J. Bodewalt Lampe
Encyclopedia
Jens Bodewalt Lampe was a Danish
-born American composer
, arranger
, performer and band-leader of ragtime and syncopated dance music. With the exception of Scott Joplin
, Lampe was possibly the most famous composer of ragtime songs of the early-20th century.
Lampe was born in Ribe
, Denmark
to Christian and Sophia Lampe. In 1873, his family moved with his family to St. Paul, Minnesota
, where his father took over leadership of the Great Western Band. Lampe was a child prodigy on the violin
and became the first chair violinist for the Minneapolis Symphony at age 16. He met and married his wife, Josephine, while receiving tuition in Chicago
in 1888. In the early 1890s, he and his wife moved to Buffalo where they had four children, Walter, Petra, Dorothy and Joseph Dell (known later as "Dell"). At this time, he began composing and publishing his own music and led a dance orchestra.
In 1900, a year after the success of Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag
", he published his most successful and enduring song "Creole Belles", a rag
or cakewalk
that sold more than a million copies in sheet music. The song was recorded by Sousa's Band in 1902 and has been a staple of jazz bands and ragtime pianists into the 21st century.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-born American composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
, performer and band-leader of ragtime and syncopated dance music. With the exception of Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later dubbed "The King of Ragtime". During his brief career, Joplin wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas...
, Lampe was possibly the most famous composer of ragtime songs of the early-20th century.
Lampe was born in Ribe
Ribe
Ribe , the oldest extant Danish town, is in southwest Jutland and has a population of 8,192 . Until 1 January 2007, it was the seat of both the surrounding municipality, and county...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
to Christian and Sophia Lampe. In 1873, his family moved with his family to St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, where his father took over leadership of the Great Western Band. Lampe was a child prodigy on the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and became the first chair violinist for the Minneapolis Symphony at age 16. He met and married his wife, Josephine, while receiving tuition in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1888. In the early 1890s, he and his wife moved to Buffalo where they had four children, Walter, Petra, Dorothy and Joseph Dell (known later as "Dell"). At this time, he began composing and publishing his own music and led a dance orchestra.
In 1900, a year after the success of Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag
Maple Leaf Rag
The "Maple Leaf Rag" is an early ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, and is one of the most famous of all ragtime pieces, and became the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent composers. As a result Joplin was called the "King...
", he published his most successful and enduring song "Creole Belles", a rag
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
or cakewalk
Cakewalk
The Cakewalk dance was developed from a "Prize Walk" done in the days of slavery, generally at get-togethers on plantations in the Southern United States. Alternative names for the original form of the dance were "chalkline-walk", and the "walk-around"...
that sold more than a million copies in sheet music. The song was recorded by Sousa's Band in 1902 and has been a staple of jazz bands and ragtime pianists into the 21st century.
External links
- Jens Bodewalt Lampe
- [ Jens Bodewalt Lampe biography]