Hello clementina-ga,
"If Ever I Cease to Love", as you probably know, is the official
anthem of Rex at the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It has been the
anthem since 1872.
As reported by New Orleans Magazine:
"'If Ever I Cease to Love,' contrary to legend, did not become
Carnival's anthem because it was played for the Grand Duke Alexis
during the first Rex parade. As reported in Arthur Hardy’s 1989 Mardi
Gras Guide, the bands played the Russian national anthem for the duke.
'If Ever' was played instead for the king of Carnival at his reviewing
stand. Auguste Davis, a New Orleans music teacher, developed a march
arrangement for the song, which was taken from a musical burlesque
performed by Lydia Thompson, who was in New Orleans at the time.
Research for Marched the Day God showed that the song was popular
locally before Thompson arrived for Carnival and that the local
adaptation of the lyrics was likely done by Rex founder E.C. Hancock,
whose newspaper had already published a spoof of the song in 1871."
The musical burlesque was called "Blue Beard". Additional background
on this song, and on Lydia Thompson and Duke Alexis, is provided in
this reprint of a Times Picayune article:
"New Orleans/Havana connection 3", posting by JazzBuffalo (1999/05/13)
[Reprint of "Carnival Anthem Outlives Regal Legend Story of Prince and
Showgirl Not All It Seems", by Theodore P. Mahre, Times - Picayune,
New Orleans, La.; Feb 7, 1999]
<rec.music.afro-latin>
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=19990513131346.05084.00001704%40ngol03.aol.com
I have not found a lyricist for the song. However, I have found sheet
music, which includes the lyrics:
"Sheet Music"
Rex Organization
http://www.rexorganization.com/sheet_music.htm
[Note: You need to click on each page, and then click on the bottom
right of the resulting image, in order to see the words.]
These lyrics are missing an important line added to the song: "May the
Grand Duke Alexis ride a buffalo in Texas, if ever I cease to love."
See, for example, this page, which also appears to have other useful
information:
"Krewes", by Renee Kutcher
Small Stuff
http://www.miniature.net/smallstuff/mardigras3.htm
- justaskscott-ga
Search terms used on Google and Google Groups:
"if ever i cease to love" -- in combination with the terms:
poem
poems
lyrics
"lydia thompson"
"blue beard" |
