Three O'Clock in the Morning (sheet music)

Three O'Clock in the Morning (sheet music)


The Sensational Dance Hit of Two Continentswords by Dorothy Terriss
music by Julian RobledoLeo Feist copyright 1922
Paperback9.2 x 12 inches, 5 pages

"Three O'Clock in the Morning" is a waltz composed by Julián Robledo that was extremely popular in the 1920s. Robledo published the music as a piano solo in 1919, and two years later Dorothy Terriss wrote the lyrics. Paul Whiteman's instrumental recording in 1922 became one of the first 20 recordings in history to sell over 1 million copies.

Julián Robledo, an Argentine composer born in Spain, published the music for "Three O'Clock in the Morning" in New Orleans in 1919. In 1920 the song was also published in England and Germany, and lyrics were added in 1921 by Dorothy Terriss (the pen name of Theodora Morse). The song opens with chimes playing Westminster Quarters followed by three strikes of the chimes to indicate three o'clock. The lyrics then begin: It's three o'clock in the morning, we've danced the whole night through.

This "Waltz Song with Chimes" created a sensation when it was performed in the final scene of the Greenwich Village Follies of 1921. In this performance Richard Bold and Rosalind Fuller sang the song while ballet dancers Margaret Petit and Valodia Vestoff rang the chimes. Frank Crumit recorded the song for Columbia Records in 1921, but its biggest success came in 1922 when Paul Whiteman released a recording on the Victor label, selling over 3.5 million copies of the record, and fueling the sale of over 1 million copies of the sheet music.

The song has been recorded by some of the most renowned orchestras of the 20th century, including Frank De Vol and his Orchestra (1950), Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians (1960), Mitch Miller and the Gang (1960), Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra (1964), and Living Strings (1971). The song also has become a jazz standard with notable recordings by Dizzy Gillespie (1953), Oscar Peterson (1956), Dexter Gordon (1962), Harry James (1965), and Thelonious Monk (1969).

The song was also repatriated to the home country of the composer, Argentina, where it was published as "Las Tres de la Mañana" by G. Ricordi & C. and interpreted as a tango vals by the orchestra of Enrique Rodriguez in 1946
-------------------------Theodora Morse (July 11, 1883 — November 10, 1953) was an American song writer and composer. She was a Tin Pan Alley lyricist who collaborated to produce a number of popular songs.

Alfreda Theodora Strandberg was born in Brooklyn, New York. On March 7, 1907, she married Theodore F. Morse (1873–1924). She and her husband became a successful songwriting team for Tin Pan Alley. Listed as Terriss & Morse, they were one of the earliest Tin Pan Alley husband-wife songwriting teams.

Theodora not only wrote with her husband, but also collaborated with other composers. Professionally, she often used the pseudonyms of Dorothy Terriss, Dolly Morse and D. A. Esrom. She wrote the lyrics for Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here to a tune originally written by Arthur Sullivan for the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. The popular good-night waltz Three O'Clock in the Morning was written to music composed by Julián Robledo. The song was recorded in 1922 by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. Jazz and pop standard, Wonderful One, was written by Paul Whiteman and Ferde Grofé, with lyrics by Theodora Morse based on a theme by movie director Marshall Neilan.

Theodora Morse died in White Plains, NY
-------------------Julian Robledo (1887–1940) was a composer best known for the song "Three O'Clock in the Morning". Robledo lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the early 1900s where he played piano in tango orchestras and composed some of the earliest published tangos. "Three O'Clock in the Morning" was published in the United States in 1919. The song was recorded by Paul Whiteman in 1922 and became one of the first 20 recordings in history to achieve sales of over one million records. The piece features prominently in the December 27, 1950 episode of radio's The Harold Peary Show.

Julián Robledo was born in Ávila, Castilla y León, Spain in 1887. He emigrated to Argentina in the early 1900s where he worked with some of the best known orchestras of the day. When the orquesta típica of Genaro Espósito was signed by the Victor record label in 1912, their first recording was the tango "Ya vengo", by Julián Robledo. Other tangos composed by Robledo include "La Pianola", "Golf' and "Chirulote". Julián Robledo also played piano with the orchestras of Eleuterio Yribarren, recording on the labels Electra and Odeón.

Robledo composed "Three O'Clock in the Morning" in 1919. Lyrics were added by Dorothy Terriss in 1921, and the song created a sensation when it was performed in New York in the Greenwich Village Follies of 1921. Paul Whiteman released a recording on the Victor label in 1922, resulting in sales of over 3.5 million copies of the record, and over 1 million copies of the sheet music.

In Buenos Aires, Robledo was active in promoting and protecting the rights of musicians and composers. He was spokesperson for the "Federación de Profesores de Música" and was a founder of the "Comisión de Defensa de los Derechos de Autor."

Julián Robledo died in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1940.