The North Toronto Historical Society and the Toronto Public Library present:

Songs of Yesteryear

Live Performance and Gramophone Recordings of Parlour Songs

from the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Amy Dodington, soprano

Doreen Uren Simmons, pianist

Paul Dodington, historian & record collector

7:30 pm Wednesday October 26th, 2016

Northern District Library

Love’s Old Sweet Song (1884 - Irish)

James L. Molloy/ G. Clifton Bingham

Roses of Picardy (1916 - British)

Haydn Wood/ Fred. E. Weatherly

“Love Will Find a Way” from The Maid of the Mountains (1917 - English)

Harold Fraser-Simpson/ Harry Graham

The World is Waiting for the Sunrise (1919 - Toronto)

Ernest Seitz/ Eugene Lockhart

Paul Dodington presents gramophone recordings on a 1906 Victor Talking Machine

The Birth of Morn (1902 - Italian)

Franco Leoni/ Paul Laurence Dunbar

Come to the Fair (1927 - English)

Easthope Martin/ Helen Taylor

At Parting (1886, pub 1906 - American)

James H. Rogers/ Frederic Peterson

My Ain Folk (1904 - Guelph)

Laura Lemon/ Wilfrid Mills

The Second Minuet (1924 - English)

Maurice Besly/ Aubrey Dowdon

The Jasmine Door (1909 - Scottish)

Alicia Scott/ Fred. E. Weatherly

“Because of my unique childhood growing up in a home stuffed to the gills with

gramophones, phonographs and more types of ancient recorded media than one could

imagine, I developed a feel for these parlour songs and their special function in the lives

of those who loved and sang them. This was an era before radio or television, when

family time for many meant gathering around the piano on a Sunday afternoon. There

is an emotional quality to these songs that to today’s ears can seem melodramatic, but I

see in their sometimes simple sentiments an innocence and charm that believe in a

shared humanity. Although forgotten by many, these songs hold a special place in my

heart. Like the woman from The Jasmine Door who still has lots of love to give even

though her husband has lost interest, these songs still have much to offer us. They still

have ‘roses sweet as those of yore.’” - Amy Dodington, Roses of Yore

Amy Dodington (Hon. B.Sc.; B.Mus. U of T) is an award-winning freelance soloist and

recitalist, whose moving Oratorio performances and eclectic recitals have earned her an

enthusiastic following throughout Ontario and beyond. She is a member of the Elmer

Iseler Singers, a private music teacher, has shared a stage with Placido Domingo,

performed under Maestro Helmuth Rilling in Germany and recently was a soloist in the

world premiere of "Under Dark Water" by Christopher Mayo with Toronto’s Esprit

Orchestra. Having inherited her parents’ custodial relationship to historical artifacts,

Amy, who grew up in Muskoka, now lives with her husband in the North Toronto house

that was built for her great-grandfather in the winter of 1913-14 (and she is holding on to

it with all her might!). In her recitals and on her CD, ”Roses of Yore,” Amy features her

beloved parlour songs, hoping to bring them to the attention of modern ears.

Doreen Uren Simmons, a native of Ingersoll, studied in Toronto with the renowned

Mona Bates and made her professional debut at the Wigmore Hall in London, England

in 1961. She spent 40 years in Toronto, working with many choirs and now

internationally famous Canadian singers. This period culminated in her position as

studio accompanist for the beloved Lois Marshall, during her 12 years of teaching at the

University of Toronto. Doreen moved to Orillia to be closer to grandchildren and was a

very successful teacher of voice there, as well as continuing her accompanying work.

Recently she returned to Toronto and is now a studio accompanist for Catherine Robbin

and Norma Burrowes at York, and Peter Barnes at U of T... besides being much closer

to Amy Dodington!! Doreen's mother was a beautiful soprano and sang many of the

songs that Amy brings to life so insightfully, so it is a great joy for Doreen to be here

tonight, and help to make your evening a memorable one.

Paul Dodington was born a century too late, and therefore has been an old man since

he was two years old. When he was fifteen, he bought his first Ford Model T. Although

he has a history degree from U of T, the academic approach did not inspire him nearly

as much as the organic, hands-on experiences of repairing antique boats and cars,

tinkering with Edison phonographs, and filling his home with the sounds of old records

that people had thrown away. In this manner, he grew his understanding of history from

the inside, feeling a genuine connection to the stories of the real people whose hands

built and operated these machines, and whose ears and hearts responded to these

songs. As a teacher and later a restorer of boats, he spreads his passion to others.