Fred Van Eps Plays "Polly"

[Shawn McSweeny]

A couple of days past his 147th birthday, here's Van Eps playing another novelty piece. It was composed by John Stepan Zamecnik, (b. Cleveland, OH, 1872), an American composer and conductor, best remembered for the "photoplay music" he composed for use by pianists, organists, and orchestras during silent films. Zamecnik studied at the Prague Conservatory of Music under Antonín Dvořák in the mid-1890s, completing his classes there in 1897. He returned to Cleveland in 1899, where he worked as a composer and as violinist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Victor Herbert. In 1907 he became music director of Cleveland's new Hippodrome Theater and began composing scores for the screenings of silent films. He went on to compose film scores from 1923 to 1938.

Published in 1926, "Polly" is somewhat similar to "Nola", another novelty tune also recorded by Van Eps. Zamecnik was very familiar with Felix Arndt's "Nola", having arranged the piece for orchestra in 1916. 

POLLY played by Fred Van Eps

See below for mp3 and ms. score of Van Eps arrangement.

[thereallyniceman]

Hi Shawn,

Happy New Year and thanks so much to FVE playing for us. I love his bright and vibrant playing and he has always been my favourite!  What a great tune and arrangement this is.

[Shawn McSweeny]

Happy New Year Ian. FVE sounds great on this piece; glad to share a recording that is new to many listeners.