The Hayden Quartet, formerly known as the Haydn Quartet was one of the most popular recording close harmony quartets in the early twentieth century. It was originally formed in 1896 as the Edison Quartet to record for Edison Records; it took its new name when recording for other companies. The name was a homage to Joseph Haydn, the classical composer; the spelling was later revised to Hayden, which reflects the way it was pronounced. Library of Congress: Haydn Quartet. Retrieved 24 May 2013 The group disbanded in 1914.
Formation The Haydn Quartet originally formed under the name "Edison Quartet" in 1896, with a membership of John Bieling (tenor), Jere Mahoney (tenor), Samuel Holland Rous (who performed under the name S. H. Dudley, baritone), and William F. Hooley (bass). Mahoney was soon replaced by John Scantlebury Macdonald, who used the pseudonym Harry Macdonough.Vocal Hall of Fame: The American Quartet . Retrieved 22 May 2013 They recorded as the Edison Quartet (or Edison Male Quartet), before taking the name Haydn Quartet around 1898 in order to record for companies other than Edison.
In 1901 they signed a contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company, and in 1902 also traveled to the UK to record for the Gramophone Company, which was Victor's affiliate. Gage Averill, Four Parts, No Waiting : A Social History of American Barbershop Quartet, Oxford University Press, 2003, pp.70-75 The group had great success over the next decade as one of the premier recording groups of the time, on a par with the Peerless Quartet. The Haydn Quartet often sang material at a slower tempo and in a statelier fashion than other groups. The ensemble also performed vaudeville and minstrel show songs, one of which, "The Camp Meeting Jubilee", released in 1904 as Victor no. 4003, includes a very early recorded use of the phrase "rockin' and rollin'", albeit used with a spiritual rather than secular connotation.Meloware's Antique Phonograph Record Archive Larry Birnbaum, Before Elvis: The Prehistory of Rock 'n' Roll, Scarecrow Press, 2012
Recordings credited to the Haydn Quartet began to be phased out in 1908. After that time, Billy Murray frequently sang lead with the group, and S. H. Dudley was often replaced by Reinald Werrenrath. Following the successful collaborations between Murray and the Haydn Quartet, Victor organized a new group, the American Quartet, in 1910, with Murray, Bieling and Hooley from the Haydn Quartet, and baritone Steve Porter. The group's name was spelled Hayden after 1910. The quartet disbanded in 1914. As well as members participating in the American Quartet, Macdonough and Hooley, together with Reinald Werranrath and tenor Lambert Murphy, also formed the Orpheus Quartet, who recorded successfully until 1919.Whitburn, Pop Memories 1890-1954, p.344
In his book Pop Memories 1890-1954, music archivist and statistician Joel Whitburn assessed a variety of sources such as Talking Machine Worlds lists of top-selling recordings, and Billboards sheet music and vaudeville charts, to estimate the most successful recordings of the period. He concluded that the Haydn Quartet had 62 "top ten" hits in all between 1898 and 1914, and in the decade 1900-1909 had more successful recordings than any other group, behind only Macdonough and Murray, who recorded as solo artists in addition to their group performances. Although Whitburn's methods of assessment have been criticized, Tim Brooks, A Discographic Deception: Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories, 1890‑1954, review for Antique Phonograph Monthly, 1987. Retrieved 20 May 2013 this confirms that the group were one of the most popular of their era.
Discography Hit singles
Title Year Peak position She Was Bred In Old Kentucky 1898 Cornfield Medley 1899 Because 1900 In the Good Old Summer Time 1903 In the Sweet Bye and Bye My Old Kentucky Home Bedelia 1904 Blue Bell Dear Old Girl I Am Longing For You, Sweetheart, Day By Day Old Folks at Home Sweet Adeline (You're the Flower of My Heart) Toyland Come Along, Little Girl, Come Along 1905 Dearie Down Where The Silv'ry Mohawk Flows Grandfather's Clock In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree My Little Canoe Silent Night Hallowed Night Tell Me With Your Eyes The Holy City Where The Southern Roses Grow How'd You Like To Spoon With Me? 1906 In Dear Old Georgia Just A Little Rocking Chair And You Waltz Me Around Again, Willie When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder Will You Love Me In December As You Do In May? In the Wildwood Where The Blue Bells Grew 1907 My Wild Irish Rose Stein Song When The Flowers Bloom In The Springtime, Molly Dear Here's To The Girl! 1908 I'm Happy When The Band Plays Dixie Keep On Smiling Love Me and the World Is Mine Rainbow Sunbonnet Sue Take Me Out to the Ball Game When It's Moonlight on the Prairie Yankee Doodle's Come To Town Brown Eyes, Good-Bye 1909 Lonesome Meet Me In The Rose-Time, Rosie Put On Your Old Gray Bonnet Sullivan Take Me Up With You, Dearie Take Me Out For A Joy Ride The Hat My Father Wore On St. Patrick's Day Up, Up, Up In My Aeroplane By the Light of the Silvery Moon 1910 Down In Sunshine Alley I'll Make A Ring Around Rosie Meet Me Where the Lanterns Glow My Heart Has Learned To Love You, Now Do Not Say Good-bye Tell Mother I'll Be There The Garden Of Roses Mary 1911 By The Saskatchewan In The Evening By The Moonlight 1913 Cross the Great Divide 1914
Popular songs
Annie Laurie (1901) Carry me back to ole Virginie (1901) My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean (1901) My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean by The Haydn Quartet (1901). Retrieved 24 May 2013 Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield (1903) Glory Song (1905) The Jolly Blacksmiths (1906)
Notes
References
External links The Haydn Quartet at Allmusic The Edison Quartette (1902?) "Annie Laurie" No. 2201 Edison Gold Moulded Record The Haydn Quartet (1902) Nearer My God To Thee Bethany (Mason) Meloware's Antique Phonograph Record Archive Songwriters Hall of Fame Haydn Quartet recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.