In the early 1920s the Willis Music Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, published A Happy Journey for Little Fingers, a set of six Practical Piano Pieces by Jane M. Mattingly, part of a larger series of pedagogical piano miniatures by women composers. No. 6 of Mattingly’s set is “The ’Cello,” a waltz-like piece in G Major with lyrics (presumably by the composer) serving as a rhythmic aid. The words are printed above the melody in the left hand:
Sing, Cello sing
Sweet music bring
Sing, Cello sing
Each bass note ring
All thru the day
Each string must play
Sing, Cello sing.
Sing, Cello sing low
Sing, Cello sing low.
Sing, Cello sing oh
Sing, Cello sing low.
The Cello sings a song to me,
Each string I hear,
Each tone so clear.
