By Alex Davidson
The free program about Ball, who wrote the song “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” will take place Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Leonard Center at 112th Street and 86th Avenue, according to Richmond Hill Historical Society President Nancy Cataldi. The event will be led by Carl Ballenas and feature a slide show, music and film clips to showcase Ball's career, which began with his birth in 1878 and ended with his death in 1927.
“Too many of his songs have been lost or forgotten,” Ballenas said. “He was so highly recognized and regarded by fellow musicians that we should not lose these great songs.”
Ballenas said he began his research on Ball after finding a postcard in the Triangle Hofbrau, an historic building in downtown Richmond Hill, which showed the composer working at the booth where he wrote “When Irish Eyes are Smiling.”
During the two years since that discovery, Ballenas has replaced folklore about Ball with fact and also managed to collect old song sheets from the composer and connect with Ball's granddaughter.
“People are not aware that he came from this area and he contributed so much to the musical world,” Cataldi said.
The Richmond Hill Historical Society runs programs on a variety of notable personalities, which includes the Marx Brothers and the famous tenement-era photographer Jacob Riis. The society also sponsors walking tours of historic areas in Richmond Hill, like Maple Grove Cemetery.
Cataldi said Ball, born in Cleveland, lived with his wife in Richmond hill on 84th Avenue and 116th Street. She said the antique song sheets will be displayed during the event as well as photographs and the composer's authentic signature.
The program will also feature a live recording of the tenor Ball singing, which he rarely did in public, Cataldi said.
Ball, a Richmond Hill resident from the turn of the century until the 1920s, wrote a number of popular songs between 1907 and 1910, which included the first of his Irish ballads called “Mother Machree.” He followed this in 1912 with “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” which he wrote in Triangle Hofbrau's booth.
Before that, Ball was a songwriter and Vaudeville singer. Later, he added his second wife, Maude Lambert, to his act.
In 1907, Ball helped start the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, ASCAP, what is now the most powerful American recording industry union. He also worked for Witmark Music as a demonstrator and house composer.
“We want to let people know about Richmond Hill and the people who used to live there,” Cataldi said.
The event will also be the historical society's first of four open meetings to be held throughout 2004, Cataldi said. She said people who come to the event will hear about Ball but also get a brief overview of the society's plans for the upcoming year.
Those interested in the event should call (718) 847-6070 for more information.
Reach reporter Alex Davidson by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by calling 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
