"Tickle it," by Dave Oppenheim and Joe Cooper. New York: Shapiro Music Pub. Co., 1912.
“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” That famous line was uttered by a character in William Congreve’s 1697 play The Mourning Bride. From the dance of the ancient Greeks, to the propulsive bass on the disco floor, to Dancing with the Stars, music goes hand in hand with the body. One of the more tender and perhaps risque examples of the physical effects of music is today’s featured title, Dave Oppenheim and Joe Cooper’s “Tickle it!” Visit Historic Sheet Music, 1800-1922 in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia for more vintage sheet music to tickle your fancy.
November 17, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Perhaps I’m incorrect, but I believe the saying is “Music has charms to soothe a savage BEAST” (not breast). It just seems to be extra dirty when the phrase is combined with the image of a woman saying, “Tickle it! Tickle it!”
November 17, 2010 at 3:22 pm
The saying is often misquoted as “savage beast,” but the line in Congreve’s play is indeed that music soothes “a savage breast.”