Java sparrow & music - it's true read on!

Yet again sometime spent trawling the internet for all things Java has lead me to discover another weird and wonderful thing .................................................................................... Java sparrows and music! Take a look at this page and you will be able to hear a limited number of sounds that have the Java sparrow in their titles, lyrics or both!

The first 1 minute extract of a Java related musical track for you to listen to is by Terry Callier and is from his 1998 album called "Timepeace". The Java sparrow track is number 4 on the album. You can read some more about Terry by clicking here if you like his type of music which is safe to say is rather soulful.

you may have to press play button twice!

The next 1 minute taster track is called "Java sparrow - White bird Mix" and is a dance tune that will I am sure only appeal to some of the younger generation! This is by Hiroca from Japan (I think?), I am not sure if this an individual or a group. It is a real dance club tune with no vocal reference to the Java sparrow that I can find other than the title of the track........enjoy!

you may have to press play button twice!

The third Java music track you can listen to is a little different to the one directly above it is a Waltz and is called "The Java sparrow Waltz" and it is by American pianist and composer S W Bassford.

I initially came across an image of the actual sheet music that Mr Bassford had written so long ago, while surfing for information on the Java sparrow - please click here to see the sheet music.

This waltz was composed around 1838 to 1840. I came across the actual music that Mr Bassford had written, please click here to see the actual sheet music. Mr Bassford was seen as a "professor of the piano-forte" click here to see this reference from a book called "New York before Chinatown" and today it is brought to you with more than a little help on the technical side by my good mate Stuart Drury from S J D Javas.

I told Stuart about my "internet find" and he said he could possibly get it put onto an MP3 track so we could both hopefully enhance our respective websites with the waltz. It has taken a little work but Stuart has, via his musical contacts and his own talents produced the track that is now ready for you to listen to if you wish.

So please enjoy something a little different from the other two musical pieces above, play the 30 taster of the "Java sparrow Waltz" by clicking the player below.

you may have to press play button twice!

If you do want to listen to the whole track (around 4MB in size & 5 minutes long)
please e-mail me, click here >>>>>>

I did manage to find this little bit of background on the creator of "The Java sparrow Waltz"please do read on.

Samuel William Bassford, Born on 29 Feb 1816 in Georgetown, Washington, D. C. By the time he was fifteen, he was a professional musician, performing regularly at Hanington's Phosphorama at 360 Broadway. Throughout the 1830s, he was billed as "Professor at the Piano-forte" at the City Saloon on Broadway opposite St. Paul's Church. He is also recorded as giving piano lessons.

In 1834 he moved out of the family home on Pearl St., and took a room on Fifth Ave. After his marriage to Almira, the newlyweds moved to rooms at South 6th St. in Brooklyn. Samuel continued to give piano lessons and to perform in various venues. They later moved back in with his father Abraham. In 1837, they were able to move out on their own again, this time to Mott St. They moved frequently. In 1838 they moved to Greenwich Village at Sullivan St. In 1839, they moved to City Hall Place, not far from Abraham and Abby. In 1840 they moved to Franklin St, and in 1841 to Waverly Place.

He is listed in the 1839-40 New York City Directory, where he is listed as a professor, living at City Hall Place.

In 1861, he enlisted in the Civil War at the age of 45. He served as a private in Co. E of the 38th New York Volunteers. Later, transferred to Co. K. On the same day, his half-brother Abraham enlisted in Co. F of the 8th New York Militia. Samuel died a few months later of dysentery on 9 Jul 1861 at Camp Scott in Alexandria, VA, a few days before the First Battle of Bull Run.

The above text is taken from the following genealogy website - www.basford.org click link to visit the page detailing the S W Bassford family in greater depth.