Beautiful Dreamer Parlor Song

De Koven: Oh, Promise Me: Koven's Music, Clement Scott's Lyrics ...

And the reason for its inclusion was because the contralto, playing Alan-a-Dale, needed a song that would properly display her voice, otherwise, she threatened to walk out on the performance. To avoid untoward repercussions, De Koven apparently grabbed a copy of "Oh Promise Me" and gave it to her. The rest is history, "Oh Promise Me" became an overnight sensation.

American music critic and composer Reginald De Koven (1859-1920) was born in Middletown, Connecticut. He was a graduate of Oxford and musically trained in Stuttgart, Vienna, Florence and Paris, where he studied piano and composition with operatic composers such as Von Suppé, Delibes, Genée and Vanuccini.

At 23, he returned to the US and worked as a music critic with prominent American publishing companies including Harper's Weekly , his operetta set in Europe that dominated De Koven's popularity. His music draws on both traditional opera as well as folk melodies.