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Eliza Doyle Smith

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Eliza Doyle Smith
A white woman with coiffed hair, wearing a light-colored lacy blouse with a brooch pinned to the front, and a strand of beads or pearls
Eliza Doyle Smith, from a 1922 publication
Born
Eliza Ann Doyle

July 7, 1859
Grand Rapids, Michigan
DiedOctober 16, 1932 (age 73)
Oak Park, Illinois
Occupation(s)Songwriter, composer, music publisher

Eliza Ann Doyle Smith (July 7, 1859 – October 16, 1932) was an American songwriter, composer, and sheet-music publisher, based in Chicago.

Early life and education

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Eliza Ann Doyle was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the daughter of Michael Doyle and Elizabeth Doyle. Her parents were both born in Ireland. She studied music in Cologne.[1]

Career

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Sheet music cover, "Little Darling Marguerite" (1919)

Smith wrote operettas and poetry as a young woman. She owned and ran a sheet-music publishing company, based in Chicago.[1][2] She published her own songs, and works by other songwriters, including Harlan Tarbell[3][4] and John Loftus.[5][6] "When I decided to go into the popular song writing I decided that success would come if I wrote songs fit to enter American homes but with the pep that modern youth demands and then let the world know of my goods by insistent advertising," she explained in a 1922 interview.[1]

Publications

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Unless otherwise specified, titles below are songs written and composed by Smith.

  • "When Uncle Sam Caught the Kaiser" (1917, a broadside poem)[7]
  • "United States Democracy March" (1918)[8]
  • "In Candy Land With You" (1919)
  • "My Days Remember" (1919)[9][10]
  • "Sweet Norah Daly" (1919)[11]
  • "Stop Looking at Me!" (1919) [12]
  • "Little Darling Marguerite" (1919, arranged by Harry L. Alford)[13]
  • "O Wonderful Son of Life" (1920)[14]
  • "Dance Me On Your Knee" (1920)[15]
  • "Tea Rose" (1922, with John Loftus)[16]
  • "Love's Beautiful Song" (1922, with Charles Kovacs)[17]

Personal life

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Eliza Doyle married Edgar Poe Smith. They had two daughters, Pauline and Marguerite.[18][19] She died in 1932, in Oak Park, Illinois, at the age of 73.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Policy of Writing Songs to Fit Every American Home is Secret of Chicago Publisher's Success" The Music Trades 63 (April 29, 1922): 30.
  2. ^ "By Our Irish Reporter: 'The Crippled Songbird'; Adventurer Interviews Crippled Girl". Suburbanite Economist. 1919-11-25. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-03-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Tarbell, Harlan and Frederick G. Johnson, "Jonah" (sheet music published in 1922 by Eliza Doyle Smith).
  4. ^ "'Jonah' New Eliza Doyle Smith Number". The Music Trades. 63: 153. June 10, 1922.
  5. ^ Loftus, John (1922). "I'd give it all for you / words & music by John Loftus".
  6. ^ Loftus, John (1923-01-01). "Misty Moon". Mississippi State University Libraries, Sheet Music Collection.
  7. ^ Smith, Eliza Doyle, "'When Uncle Sam caught the Kaiser'" (1917) Harris Broadsides, Brown Digital Repository, Brown University Library.
  8. ^ Smith, Eliza Doyle. "097.103 - United States Democracy March. A Patriotic Song for America". Levy Music Collection. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  9. ^ "Chicago Capitulates to Famous Recitalists". Musical America. 31: 26. February 14, 1920.
  10. ^ "Eileen Donnelly Presents Songs by the Chicago Composer, Eliza Doyle Smith". Music News. 12 (2): 4. July 23, 1920.
  11. ^ "'Sweet Norah Daly' Wins Favor Throughout Country". Music Trades. 63: 36. June 3, 1922.
  12. ^ Smith, Eliza Doyle. "Stop Looking at Me!" (sheet music), Indiana State University Libraries.
  13. ^ Smith, Eliza Doyle; Smith, Eliza Doyle (1919). Little Darling Marguerite. Eliza Doyle Smith.
  14. ^ "Eliza Doyle Smith, Chicago, Ill". The Musician. 25: 28. November 1920.
  15. ^ Smith, Eliza Doyle (1920). Dance me on your knee. Harold B. Lee Library. Chicago, Ill. : Eliza Doyle Smith.
  16. ^ "41.09.15 - Music, Sheet (43712) - Artifacts from our Collection". Waseca County History Center. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  17. ^ "Chicago Publisher Announces New Song". Music Trades. 63 (15): 46. April 8, 1922.
  18. ^ "A Visitor: Eliza Doyle Smith". Omaha Daily Bee. 1920-04-11. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-03-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Attractive Groups". Omaha Daily Bee. 1920-05-09. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-03-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Obituary for Elizabeth Ann Smith". Chicago Tribune. 1932-10-17. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-03-25 – via Newspapers.com.