THE SEVEN SISTERS: A PLEIADES CANTATA - Clifford J. Cunningham
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Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 24(2), 345 – 362 (2021).
THE SEVEN SISTERS: A PLEIADES CANTATA
Clifford J. Cunningham
5201 North Spring View Drive, Tucson, Arizona 85749, USA.
E-mail: Cliff.Cunningham@usq.edu.au
and
Barbara Bacik Case
5002 Liberty Hill Trail, Sherman, Texas 75092, USA.
E-mail: rbarabacikcase@gmail.com
Abstract: A nineteenth century cantata inspired by the ancient Greek mythology of the Pleiades (Πλήίάδες) is
analysed for the first time. While it was very much an expression of the Victorian culture of the United States, it
also served as a vehicle to promote the Central Star hypothesis of the German astronomer Johann Heinrich von
Maedler.
Keywords: Pleiades, Seven Sisters, Astronomical music, American cantata, Greek Mythology, Frank Leslie
Bristow, Johann Heinrich von Maedler
1 INTRODUCTION ed the public consciousness, people made their
A study of this 1889 secular cantata The Seven own music. In the nineteenth and early twen-
Sisters by Frank Bristow (Figure 1) is especially tieth centuries, almost every middle-class home
relevant to the history of astronomy, as it is had a piano around which family and friends
inspired by the Pleiades star cluster and its would gather to sing old favourites and try out
associated mythology (Blake, 1877). Its subject new tunes. This provided a rich environment
matter highlights the level of astronomical for the cantata to flourish. Scholars typically
interest there was in American society of the ascribe the first cantata by an American to
late nineteenth century. American astronomy George Frederick Root (1820–1895) who com-
and music had been linked for years—for posed The Flower Queen: or The Coronation of
example, there was sheet music for the total the Rose in 1852 (Root, 1981: 12). However,
solar eclipse of 1869, which was a combination Stopp (2010) has discovered that “Root began
of waltz, galop, polka and mazurka (Kent, this aspect of his musical career indebted to
2019). Each of these musical forms were com- four innovative and successful cantatas by
posed by Bristow. The cantata under study James C. Johnson …” (1820–1895), whose
here assumes even more importance when one lifespan covered the same years as Root.
examines it as a document of the highest rar- Through their work, the cantata—by the 1850s
ity—there are no examples listed in Worldcat —became established as a favourite form of
(which lists worldwide library holdings) or any music to be sung in schools across the country.
other public repository. While its existence To avoid confusion, mention must be made
elsewhere cannot be ruled out, the cantata of a precursor to this work with the same name:
under study here may be the only extant ex- The Seven Sisters was a musical burlesque
ample of this work, which one of us (Cun- extravaganza performed in New York City in
ningham) located in a rare book shop in 2018.1 1860. It was produced by British actress and
Cantata is a vocal form, beginning in the theatre manager Laura Keene (1826–1873),
Baroque period, consisting usually of a number and written by Thomas Blaides de Walden
of movements such as arias, recitatives, duets, (1811–1873).
and choruses which are based on a narrative
text. This can be lyrical, dramatic, religious or, 2 THE COMPOSER
in the case of The Seven Sisters, based on Frank Leslie Bristow (1845–1914; Figure 2),
legend or mythology. Thus, born near Jacksonville, Illinois, was the son
The earliest American cantatas were com- of one preacher, Benjamin Franklin Bristow
posed in Boston, New York, and Philadel- (1815–1888), and the grandson of another,
phia during the eighteenth century as can- Archibald Bristow (1772–1846). His ancestors
tata odes, a genre based on English models emigrated from England to Virginia in 1663.
(specifically those of Henry Purcell), con- Frank made his career as a musician, com-
taining solos, duets, and a few choruses. poser, and entrepreneur. He was known as the
(Orr, 2013: 491). “…mellow-hearted music teacher of Covington
In a time before recorded and broadcast …” in Kentucky (Frank Bristow, 1899). Frank
music performed by professional artists saturat- Bristow was buried in Covington’s Linden Grove
345
Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 1: Front cover of The Seven Sisters cantata by Frank Bristow (Cunningham Collection).
cemetery. equality. The Regiment took part in General
Although Frank served on the Union side in William Tecumseh Sherman's Atlanta cam-
the Civil War, as a musician and drum major (= paign and the famous March to the Sea in 1864.
band leader) with the 101st Illinois Volunteer After the war, he returned to continue his formal
Infantry Regiment, he never supported racial education, receiving his BA in 1866 from Illinois
346
Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
College in Jacksonville, Illinois. He also re- 3 THE PLEIADES IN POPULAR AMERICAN
ceived an honorary MA ten years later (Cat- CULTURE
alogue of the Phi Alpha Society, 1890). He 3.1 Maedler's Central Sun Hypothesis
studied with Edward Anders Wimmerstedt
(1838–1883), Director of the Music Department Why did Bristow choose the Pleiades as the
of Illinois Female College (Olson, 1908: 708). A subject of a cantata? One reason may have
Swedish immigrant seven years older than been the reverence in which this cluster was
Frank, Wimmerstedt was a prolific composer held by so many people, especially as it was
and organist; he may have pointed Frank to- mentioned in the Bible (Kyselka, 1993: 176). In
wards a like career mixing teaching, perform- 1874, a newspaper article expressed it best:
ing, and composing. Before he settled down as There is a fascination about this group of
a public school teacher in Covington, Frank stars which is not attached to any other in
taught in institutions in several states, including the broad concave; there is a mystery in its
(according to a list that he gave to the Phi Alpha history which lends a charm to its sparkling
Society at his alma mater in 1890): Patterson gems. (The Pleiades, 1874).
Institute, Bourbon county, Kentucky; Warsaw A performance of The Seven Sisters in Ironton,
Female College, Kentucky; Tuscaloosa Female Missouri, prompted a newspaper report to in-
College, Alabama; Arkansas Female College, clude astronomical information of a quite fan-
Little Rock, Arkansas; Alabama Central Female tastic nature:
College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Southwestern
University, Georgetown, Texas; Plattsburg Col-
lege, Missouri; Millersburg Female College,
Kentucky; and Las Vegas Female College, New
Mexico.
There was a big market for sheet music for
all these pianos and Frank did his part to meet
the demand. He composed in a variety of
forms, and dedicated several compositions to
family members. Frank had some success with
hymn writing; among his efforts in that genre
were Sweet Rest at Home and Rejoice! Re-
joice! the Lost is Found. He also composed
dance music — Pit-A-Pat Polka and Last Love
Mazurka and patriotic tunes such as Fair Bride
of Liberty Awake! A National Song. More am-
bitious works included Ten Little Sunflowers, for
Two-part Chorus and Piano in 1891, and most Figure 2: Frank Leslie Bristow in a pho-
importantly two cantatas for female voices: tograph from the late 1880s (after The
Rainbow (1872; with poetry by the Reverend Illinois College …, 122).
B.F. Larrabee), and The Seven Sisters (1889).
An eminent astronomer conjectures that
Worldcat lists only seven entries for music one of the “Pleiades” is the Central Star of
by Bristow but others are in the Historic Sheet the universe of planetary systems, around
Music Collection of the Library of Congress. To which all the systems of Suns, moons and
date 111 compositions have been identified, stars revolve, and that there is the throne of
though few are known beyond their titles or the Omnipotent Ruler of creation. Pleiades
descriptive phrases in catalogs. The John can now be seen between 2 and 3 o'clock
Church Company of Cincinnati, at 66 West in the morning in the East. It is a small
Fourth Street, published The Seven Sisters. cluster of stars and rises a little before
Venus – the morning star. (Local Brevities,
This Company—one of the largest sheet music
1897).
firms in the country—published many of Brist-
ow’s works, the earliest recorded being Home The veracity of the newspaper may be
Sweet Home in 1871. Bristow's notated music, judged by its ironic tagline, appearing under the
which consists simply of a cover page followed masthead: Our God, Our Country and Truth.
by three or four pages of music, was the way The notion that the Pleiades represented a
most people would have encountered his music special point in the Universe appeared in sev-
as these were the least expensive. The Library eral other newspapers in this era. It derives
of Congress collection contains 10 examples from the Director of Dorpat Observatory, Jo-
dating between 1880 and 1885 published by hann Heinrich von Maedler (1794–1874; Figure
George D. Newhall of Cincinnati, and several 3), who believed—based on a survey of stellar
others published by John Church. proper motions—that this cluster was the center
347Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
theory was reported by respected members of
academia, including the mathematician William
Rowan Hamilton (1847):
The general conclusions of Maedler re-
specting the constitution of the whole syst-
em of the fixed stars exclusive of the distant
nebulae are the following. He believes that
the middle is indicated by a very rich group
the Pleiades containing many considerable
individual bodies though at immense dist-
ances from us. Round this he supposes
there is a zone proportionally poor in stars
and then a broad rich ring formed layer
followed by an interval comparatively de-
void of stars and afterwards by another
annular and starry space perhaps with sev-
eral alternations of the same kind the two
outmost rings composing the two parts of
Figure 3: Johann Heinrich von Maedler the milky way which are confounded with
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_He each other by perspective in the portions
inrich_von_M%C3%A4dler#/media/File: most distant from ourselves. Professor
Johann_Heinrich_M%C3%A4dler.jpg).
Maedler has acknowledged in his work his
obligations which are those of all inquirers
of the Universe, with all the other stars revolving in sidereal astronomy to the researches of
around Alcyone: the two Herschels, Sir William and Sir John.
I pronounce the Pleiades to be the central O.M. Mitchell, Director of the Cincinnati Ob-
group of that mass of fixed stars limited by
servatory, termed it a “… wonderful theory …”
the stratum composing the Milky Way, and
Alcyone as the individual star of this group, in a revised version of a book by Elijah Burritt
which, among all others, combines the (1849: 168), and it was included in many other
greatest probability of being the true central popular astronomy books during the remainder
sun. (Maedler, 1846; his italics). of the century. Maedler’s mistaken views cer-
tainly entered the wider consciousness of the
He even computed the time of the Sun’s revo-
American public through an article in Scientific
lution and assigned a period of 18.2 million
American (Alcyone, 1858), and were soon in-
years! Maedler’s hypothesis (see Figure 4)
cluded in American books for children such as
leapt from the pages of a German journal to
this one by John Brocklesby (1857: 307–308):
English-language magazines in both England
and America. Soon after its publication, the CENTRAL SUN. Does the sun move in a
Figure 4: The Central Sun depicted on one of 12 astronomical
cards issued by James Reynolds of London from 1846 to 1860
(National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London).
348Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
straight line or in an orbit? All celestial anal- tory, and through the telescope see further
ogies indicate the latter, and Maedler, of than Amos with the naked eye could –
Dorpat Observatory, believes from numer- namely, two hundred stars in the Pleiades,
ous observations which he has made that and that in what is called the sword of Orion.
he has discovered the great central sun (God in the Stars …, 1897).
around which not only our solar system but
the stars themselves revolve. Alcyone in Amos is a reference to the Biblical passage
the group of the Pleiades is supposed to be Amos 5:8. Also from 1897, the Pleiades featur-
this central sun. Its distance from us is so ed prominently in an article entitled Culture,
great that it would require 537 years for a from a New Orleans newspaper. After decrying
ray of light to pass from this orb to the earth the fact women don’t even know the names of
and if our sun revolves about it his periodic flowers in their own garden, the writer casts his
time must be no less than eighteen millions eyes upwards:
of years.
Then there is the great blue vault above,
Within a few years with its endless panorama of clouds, and its
... the idea of an Alcyonic centre has taken majestic procession of constellations. What
full possession of the text-books, and is mystic friendships may be cultivated with
therefore generally accepted theory with the stars, with what confidence we look up
the mass of astronomical writers and read- every night for the seven splendid suns that
ers. (The Pleiades, 1875). wheel in circling grandeur about the pale
pole star. How we learn to count the time
Another 20 years saw no change in this mis- for the reappearing of the coy Pleiades with
taken belief: “On that captivating theory poetic fiery Aldebaran in their train. (Culture, 1897).
theologians made Alcyone the center of the uni-
verse and the throne of heaven.” (Knight, 1898).
Bristow incorporated the idea in his cantata
(see Section 6.2). The controversy surrounding
Maedler's calculations can be found in Alex-
ander (1860). A full scholarly treatment of the
history of the Central Sun concept has yet to be
written. A summary of its background by Fred-
erick William Henkel (1869–1913), an astrono-
mer posted to Markree Observatory from 1898
to 1902, does little to dispel its allure, although
he qualifies its centrality to the known Universe.
Writing 65 years after its publication by Maed-
ler, Henkel (1911: 159) wrote:
The community of proper motions amongst
the stars of the Pleiades and the similarity
of the spectra given by many of these Figure 5: Thomas De Witt Talmadge
bodies render it highly probable that they (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_D
serve as a physical centre for the motions e_Witt_Talmage#/media/File:Thomas_D
of many other stars, perhaps even of our eWitt_Talmage_c1870.jpg).
own Sun, though it is another question
whether all the millions of celestial objects The most stunning representation of the
are affected by a common revolution.
Pleiades in popular culture was written by the
amateur astronomer William H. Knight (1835–
3.2 Other Newspaper Reports 1925) for the Los Angeles Herald newspaper.
At this stage we must consider the know- This 1898 article covering half a page, including
ledge being delivered to the public about the a fine illustration of the star cluster (Figure 6),
Pleiades. Several American newspapers re- was appropriately given the subheading “A
printed sermons being delivered in Washington word picture of the most beautiful cluster.”
DC by Reverend Thomas De Witt Talmadge Knight gives an excerpt from Tennyson’s poem
(1832–1902; Figure 5). A particularly pertinent Locksley Hall, and describes the mythology
one is his sermon entitled Seek Him That Ma- of the cluster from Mesopotamia, Greece and
keth the Seven Stars and Orion. Printed in an Rome, but hews closely to current scientific
Ohio newspaper, it reads in part: studies in his astronomical description. Even
the distance of the Pleiades, 500 light years, is
... if things are all mixed and disquieting,
and your brain is hot and your heart sick, not far off the mark given by modern mea-
get some one to go out with you into the surements of 444 light years. Most importantly,
starlight and point out to you the Pleiades, he thoroughly discounted the hypothesis of
or, better than that, get into some observa- Maedler that Alcyone was a central point in the
349Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 6: The Pleiades star cluster, and their mythological parents Atlas and, at left, Pleione (after Knight, 1898: 16).
Universe; alas, this entirely mystical and erron- star cluster and its mythology had permeated
eous belief persists to the present day, as evi- the American psyche (see Section 6.3).
denced by many websites that promote it.
4 THE CANTATAS BY BRISTOW IN
These are just a few examples of the use of
PERFORMANCE
the Pleiades in instructional articles, sermons
and poetry in popular culture of the late nine- As both of Bristow's cantatas were scored for
teenth century, an age where exposés on ast- females only, it is not surprising they were used
ronomy often appeared on the front pages of as entertainment vehicles by girls' schools. In
newspapers. Far from being an esoteric topic, fact, the title page of Rainbow states it was
Bristow chose to write his cantata about a star “…designed for the use of academies, female
cluster that was familiar to many American seminaries, exhibitions, concerts, etc.” On 7
newspaper readers, as well as the rural farmers June 1876, the Daily Arkansas Gazette report-
who were still very much attuned to the dark ed on a performance “… given by the pupils of
night sky. Household almanacs, long a feature the Arkansas Female College … [which] drew a
of American life, “… tracked the changing pat- large and appreciative audience.” It reports that
terns of constellations like the reappearance of The ‘Rainbow,’ a cantata, by Prof. Bristow,
the Pleiades each spring.” (Valencius et al, was the leading feature of the performance,
2016: 75). In 1885, just four years before Bris- and was listened to with unabated interest
tow wrote his cantata, American symbolist artist by lovers of scientific music. (At the Opera-
Elihu Vedder (1836–1923) painted The Pleiades House, 1876).
(currently in the collection of The Metropolitan After listing the young ladies who gave the per-
Museum of Art, New York) as seven scantily- formance, the breathless writer concludes “The
clad females, yet another example of how that arrangement of the colors, the execution of the
350Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 7: An advertisement for the cantata by the John Church Company.
parts and the construction of the cantata re- prism of glass or drops of water, it is re-
flected credit upon both pupils and teacher.” solved into these seven colors. (Nevada
That this cantata was described as “… scientific The Rainbow, 1889).
music …” is most remarkable, and must surely No archival locations for Rainbow have been
have been an inspiration for The Seven Sisters identified; the authors would appreciate being
17 years after Rainbow was composed. That it notified by anyone who has a copy.
was still being performed decades later is evi-
The Seven Sisters was listed as one of six
denced by a brief entry in the 19 May 1907
Cantatas and Operettas that could be perform-
issue of the Richmond Palladium, an Indiana
ed “… for School Exhibitions …” in the major
newspaper. With a dateline of Cambridge City,
music magazine The Etude. The magazine
Indiana, we read:
described it as a work that
An excellent musical program is being pre-
... will be found suitable for all exhibitions
pared for the last day of school at the high
and entertainments where the performance
school, by Prof. J. T. Reese. It will consist
is necessarily limited to women's voices,
of several vocal and instrumental select-
ions, one of which is a cantata from ‘The and affords many opportunities for beautiful
Rainbow’ by F. C. [sic] Bristow, in which six tableaux and costume effects. (For Pupils’
Recitals …, 1907).
girls from the high school will take part.
(Eastern Indiana …, 1907). In its length of about 40 minutes, it accords with
An article about Rainbow offers an unex- the typical cantata length which ranged from 10
pected (and science-based) link with The Sev- to 60 minutes, whereas oratorios were typically
en Sisters. In a synopsis of a performance, the one to three hours.
newspaper in Reno (Nevada) states: The publisher of the cantata, The John
In the Cantata, Light is represented as Church Company, ran an advertisement for
‘Mother’ of the seven sisters – the colored “Seasonal Music” that appeared in many news-
rays – because when passed through a papers (Figure 7). Under the category of Sem-
351Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
inaries, it stated: … maids and matrons alike could indulge
their fancies in a widely enjoyed parlor
Seminaries that desire a new Cantata for
entertainment, the tableau vivant (or living
use at close of school are recommended to
picture).
examine Frank L. Bristow’s latest work (just
published) entitled, ‘The Seven Sisters,’ a Just as in the dress-up aspect in the cantata
Cantata for ladies’ voices which will furnish (Grecian costumes), “… women turned their
abundant material for a delightful entertain- creativity toward displaying themselves as god-
ment. Price, 35 cts by mail, postpaid. (Sea-
desses, shepherdesses, queens, and sprites.”
sonable Music, 1889).
(Elbert, 2002: 235).
Due to the scoring of an all-female cast of so-
loists and chorus (Bristow specifies in the cast A performance held at the Opera house in
of characters that even a male character must Deadwood, South Dakota, on 13 August 1892
be played by a female: “A young lady must re- merited two articles on the same page of the
present Mercury’s part.”), this work was typical- Black Hills Daily Times. The first of these re-
ly used in a public-school environment. ports:
It is impossible to know every venue where A few days ago the Times took occasion to
‘The Seven Sisters’ was performed, but many mention the cantata to be rendered by
young ladies of Deadwood, and it now
traces of it remain in local newspapers across takes pleasure in stating that Saturday
the United States. A few examples will suffice. evening August 13 at the opera-house,
The earliest recorded performance was on 3 Deadwood, has been selected as the time
April 1890 in Marysville, Ohio. Admission was and place for themselves rendering of this
10 and 15 cents, or 20 cents for a reserved beautiful and entertaining performance.
seat. It is recorded that “… fifty little children in (Cantata of Pleiades, 1892).
gayest costume and carrying bright flowers …” The second article gave the names of the cast,
took part. (Grand Cantata …, 1890). It was followed by the synopsis shown in Figure 8.
performed at Mary Sharp College in Nashville,
Tennessee, on 9 June 1890 (Mary Sharp Col- Perhaps its most famous venue was Wes-
lege …, 1890), and at Calvary Baptist Church in leyan College in Atlanta, as reported in The
Sacramento, California, on 6 August 1890 (The Atlanta Constitution on 27 May 1893 (At Wes-
Seven Sisters, 1890) where we are informed leyan …, 1893). Bristow’s place of residence,
that Covington, put on a performance at the Odd-
Every measure received universal ap- Fellows Hall on 4 May 1894, with the price of
plause, and upon the completion of the admission of 25 cents: “Prof. Bristow certainly
programme all present partook of ice cream did great credit to himself in so successfully
and cakes. conducting the rendition of this astronomical
The newspaper in Marion, Ohio, reported that composition.” (Covington …, 1894). Other nine-
the cantata has been performed at St. Mary's teenth-century performances include 15 June
school: 1894 at Levi High School in Memphis, Ten-
nessee (Levi High School …, 1894); 15 Febru-
The Seven Sisters, a cantata, was a beauti-
ary 1895 at the Rhode Opera House in Ken-
ful thing, with twenty characters represent-
ed by as many young ladies and misses. osha, Wisconsin (High School …, 1895); in late
The music was very pretty and brought out September 1895 at the Le Couteulx St. Mary’s
the richness and culture of the chorus of Institution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf-
young voices. It was costumed prettily, Mutes in Buffalo, New York (Documents of the
while the stage settings added to the bril- Senate of the State of New York, 1896: 16–17);
liancy of the picture. (St. Mary's Schools …, and as a closing exercise at Logan High School
1891). in Danville, Kentucky, in May 1896 (School
At a performance in Sterling, Kansas, the Closed, 1896).
local newspaper adds the important scene and There was even an international perform-
costuming information that ance of The Seven Sisters:
The young ladies wore Grecian costumes, A packed hall greeted the efforts of the
and the stage was beautifully decorated to pupils of the Canterbury Superior Public
represent the heavens. The music was School on Wednesday night, in their efforts
fine, and well rendered. It was followed by to raise a prize fund by a tuneful cantata in
a beautiful tableau. (The Cantata, 1892). the Canterbury Town Hall.
This review highlights a very particular aspect This was in Sydney, Australia, on 7 December
of the performance of The Seven Sisters, one 1898 (School Concert …, 1898).
that had deep roots in American culture. In the
period before the American Civil War (that is, There was an extensive report about an
pre-1860), 1899 performance in the local newspaper of
352Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 8: Article on the cantata in the Black Hills Daily Times (1892).
Sioux Falls, Iowa, which will serve as a syn- ousies arising and that peace and harmony
opsis of the cantata before we turn to a detailed may reign supreme in celestial realms [see
study of the music and text in Sections 5 and 6. Section 6.3]. Mercury then salutes the
future queen of the heavens and departs,
The argument of this “Cantata of the stars” singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Dur-
was clearly and concisely stated by Theo- ing the pause between the first and second
dore Bailey. The curtain then rose upon a scenes, recitations were given by the three
scene which called forth a hearty applause boys from Miss Langworthy's primary, which
due less to the pretty groups upon the stage proved that though they are least in quan-
than to the appropriate stage settings. The tity, they are not in quality.
cantata opens with a pretty chorus of re- The second scene of the cantata repre-
joicing among “The Pleiades” or seven
sented the sisters after their translation to
daughters of Atlas and Pleione, who were the heavens where the constellations pay
famous for their amiable virtues and mutual homage to their queen in the order of
affections. Pleasant conversation inter-
Spring, autumn, summer and winter, each
spersed with sweet music follows, till the
being announced by a sister of the queen.
entrance of Mercury, the messenger of the Each of these sessions was represented by
gods. This part was enacted by little Mar- one girl in appropriate costume, bearing a
garet Gunnison who was graceful and
banner, and attended by three smaller girls
dainty enough in her pretty white costume representing the different months of the
with winged slippers and caps to be the real seasons. Then Mercury enters, bringing
messenger of the deities. After greeting the
the homage of the Stars of the North and of
sisters, she sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little
the South, presenting their banners to two
Star” in a clear, sweet voice with perfect
of the Pleiades. The scene closes with the
enunciation. Mercury then proceeds to
decision of the heralds of the season, that
business, producing and reading the edict
no one season is especially propitious for
of Zeus. This creator of all things, being in
mortal man to be happy and sing, but that
want of a particular star to be the sole cen- he who is content
ter of the mighty galaxy of stars and con-
stellations has decided upon Merope, the “He knoweth the time
youngest and most beautiful of the seven To be happy and sing
sisters. Further, he decrees that henceforth Is summer and winter
her beautiful face shall be veiled from the And autumn and spring.”
gaze of mortal man in order to prevent jeal- The entire cantata was most pleasing, but
353Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 9: Article on the cantata from The Enterprise (1902).
the rendition of the chorus “Pit-a-Pat” was Greenwood graded school of Greenwood,
the gem of the production and deserves Mississippi, on 27 May 1902 (Closing Exer-
special praise for the expression with which cises …, 1902). An excerpt from the news-
it was given. Altogether the cantata was a paper article serves here to list all the names
success of which the directors may feel well
repaid for their earnest and painstaking ef-
of the seven sisters, and roles in the cantata,
forts. (Cantata and Drama, 1899). with 12 principal actresses and a cast of 40
more, not counting the musicians—quite an
In the early twentieth century, it was per- ambitious production (Figure 9). Note that
formed numerous times—the following is just Sterope is more usually referred to as Ast-
a selection. It served as the close of the erope, and Alycyone is a typo, as it should be
Alcyone.
On 17 November 1902, a performance at
the Armory in Rock Island, Illinois (just across
the State border with Davenport, Iowa), was
given prominent coverage in the local news-
paper, The Davenport Times (Pleasing Cantata
…, 1902). Figure 10 shows the opening of a
nine-paragraph article that reiterated Maedler's
Central Star hypothesis, offered a synopsis of
the cantata, and made particular note of two
singers:
Miss Harriet M. Cropper, who took the part
of Merope, has often been heard here, and
her voice has delighted many critical aud-
iences ... Miss Gertude Carse, who took the
part of Mercury, surprised and delighted
all who heard her by the volume and the
sweetness of her voice.
A newspaper in Junction City, Kansas, re-
ported on its performance on 27 May 1904 (The
Junction City Weekly). The cantata was per-
formed in 1911, at a Catholic school in Owens-
boro, Kentucky (Mt. St. Joseph's …, 1911); in
1913 in South Bend, Indiana, at St. Joseph
Academy (Cantata is a Success, 1913); and as
late as 1918 in Piqua, Ohio (Present Cantata,
1918).
5 ANALYSIS OF THE MUSIC
Figure 10: Article on the cantata from The Davenport Times Frank L. Bristow’s cantata The Seven Sisters
(1902). comprises an Introduction or Overture which is
354Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 11: The first page of music from The Seven Sisters cantata (Cunningham Collection).
of Ab major in 2/4-time signature and is ar-
sectional (5) in structure. However, it serves as
ranged for piano. However, there is an ind-
a unifying factor in the following eleven sections
ication of a possible arrangement for an orch-
or movements. An audio-video recording of the
estra with the tremolo effect in LH of the tempo
Overture, for solo piano, was made as a com-
di marcia. There is a total of five sections in the
plimentary resource for this paper (see Case,
Introduction: I. Allegro vivace. II. Andante
2021). The cantata is scored for all females as
(waltz-like). III. Bridge (tempo di marcia) leading
chorus or soloists, or a combination thereof.
and connecting to IV. Tempo di valse (waltz-
The initial introduction (Figure 11) is in the key like) and finally V. Allegretto which is a trans-
355Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
formation of the tempo di valse in IV. Both Movement 8, Summer Showers and Sum-
waltzes have a strong (accented) first beat. mer Flowers, is a 2/4 tempo ‘polka-like’ dance
In summary, the Introduction (overture or in the key of Eb for chorus. The ‘pit-a-pat’ choral
opening gives a ‘dancing feet’ effect and is re-
tutti) shows great ingenuity and economy of
means, through Bristow’s use of thematic mat- peated. There are three verses and a refrain
after each verse.
erial and its transformation thereof. He uses
repetition, motivic transformation, and different Movement 9, Autumn Days, a waltz-like
genres of musical forms such as waltzes, song, is comprised of four verses duet and
marches, polkas and lullabies. chorus. The thematic material is derived from
the Introduction (tempo di valse). The refrain-
Movement 2, Let Us Rejoice, is scored for
like chorus is a repetition of the duet’s thematic
the chorus. He uses the opening motive of the
material. It is descriptive of autumn leaves and
Introduction in a slowed-down, augmented lyr-
sheaves stored away. In the following dialog,
ical style in the key of Ab.
Merope speaks of autumn leaves passing as
Movement 3, Sweet Content, is in the key the year does.
of G, which gives a big ‘colour’ change irrad-
Movement 10, Winter Bells, is for the cho-
iating a ‘sweet’ content. It features an aria for
rus. The opening figuration in R.H. accompani-
Merope, with choral filler proclaiming the joys of
ment gives a ‘bell-effect.’ The ‘sequential’ 2
the seasons. The structure is [A] Merope and
verses is followed by an antiphonal harking bell-
choral commentary, [B] chorus, then da capo al
like response. There are two verses. This is
Fine (then back to) [A]. This movement feat- Section [A] in the key of F. Section [B] is in A
ures a dialogue between the sisters emphasiz-
major and is derived from the opening allegretto
ing contentment and joy in life: “… a meritorious
section of the Introduction, only not in the same
life will lead to reward in the sky.”
key [12 bars]. It is repeated and the 2nd time
Movement 4, The Sailor’s Lullaby, begins offers a ‘jingle jingle’ bell-like choral effect. The
with a waltz using the head motive (interval of a song heralds the end of the year, with remin-
4th) of the Introduction. It features a solo for iscing about the past year.
Alcyone harmonized in 3rds and 6ths by the Movement 11, Hail! Orion, Hail is a fiery
chorus. This section features the ‘sea winds’ march-like ‘Hail to the Stars of Orion’ for a 2-
lulling all to sleep and memories of a mother part chorus. The thematic material is derived
singing her boy to sleep. The second section is from the Introduction of the Bridge [m.17-20]
a mother’s lullaby with Alcyone being the moth- with the following tempo di marcia [m.21-28]
er role accompanied by chorus ‘humming’ in a presented in the key of F. This movement is of
rocking, effective lullaby! This is repeated with a joyful, march-like character. The overall struc-
a 2nd verse. ture is an ABA. Bristow is unifying again! At
Movement 5, Seed Time, and Reaping Time the end, Mercury enters praising the sisters.
is a moderate ¾ waltz-like tempo with a solo for Movement 12, Stars of the North and Stars
Elektra accompanied by a lower-voiced chorus. of the South. It is comprised of a Sterope solo
Bristow gets a lot of mileage with the use of [V.I], and a solo with Taygeta [V.II]. Both solos
sequences and repetitions. The overall struct- are followed by a choral refrain thereby giving a
ure is [A][B][B] closing. Mercury, the messen- [A] solo plus choral response [Refrain], then [B]
ger, enters after hearing the “… harmonious solo plus choral response. The 16-beat lyrical
blending …” of the sisters. solo by Sterope praises the ‘stars of the North’
Movement 6, Twinkle, Twinkle. The open- while ‘the stars of the South’ are praised by
ing Mercury solo is the Introductions’ opening Taygeta.
theme (allegro vivace), followed by a choral
response using the opening ‘head motive’ of an 6 ANALYSIS OF THE TEXT
octave and chorus singing Elektra’s opening 6.1 Translation of the Sisters to the
solo, now harmonized! The Structure is [A] Heavens
[B][A] with four solo verses for Elektra followed
by a refrain-like choral response. The key element of the speeches in the first few
movements is spoken by Celeno in movement
Movement 7, Song of Spring, features three 3:
verses for chorus using the ‘head motive’ of a ... the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione
4th derived from the opening Introduction. The are to be translated to the realms of never-
song is a description of the awakening of Spring: ending suns, there to shine forever in the
wind, flowers, leaves, primrose stars. At the constellation of the mighty Taurus as the
end is a soliloquy of Spring constellations com- ‘PLEIADES’, or ‘Seven Sisters.’
ing forth. Further, they are to shine as ‘Stars of the
356Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 12: The Edict of Jupiter from movement 6 of The Seven Sisters (Cunningham Collection).
Ocean’ to guide mariners, which leads into the That this is a pivot point of the cantata is
song The Sailor’s Lullaby. In ancient Greek evident not only from its placement midway
mythology, the sisters were translated (trans- through the composition but from the fact this
formed into stars) by Zeus to prevent them from declaration by Zeus often featured in newspap-
being ravaged by Orion (Norris and Norris, er reviews of the performed work. The myth
2021). surrounding Merope's fate was not confined to
the classicists in America of the nineteenth cen-
6.2 The Edict of Jupiter tury. “A rare, popular treatment of the myth
On page 26 of his 50-page cantata, Bristow appeared in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1854 …”,
comes to the key theme of his work in the form a widely-read annual publication (The Pleiades,
of an edict from Zeus, King of the Gods (read to 1854). The steel engraving (Figure 13) depicts
the assembled cast by Mercury, a messenger Merope as the central figure, “… flying heaven-
of the gods). It derives directly from the Central ward with her sisters, distinguished only by her
Star hypothesis, brilliantly melding Maedler's raised arm which obscures the star on her
astronomical work with ancient Greek mythol- crown.” (Lessing, 2006: 253). The vision of
ogy. This is from movement 6 (see Figure 12). Merope in this engraving may have served as
an inspiration for the American sculptor Ran-
Bristow put his own ‘spin’ on the hypothes-
dolph Rogers (1825–1892), who created a
is, selecting Merope instead of Alcyone as the
marble sculpture of Merope in 1875. “His Mer-
Central Star.
ope, with her flying hair and drapery and her
6.3 Merope graceful, diagonal pose, clearly shows the influ-
ence of the Beaux-Arts style.” (Lessing, 2006:
Immediately following the Edict was an Adden- 255). The 1854 engraving was accompanied
da, which served as the conclusion of the First by a poem, the opening stanza reads:
Scene,
Borne by music on their way,
It is hereby decreed by the Council of Cel- Every chord a living ray,
estial Deities – Zeus presiding – that in fut- Sinking on a song-like breeze,
ure the beautiful face of our queen Merope The lyre of the Pleiades;
be veiled and hidden forever from the gaze With its seven fair sisters bent
of mortal man, to prevent jealousies arising O’er their starry instrument,
amongst the constellations over her prefer- Each a star upon her brow,
ment, that peace and harmony may ever Somewhat dim in daylight's glow,
reign supreme in celestial matters. That clasped the flashing coronet
Signed and sealed a second time by On their midnight tresses set.
ZEUS, Ruler of Mt. Olympus
357Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 13: The Pleiades in Godey’s Lady’s Magazine (1854).
In addition to the music that must accom- Figure 14 reproduces one of several pages
pany the Pleiades, this reflects the costume of text dealing with the introduction and des-
direction Bristow gives in The Seven Sisters, cription of the constellations. It immediately
where he directs that all except Merope wear follows the singing of Song of Spring, the start
“… coronets with a bright star of tin or gold leaf.” of movement 7. The lines about the Crow come
Merope is directed to wear a black coronet with from Burritt (1843: 368); the lines attached to
a “jet star”, signifying that it too should be black, Virgo the Virgin are from Burritt (1843: 91); the
signifying invisibility (as it is in the engraving 34 two lines about Hydra are from Burritt (1843:
years earlier). The last portion of the poem in 84); and the lines about Berenice's Hair are to
1854 tells the tale of Merope who died upon be found in Burritt (1843: 90). Most of the last
touching “… our cold earth …”—an allusion to line of Figure 12 is also from Burritt (1843: 99):
her marriage to a mere mortal—but not sur- beginning with “… the figure of a man ...” to the
prisingly the cantata adopts an entirely carefree end is from him. Bristow forgot the beginning
existence for all seven sisters. quotation mark, but did end it with a closed
quote: “... other.” Likewise, much of the open-
6.4 The Constellations ing speech of Alcyone, dealing with Boӧtes, is
Where did Bristow get his text from in the taken from Burritt (1843: 95). The number of
Second Scene, dealing with the constellations stars given in the poem, such as 95 for Leo
giving obeissance to the Pleiades as the centre Major, has Burritt as the source.
of all things? It is certain he wrote very little of Once these constellations have been intro-
it himself. duced by Alcyone, the chorus opens movement
The poems given for each constellation are 8 with Summer Showers and Summer Flowers
not by Bristow, but rather were copied from a (the Pit-a-pat song mentioned in the review of
popular astronomy book, The Geography of the the Sioux Falls performance; Section 4). After
Heavens by Elijah Burritt. It went through many this Elektra and Merope introduce more con-
editions in the nineteenth century, the fifth being stellations, followed by the song Autumn Days
1843. (movement 9).
358Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Figure 14: An introduction to several constellations from movement 7 (Cunningham Collection).
The introduction of the Autumn constellations Northern Stars to Sterope. The 12th movement
by Merope and Maia is followed by Winter Bells, then begins with the tune Stars of the North and
which begins movement 10. After Celano Stars of the South. Mercury next hands the
introduces the constellations of Winter, move- banner of the southern stars to Taygeta. Mer-
ment 11 commences with the song Hail! Orion! ope then brings the cantata to a conclusion with
Hail! Mercury then re-enters, singing Twinkle, this speech:
twinkle, and then hands the banner of the
359Clifford J. Cunningham and Barbara Bacik Case The Seven Sister: A Pleiades Cantata
Stars of the North, and Stars of the South! amples. Thus, in a survey of the most noted
Thy Queen thus greets thy presence here: American composers of cantatas from 1850–
“Ye both have starry lights that will forever 1919, he fails to make the list, which includes
shine resplendent to beautify and adorn the
nine others. However, the survey conducted by
world! Ye both have borne your starry
Cross, and well deserve your Crowns. Stars
Jacklin Stopp (1969) reveals important inform-
of the North, shine on in thy glorious grand- ation that helps us put The Seven Sisters in
eur! Stars of the sunny South, shone on in context. Of 94 cantatas in the survey for adult
thy modest beauty – each contented in your voices, 62 were scored for mixed chorus, 19 for
needful spheres. And now, ye heralds sweet male chorus, and most rarely 13 for a female
of seasons fair, since hours pass away and chorus. There is no comparable survey of can-
with them go the starry pageants of the tatas for children's voices, such as The Seven
skies, what think ye is the time most propit- Sisters.
ious for mortal man to sing? What season
of the year should hearts be tuned to mel- This cantata itself is a rare find, unavailable
ody?” to musicologists, musicians and historians of
astronomy for more than a century. A measure
The other six sisters all agree that each
of its obscurity is that it does not feature in a
season should be a time “… to be happy and
comprehensive list of music inspired by Astron-
sing …” an all-embracing and graceful fin-
omy (Fraknoi, 2018). The Seven Sisters ap-
ale where Mercury once again sings Twinkle
pears to be unique among American cantatas
Twinkle Little Star, a well-known song of the
nineteenth century based on words from an in its focus on Greek mythology in an astro-
nomical context. An unheralded example of
1806 poem by the English poet Jane Taylor
astronomical history and heritage in America of
(1783–1824).
the nineteenth century, it is a lovely work that
should be heard and performed. One of us
7 CONCLUSION
(Case) has recorded the Overture, which can
Bristow’s use of popular dance forms such as be viewed on YouTube. A complete staged
waltzes, polkas, and including marches and performance of the cantata is planned, and this
lullabies, is indicative of the late Victorian styles will also be video recorded for public viewing.
that saw their full expression in the cantata.
The cantata 8 NOTE
… was democratic music at its richest, if not 1. The Seven Sisters was purchased in 2018
always its finest, in that the music was by one of us (Cunningham) at Sandra
meant for everyone to sing and appreciate, Hoekstra Bookseller, 153 Main Street,
even if much of it was never more than
Thomaston, Maine, USA. The printed can-
merely Victorian. (Orr, 2013: 491).
tata measures 6 x 8 inches (155 × 205
The Seven Sisters falls squarely within this des- mm).
cription, although 'everyone' in that case was
for girls only. 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Stopp (1969: 388) notes that “By the first Thanks to Neil Allen Bristow (second-cousin-
decade of the twentieth century, interest in this three-times-removed of Frank Bristow) for bio-
form was superseded by a growing attention to graphical information, and for bringing the photo-
opera and symphonic works …”, and in popular graph of Frank Bristow to our attention. Thanks
music, the Ragtime era made famous by Scott also to the Reverend Craig M. Sturm for record-
Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag of 1899. While Bristow ing the performance of Bristow’s Overture by Dr
composed many pieces of music, his foray into Barbara Basik Case, and the National Maritime
the cantata form is evidenced by only two ex- Museum (London) for Figure 4.
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Clifford J. Cunningham earned his PhD in the history of astronomy at the University of
Southern Queensland in Australia, where he is now a Research Fellow in the Centre for
Astrophysics. He is also a Research Associate of the National Astronomical Research
Institute of Thailand.
His undergraduate degrees in Physics and Classical Studies were earned at the
University of Waterloo in Canada. He has published 15 books on the history of astronomy:
Introduction to Asteroids (in 1988), a 5-volume series on nineteenth century asteroid research,
7 volumes to date in the Collected Correspondence of Baron Franz von Zach, and (as editor)
The Scientific Legacy of William Herschel. His most recent book, published in 2021, is Asteroids by Reaktion
Press. He is currently editing one of six volumes in Bloomsbury’s Cultural History of the Universe.
He was appointed by Springer as a Series Editor of their Historical & Cultural astronomy books in 2019, and
is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, a contributor to Encyclopedia Britannica,
and since 2001 has been the history of astronomy columnist for Mercury magazine. He also appeared on the Star
Trek television show Deep Space Nine as a human Starfleet officer.
Asteroid (4276) was named Clifford in his honour in 1990 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) based
on the recommendation of its bureau, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In 2020 he was elected
to membership in the IAU
Barbara Bacik Case of Sherman, Texas, is a concert pianist, coach, accompanist, teacher,
adjudicator, organist and chamber music performer. Her background includes a Bachelors of
Music in Piano from the Eastman School of Music with Mrs. Cecile Genhart; a Masters of
Music in Piano Performance with John Perry at the University of Kansas; and a Doctor of
Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Her doctoral
dissertation on Dvorak’s Piano Trios has been included in the book Chamber Music: A
Research and Information Guide by John H. Baron.
She served as Assistant Professor of Piano at Austin College, and has performed at such
prestigious venues as the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Konzerthaus (Schubert Saal) in Vienna, and at the Cleveland
Opera’s performance of Carmen.
.
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