Al Piantadosi

Albert Joseph "Al" Piantadosi (18 August 1882 New York, New York^[1] – 8 April 1955 Encino, California) was an American composer, pianist and music publisher. Songs composed by him include "I'm Awfully Glad I'm Irish" (1910), "That's How I Need You" (1912), "The Curse of an Aching Heart" (1913), "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" (1915), "Mississippi Days" (1916) and "If You Had All the World and Its Gold".^[2][3]

In his early career he worked as a pianist in Callahan's Dance Hall on Manhattan's Doyers Street, where he wrote the briefly popular "My Mariucci Take a Steamboat".^[4] A charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), he accompanied Anna Chandler for her vaudeville performances.^[5] He worked with several collaborators in his career, including Alfred Bryan, Joe Goodwin, Edgar Leslie and Joseph McCarthy. Piantadosi retired from music in 1930. He died in Encino, California in 1955.^[6]

Selected Works

• Piantadosi, Al, Arthur Freed, and Sachs. Belgium Dry Your Tears. New York: Al Piantadosi & Co, 1918. OCLC 18776251
• Piantadosi, Al, Henry Fink, and Rose Starmer. The Curse of an Aching Heart. New York: Leo. Feist Inc, 1913. OCLC 10459931
• Piantadosi, Al, and Alfred Bryan. I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier. Performing Arts Encyclopedia. New York: Leo Feist, 1915. OCLC 50942651
• Piantadosi, Al, and Marshall Montgomery. Pal of My Cradle Days: A Beautiful, Mother Waltz Ballad with Ukulele Accompaniment. New York: Leo. Feist, 1925. OCLC 18697981
• Piantadosi, Al. Send Me Away with a Smile. New York: A. Piantadosi, 1917. OCLC 20120219
• Piantadosi, Al. Someone Is Waiting for You: The Greater Mother Love Song. New York: Al. Piantadosi, 1917. OCLC 20120289
• Piantadosi, Al, and Joseph McCarthy. That Dreamy Italian Waltz. New York: Leo. Feist, 1910.
• Piantadosi, Al. That's How I Need You. New York: Leo Feist, 1912. OCLC 19405145
• Piantadosi, Al, and Sigmund Romberg. The Wild, Wild Women: Are Making a Wild Man of Me. New York: Al. Piantadosi & Co, 1917. OCLC 20120239

Notes

1. ↑ While July of 1883 or 1884 have been commonly seen, August is the month of birth cited on Piantadosi's 1918 and 1942 draft records, as well as his California death record. The 1900 census (the last name is mangled as Pafafisola but all other demographics are a match) clearly shows that Albert was born in August of 1882, so this would be the most accurate year of birth given the birth months and years of his younger siblings.
2. ↑ Jasen, David A. (1915). For Me and My Gal and Other Favorite Song Hits, 1915–1917. Courier Dover Publications. p. viii. ISBN 978-0-486-28127-8. 
3. ↑ Studwell, William Emmett; Schueneman, Bruce R. (1998). State Songs of the United States: An Annotated Anthology. Routledge. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7890-0397-3. 
4. ↑ Bergreen, Laurence (1990). As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 26. ISBN 0-340-53486-9. 
5. ↑ "Alfred Music | Alfred Music Publishing l Alfred Piantadosi". Alfred.com. Retrieved 2014-05-12. 
6. ↑ "Findagrave.com". Retrieved 9 October 2013.