ABSTRACT
The 1889–90 season had been a full one for Braham and his family. Not only had David and his sons spent nearly the entire year on the road, but also his household moved uptown, to 75 West 131st Street in Harlem, where Braham would comfortably reside for the rest of his life. In the 1880s and 1890s, the elevated railroad in New York City had enabled Harlem to become a haven for the affluent middle classes who desired easy access to the city, but not its crowds and hectic pace. Even the long ride downtown on the “L” was useful to Braham, because it enabled him to get work done on an arrangement or a composition. His way of working might appear unorthodox, but it was amazingly efficient, as he explained to the New York Herald (July 12, 1891) about his collaboration with Ned Harrigan:
After he gives me [the lyrics] I read them all over a number of times until I get a good idea of the time and style of the music each calls for. Then I select one to work on and put it in my pocket with a sheet of blank music paper which I always carry. On my way down town in the elevated train I take out “Ned’s” manuscript, hold my music paper over it so that I can just see one line. Then I hum that line over until I get something that suits me and jot it down on the paper. If I can’t find any air I like, I skip it and go on to the next line …. “The Babies on the Block” was so written. I don’t recollect any others now that were entirely composed on the “L,” but I have caught a great many strains on the cars that form parts of songs. It’s a long trip from here down town, and I have got into the habit of utilizing the time in composing.
