Eubie Blake's "Memories of You" and Edward MacDowell's "To a Wild Rose"

There is an interesting similarity between Eubie Blake's song "Memories of You" (1930) and Edward MacDowell's piano miniature "To a Wild Rose" (1896). It's not so much in the exact notes of the melody, as it is in the rhythms, the pattern of repeated notes, the melodic curve, and the mood. I'm thinking mostly of the first 8 measures. Below are the opening bars of the two songs:

"Memories of You" 

"To a Wild Rose"

Eubie would certainly have been familiar with the MacDowell composition. "To a Wild Rose" was a well-known, beloved piece of piano parlor music in the early 1900s. Eubie may or may not have been aware that he was paraphrasing, but I think the similarity is pretty clear.

Following are some versions of each tune. First, a straight reading of the "To a Wild Rose" sheet music, followed by a great Sonny Rollins interpretation:

Here are some versions of "Memories of You" from Eubie Blake (with a florid introduction), Benny Goodman, and Clifford Brown:

"Memories of You" has been recorded by many popular and jazz artists, but "To a Wild Rose" not so often. 

However, I should not neglect to mention Elvis Presley's appropriation of the melody of “To a Wild Rose” for his tune “Am I Ready” (lyrics by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett). It's one of several Elvis tunes that used borrowed melodies, with newer lyrics added. Here are some more: 

"It's Now or Never" (melody from the 1898 Italian song "O Sole Mio," new lyrics by Wally Gold and Aaron Schroeder)

"Love Me Tender" (melody from the 1861 song "Aura Lea," new lyrics by Ken Darby)

"Can't Help Falling in Love" (melody from the 1784 French song "Plaisir d'amour," new lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss).

For some historical background on the MacDowell and Blake pieces, see the Wikipedia entries for To a Wild Rose and Memories of You. 

"To a Wild Rose" was composed as the first of 10 pieces in a suite, Woodland Sketches (Op. 51). The Wikipedia entry for "Woodland Sketches," citing a 1922 MacDowell biography, states that the melody for "To a Wild Rose" was based on a song of the Brothertown Indians. 

The "Woodland Sketches" article seems to suggest that MacDowell had seen the melody in a book on Native American music by Theodore Baker (1882). Baker's book is accessible online. It's in German, but the musical examples are in standard notation. I took a look at it, and must say that I could not find any musical example in that book that reminded me of "To a Wild Rose." There was one melody collected from the "Brotherton Indians," but it bore no resemblance. 

Maybe MacDowell picked up the melody from another source - but it's worth noting that MacDowell was living in New Hampshire, while the Brotherton Indians were (and are) in Wisconsin. Regardless, I suppose one can hear that MacDowell could have been trying for a Native American sound in his melody.

Here's the complete sheet music for "To a Wild Rose" (public domain):