  Dear me!  How she used to play that over and over
again (_Singing immediately._)

No. 6.
La la la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la la
la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la
la la la la
la la la
la la la
Pop goes the
weasel.

  BELLA.  Now, my idea is that she was deeper on these occasions
than one would think.  By every means that the instrument
afforded and her execution could compass, she contrived to
emphasize "Pop"!
  MELINDA.  Obediah---or whatever his name was---was certainly
dreadfully slow in coming to the point.
  MELISSA.  In fact, he never came!
  BELLA.  Well, she gave him hints enough with that everlasting
tune.  You remember the desperate expedient she was at last
driven to: (_Sings, rattling if off as fast as possible._)

La la la la
la la la la
la la la la
la la
la la la la
la la la la
la
Pop

  BELLA.---there she stopped! (_Deliberately,_)  Dead silence,
in which we must suppose that nothing happened; for after an
interval long enough to pop any reasonable question we heard
the instrument wail out

la la la la

  BELLA.  (_Continuing._)---with a sort of final gasp, as if the
tones and poor Aunt Jemima's hopes expired together.
  LUCETTA.  (_Indignantly_)  She was too good for him any-way!
(_All assent to this._)
  MELISSA.  The old melodeon was equal to every sentimental
emergency that arose, love, patriotism,---anything.
  CLORINDA.  So it was,---the blessed old rattletrap!  Fourth
of July morning for instance, how nobly it wheezed out an
accompaniment to the national songs which we sung together. I
can hear them now!  (_The whole of the following selection may
be sung; or, if thought best, the first section, with or without
the repeat, may be used._)

No. 7.
O say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thro' the perilous fight,
O're the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was there.
O say does the star-spangled banner still wave,
O're the land of the free,
And the home of the brave?

  LUCINDA.  And the old thing became fairly inspired after
father had been telling us stories of the war, sitting about
the fire of an evening.  (_Sings with emphasis and military
spirit._)

Being the good old bugle boys, we'll have another song!

  LUCINDA.  (_Continuing._)  Why! a whole brass band could not
have done any more stirring (_qualifying the statement.)---I
mean, a little one! (_with a sudden idea._)  Let's see if we can
remember.  (_In a tone of command._)  Attention, company! (_The
singers stand stiffly erect and begin to "mark time"---left,
right, left, right, etc.  At the fifth accent they begin to sing
and either continue or cease marking time as is thought best.
During the singing the singers may, if they choose, imitate the
playing of band instruments._)

No. 8.
La la la la la la la la etc.

Hurrah! hurrah!
We bring the Jubilee,
Hurrah! hurrah! the flag that makes you free,

La la la la la la la la etc.

  MELINDA.  And after one of father's accounts of the siege of
Vicksburg how we used to sing The Battle cry of Freedom!  Why we
quite drowned out the old melodeon with the refrain--(Sings the
first six notes alone; Then all join.  It would be well to have
all the singers furnished with colored hankerchiefs, some red,
some white and some blue, to wave during the singing of "Down
with the traitor and up with the star."

No. 9.
The Union forever,
Hurrah, hurrah!
Down with the traitor, and up with the star,
While we rally 'round the flag, boys,
We'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom.

  CLORINDA.  (_Solemnly._)  Girls, I verily believe that
melodeon was a moral agency in our family.  It has brought
tears to my eyes and repentance to my soul on many a Sunday
evening as we sat there in the twilight.
  BELINDA.  If I had kept all the good resolves I have made
under the influence of its sacred music, I should have been a
saint!
  MELISSA.  I love to recall those peaceful, happy times in the
old home with mother and all.  (_Sighs._) But we are scattered
now, never to be reunited in this world, (_Reflectively, but
with emphasis._)  Perhaps,---if we all get to Heaven---
  BELINDA.  (_Interrupting, shaking her head._)  But it would
be different!  I have no doubt tha the harps will be all well
enough. But any number of them could not fill the place of the
old melodeon!
  LUCETTA.  (_With decision._)  My dear, if faithfulness, long
suffering, pious influence and good deeds generally, have any
weight with St. Peter, that melodeon will get there!  Mark my
words, you'll find it somewhere in the mansions above, if ever
you are admitted yourself.
  CLORINDA.  (_With sentiment._)  Then I suppose we can have
the old tunes again.
  LUCINDA.  (_Slowly and solemnly._)  Minus the wheeze.
  MELISSA.  (_In the same manner._)  Minus the squeak of the
belows,---
  BELLA.  (Still slower._)  Freed from all earthly imper-
fections, we shall hear again---(_Hum with mouths closed, keep-
ing the tune soft in quality and seemingly distant.  Breathe
only at the stars (*) so that all shall not breath together;
the continuity of sound should be unbroken.  If the highest
notes cannot be taken with __m, ah__ sung as softly as possibly
may be used for the moment._)

No. 10.
m...
m......

[Transcribed 21 November 1999
by Benjamin Robert Tubb.
The text is in the Public Domain.
Freely distributable for any use.]