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Ivan Caryll

Félix Marie Henri Tilkin (12 May 1861 – 29 November 1921), better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian-born composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language, who made his career in London and later New York. He composed (or contributed to) some forty musical comedies and operettas.

Caryll's career encompassed three eras of the musical theatre, and unlike some of his contemporaries, he adapted readily to each new development. After composing a few musical burlesques, his first great successes were made in light musical comedies, epitomised by the George Edwardes productions at London's Gaiety Theatre, such as The Shop Girl, The Circus Girl, The Gay Parisienne, and A Runaway Girl. He continued to write musical comedies throughout the next decade, including such hits as The Messenger Boy, The Toreador, The Girl From Kays, The Earl and the Girl, The Orchid, The Spring Chicken, The Girls of Gottenberg and Our Miss Gibbs. He also wrote some operetta scores, such as The Duchess of Dantzic. After this he moved to New York City, where he became an American citizen; his last works, including The Girl Behind the Gun (which became a London hit as Kissing Time), incorporated the new fox-trot and one-step rhythms. At the peak of his career, he had the unparalleled distinction of having five musicals running at the same time in the West End.

Birth and Death Data: Born (Liège (city in Wallonia, Belgium)), Died November 29, 1921 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1898 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, songwriter

Notes: Real name Felix Tilkin according to Victor catalog

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 134 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Berliner 1911 7-in. 10/10/1898 The boy guessed right Artists vary Male vocal solo composer  
Berliner 1981 7-in. between June 1898 and March 1899 The sly cigarette S. H. Dudley Male vocal solo composer  
Berliner 0155 7-in. 5/19/1899 The piccaninnies Dan W. Quinn Male vocal solo composer  
Berliner 0369 7-in. 7/28/1899 A runaway girl : Selections Vess L. Ossman Banjo solo composer  
Berliner 0467 7-in. 9/7/1899 The boy guessed right S. H. Dudley Male vocal solo composer  
Berliner 01080 7-in. March 1900 A runaway girl : Selection Royal Italian Band Band composer  
Berliner 01091 7-in. March 1900 The circus girl : Selection Royal Italian Band Band composer  
Berliner 01197 7-in. April 1900 A runaway girl : Selection Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]52 7-in. 6/2/1900 She never did the same thing twice S. H. Dudley Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]208 7-in. 9/15/1900 The boy guessed right S. H. Dudley Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]208 10-in. 11/9/1901 The boy guessed right S. H. Dudley Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]209 7-in. 9/15/1900 The sly cigarette S. H. Dudley Male vocal solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]332 7-in. 10/4/1900 Selections from A runaway girl Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]332 10-in. 5/8/1902 Selections from A runaway girl Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]486 7-in. Selections from A runaway girl Vess L. Ossman Banjo solo composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1100 7-in. 11/22/1901 Selections from The messenger boy Metropolitan Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1100 10-in. 11/22/1901 Selections from The messenger boy Metropolitan Orchestra Orchestra composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]1178 7-in. 1/1/1902 The espada march Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]1178 10-in. 1/1/1902 The espada march Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor [Pre-matrix B-]3232 10-in. 4/3/1901 Selections from A runaway girl Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor B-683 10-in. 11/9/1903 Toreador song George Alexander Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor C-683 12-in. 11/9/1903 Toreador song George Alexander Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
Victor B-2720 10-in. 9/5/1905 Queen of the ball waltz Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor C-2720 12-in. 4/12/1906 Queen of the ball waltz Sousa's Band Band composer  
Victor B-2726 10-in. 9/6/1905 The earl and the girl : Selections Sousa's Band Band composer  
(Results 1-25 of 134 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Caryll, Ivan," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103994.

Caryll, Ivan. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103994.

"Caryll, Ivan." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103994

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