James Thomson

James Thomson (23 November 1834 – 3 June 1882), who wrote under the pen name Bysshe Vanolis, was a Scottish journalist, poet, and translator. He is most often remembered for The City of Dreadful Night (1874; 1880), a poetic allegory of urban suffering and despair. Thomson's pen name derives from the names of the poets Shelley and Novalis, both strong influences on him as a writer. Thomson's essays were written mainly for National Reformer, Secular Review, and Cope's Tobacco Plant. His longer poems include "The Doom of a City" (1854), "Vane's Story" (1865), and the Orientalist ballad "Weddah and Om-El-Bonain". He admired and translated the works of the Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi and Heinrich Heine. In the title of his biography of Thomson, Bertram Dobell dubbed him "the Laureate of Pessimism".

Birth and Death Data: Born November 23, 1834 (Port Glasgow), Died June 3, 1882 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, author

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-11301 10-in. 11/23/1911 A song of thanksgiving Frederick J. Wheeler Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-23793 10-in. 3/30/1920 A song of thanksgiving John McCormack Tenor vocal solo, with piano and orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-25918 10-in. 12/21/1921 Give a man a horse he can ride Royal Dadmun Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor B-27583 10-in. 3/1/1923 A song of thanksgiving Orville Harrold Tenor vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor BVE-38999 10-in. 7/21/1927 Give a man a horse he can ride Robert P. Shepard Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Victor BVE-Test-643 10-in. 5/22/1929 Give a man a horse he can ride Geoffrey O'Hara Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Brunswick 11998-12000 10-in. 11/28/1923 Give a man a horse he can ride John Barclay Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Brunswick 12214-12217 10-in. 1/3/1924 Give a man a horse he can ride John Barclay Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 496 Not documented approximately Dec. 1910 Song of thanksgiving Violet Oppenshaw Contralto vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 7518 10-in. 9/9/1920 Give a man a horse he can ride Arthur Middleton Male vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Edison 8217 10-in. 9/14/1921 A song of thanksgiving Anna Case Soprano vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Thomson, James," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101913.

Thomson, James. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101913.

"Thomson, James." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/101913

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