An 1893 Steinway Salon Grand piano sits in the cherry-paneled library surrounded by furniture filled with memories in the Evanston History Center in Evanston, Illinois. The piano is decorated with a rosewood and sandalwood inlay, has been fully restored and sits in the former home of Charles Gates Dawes.
The home, a National Historic landmark, has twenty-five rooms including twelve fireplaces, six bedrooms and a musician’s gallery.
The Dawes Arboretum’s members, volunteers and visitors, may know Charles Gates Dawes as Beman Gates Dawes’ older brother. But Charles was much more than a family member.
In honor of 250 years since 1776, the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (America 250) has chosen a different theme each month to highlight and celebrate Ohio's rich history. To finish out the month of Ohio Entertains: Music and Entertainment, read about Charles Gates Dawes as a musician.
Charles Gates Dawes was also the thirtieth Vice President of the United States under Calvin Coolidge. In 1925, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Dawes Plan, which was a reparations plan after World War I. He was the second Tree Dedicator at The Arboretum, and he also had an interest in music.
Charles Gates Dawes taught himself how to play the flute and the piano as a child and never lost his love for music.
During an interview about his professional career, the reporter kept mentioning that he was rumored to be a good pianist. Charles Gates Dawes kept avoiding those questions and trying to redirect him to focus on his professional accomplishments.
The reporter persisted saying he thought the rumors about him being a good pianist weren’t true. In response, Charles Gates Dawes sat down at the piano and played the entire first movement of “Madame Butterfly”.
Charles Gates Dawes frequently played around on the piano and was consistently told that his compositions were worthy of publishing by his proteges, but he repeatedly said he only did it for enjoyment. Therefore, he was surprised when he passed a music store on State Street in Chicago and saw sheet music in the window that read “Melody in A Major by Charles Gates Dawes.” Somehow one of his compositions had been published.
“Melody in A Major” began in that music store but has since lived a lively journey. “Melody in A Major” has been recorded and released by at least11 different performers, and it made the Billboard Top 100 on a 1958 doo-wop-like version performed by Tommy Edwards.
“Music was a sense of personal gratification for him,” said Director of Visitor Services, Collections and Facilities at Evanston History Center, Kriz Hartzell. “There would be ‘jam sessions’ in the house if anybody came in who had a musical affinity…it was a part of his personal life, and he was always happy to share it with like-minded music lovers.”
To listen to the original “Melody in A Major” composed by Charles Gates Dawes, please visit here.
Please note, many stories in this blog have been passed down anecdotally.