Jack and the Beanstalk by Florence Maxim

Florence Maxim was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1873. She was the daughter of the famous inventor, Sir Hiram Maxim.

She graduated from New England Conservatory of Music in 1895. Her works include pieces for piano and April Fool, an operetta. Florence married George Albert Cutter in Hartford, Connecticut, on 1 May 1913. They resided in Dedham, Massachusetts. His children by a previous marriage included Barbara D. Cutter born about 1904 and Elizabeth M. Cutter born about 1906.

Jack and the Beanstalk was published by The Arthur P. Schmidt Co. in 1905. It was the final piece in the five-piece collection Fairy Tales in Tone. The original publication included the following poem:

O let’s pretend the keyboard is a beanstalk tall and lean,

And let’s pretend your hands are legs,…the legs of Jack, I mean;

Then let’s pretend Jack climbs the stalk and steals the giant’s

hoard…

For true enough he stole it while the wicked monster snored!

Now let’s pretend the giant wakes and lifts his awful face,

And gives a most terrific roar away down in the bass;

Then let’s pretend, in hot pursuit, the beanstalk he descends:

Jack cuts it down! The giant falls! ‘Tis so the story ends.

The original score is public domain, available on imslp.org. The score includes some prose which has been altered slightly by the editor. All other markings are the composer’s.