Today, the Baseball Half Dollar Commemorative Coin remembers when Tilzer and Norworth filed their music and lyrics with the copyright office on May 2, 1908.
Oddly, neither man had attended a professional baseball game when they wrote the song.
From the Library of Congress:
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“On the 2nd of May, 1908, the United States Copyright Office received two copies of a new song titled Take Me Out to the Ball Game, submitted by composer Albert von Tilzer and lyricist Jack Norworth. This musical work, affectionately referred to over the century as the “other” national anthem, baseball’s national anthem, has become the grand-slam of all baseball songs.
“It has been ranked in survey polls as one of the top ten songs of the twentieth century and is second only to “Happy Birthday” and “The Star Spangled Banner” as the most easily recognized songs in America.”
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“Only a handful of fans realize that the two verses of the song are about Katie Casey (later changed to Nelly Kelly), a girl who was mad with baseball fever as she asked her young beau to take her to a ballgame rather than a show.
“This faint whiff of romance added to the song’s success on vaudeville, where singers (including Norworth’s wife and star, Nora Bayes), actors, even acrobats, incorporated the hit into their acts.
“Also adding to its immense popularity, the song was featured during intermissions at the early twentieth-century nickelodeons where it was accompanied by “lantern slides,” photos touched up with paint that provided the audience with a visual component to the song as the lyrics scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
“This way, when Katie Casey made the pitch to her date, everyone in the audience could respond in song: ‘Take me out to the ball game…'”
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“For over fifty years, there has been a quasi-official history of baseball’s anthem, much of it gleaned from an interview with the lyricist, Jack Norworth (1879 – 1959), who claimed that he scribbled the words on an envelope after seeing a sign on the subway that read: ‘Baseball Today — Polo Grounds.’
“Today, this scrap of paper is included in the permanent collection of baseball memorabilia at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
“Norworth also maintained that he had never attended a professional baseball game before penning those sixteen lines, which were set to music by songwriter and publisher Albert von Tilzer (1878-1956), who also had never seen a baseball game.
“This anniversary year, as this classic song enjoys a guaranteed resurgence, new research on its origins and one-hundred year history will undoubtedly emerge in the books, articles, and radio commentary appearing throughout the 2008 baseball season.
“It will even be honored this summer with its own first-class stamp! The song’s success has also benefited future generations of American songwriters as the royalties from all of Norworth’s hits (including his second most famous song Shine on Harvest Moon) were donated to the ASCAP Foundation.
“In every sense, Take Me Out to the Ball Game is, in the words of Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray, ‘a song that reflects the charisma of baseball,’ a song that makes the game even more magical and allows you, the young or the old observer, to raise up your voice and become part of it.”
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In the New Era Illustrated Magazine of July 1905, an article by Jonas Decker titled Some Jewish Song-Writers of America included background for Albert von Tilzer.
An excerpt:
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Song-writing today has reached the highest phase of a most interesting development.
The remarkable success, both financial and popular, which many a song has won, has lured into the profession men of unusual ability.
Amid the keen competition that is going on at present, a song must rely solely upon intrinsic merit.
That is why the business of song-writing is in the hands of men who are specially adapted to their work — men who carefully study the stage and the public and do not depend upon sporadic efforts to gain them a livelihood.
Years ago, we are told, a song was very often “sold for a song,” and was written on the spur of the moment, the inspiration being generally the vision of a square meal, or an irritating thirst.
Under such conditions a few songs have been written, but the repertory was small. The airs whistled on the streets today are more numerous and, it is conceded, of a much better quality.
When we consider that the profession of song-writing is closely related to the stage, it is not surprising to find that the foremost ranks are well occupied by Jews.
Such names as Charles K. Harris, Harry von Tilzer, Albert von Tilzer, and Jean Schwartz are best known among them, and there are hosts of others whose work is full of merit.
To give a complete list of Jewish song writers would be well-nigh impossible, for their number is legion.
Jews of all sorts and conditions have contributed to the work. Even the name of Zangwill would grace the list, if the writing of one popular song — or rather, the chorus of it — entitled him to be considered in this class.
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The longest list of popular songs, however, must be credited to Harry von Tilzer, a name which is best known.
About thirteen years ago Von Tilzer came to New York from the West, as a performer, and wrote his first songs.
Since then he has been giving the public at least four each year. He is ever ready to avail himself of suggestions, and many a song of his reflects his own experience.
“I’d Leave My Happy Home for You” was the impassioned outburst of a stage-struck miss in Hartford, who pleaded with Harry to give her a chance on the boards.
A short while later the entire country was expressing, in the plaintive melody which Von Tilzer wrote, their mad desire to leave their happy homes.
Two seasons ago the New York public was given a musical production, “The Fisher Maiden,” by this favorite song writer.
The critics almost unanimously welcomed it; but it did not prove the financial success that was expected.
Out West it was more successful, and Harry is prepared to try again.
At present he has interests outside of the Harry von Tilzer Publishing Company.
Seeking wider fields of activity, he has opened, at Dreamland, The Foolish House and other places of a similar kind.
His list of songs is too long to publish here, but we cannot dismiss his name without crediting him with the following few: “On a Sunday Afternoon,” “My Little Coney Isle,” “Mansion of Aching Hearts,” “Jennie Lee,” “Down Where the Wurzburger Flows,” “Bamboo Queen,” and among his latest, “Alexander” and “Coax Me.”
Associated with him are his brothers Jules, Harold and William.
Albert, who severed all business connections with Harry, about a year ago, established the York Music Publishing Company, of which he is the manager.
Albert gave promise of the success he recently won when he wrote “Tell Me That Beautiful Story”— a ballad which gained a lasting popularity.
He was then in his brother’s firm.
In the short time, since his separation, he wrote the sweeping successes, “Teasing,” “Tell Me with Your Eyes” and “Lonesome,” the last for Edna May, and established a reputation of which many a house of longer standing would be proud.
About him is a strong corps of Jewish writers, men like Ed. Rogers, H. Sylvester Krouse and Sam Ehrlich, who have helped in no small way to establish the good standing of the. York Publishing Company.
Ehrlich is the author of “Bunker Hill,” the music of which was composed by Albert von Tilzer. A glance over the list of Jewish song-writers will reveal the fact that, while there are dozens of well known composers, lyricists are scarce. Sam Ehrlich is one of the latter.
Other familiar songs of his are “Murphy” and “They All Looked at Me.”
For years he has been writing monologues and sketches, and he has recently written a musical comedy called “Mixed Babies,” which is to be produced in the fall.
The successful playlet called “Violets and Bonbons,” which was given at the Waldorf-Astoria by the Amelia Relief Society, last March, is the combined work of Ehrlich and H. Sylvester Krouse.
Krouse is well known as a composer, and was the director of “San Toy” at the Daly Theatre. Ed. Rogers writes both words and music. His list includes “Whistling Girl,” “Barney” and “Dan, Dan, Dan-u-el.”
These men, Ehrlich, Krouse, Rogers, and Joe Rosey (the last-named being also connected with the house), have wide acquaintances among the actor-folk.
This, coupled with the engaging manner and popularity of the name of Albert von Tilzer, has secured for him the reputation of having the largest following of any one man in the profession.
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The Baseball Commemorative Half Dollar Coin shows with an image of Albert von Tilzer, composer of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”
