, 1857-08-28
Yankee Doodle at The Treaty of Ghent.


The Boston Handel and Haydn Society
gave three days festival, in the Musical
Hall Of that city, latcll, atwhich there was
a great deal of fine music, sacred and secu.
. lar Hon. Robert c. Winthrop, who is
=. equal to all emergencies, accepted the inyi.
II taion Of the society to deliver the intro
ductory address, and most admirable one
it was, as We find it reported verbatim in
/. Delights Journol Of Music
, Among other notable things which this
] address contained, was an allusion TO the
state of music in Boston, at the time Of the
, formation of the Handel and IIadyn Soci-
ETY. Illustrative of which, Mr.. Winthrop
related the following amusing historical
anecdote
But there was no systematic and per-
manent organization for the Improvement
of musical taste, skill or science in any Of
our large communities and there was but
little of either tastt, skill or science TO be
improved l bave heard the late John
himself, and whose comprehensive acquire.
ments embraced knowledge of this par
tcuar subject, which would have been eX-
trordinary in anybody else-tell story
which may serve rs an illustration of the
state of American music at that precise
period. During the negotiation, at Ghent,
of that treaty Of peace TO which | have
just alluded, festival or banquet, or it
may have been ball, was about to take
place, at which it was proposed to pay the
customary musical compliment to all the
sovereigns who were either present or rep
resented on. the occasion.
The sovereign people of the United
States-rcpresented there, as you remem.
Der, by Mr.. Adams himself, Mr. Bayard,
Mr.. Clay, Mr.. jonathan Russell, and Mr..
Gallatin-were, Of course not to be over
looked aud the musical conductor or
band master Of the place called upon these
commissioners to furnish him with our ma
tional air Our national air, said they, is
Yankee Doodle. Yankee Doodle, said the
conductor, what is that Where shall |
find it? By whom was it composed ?
Can you supply me with the score ? The
lperpleXity of the commissioners may be
better conceived than described. They
were fairly at their wits ends. They had
never imagined that they should have
sceres of this sort to settle, and each turned
to the other in despair AT last they be-
thought them, in a happy moment, that
there was colored servant of Mr.. Clay's,
who, like so many Of his race, was first
rate whistler, and who was certain to know
Yankee Doodle by heart He was forth
with sent for accordingly, and the problem
was solved without further delay. The
band master jotted down the air, as the
colored boy whisled it, and before night,
said Mr.. Adams, Yankee Doodle was set
to so many parts that you would hardly
have known it, and it came out the next
day in all the pride, pomp and crcumstan-
ces of viol and hautboy, of drum, trumpet
and cymbal, to the edifcation of the allied
: sovereigns of Europe, and to the glorifca-
tiou of the united sovercigns of America" "
A writer in the Boston Transcript, ap-
propoS to the above, recalls an incident
which occurred in that city some years
ago, when Signor de Begnis, that prince Of
buffo singers, was somewhat beyond his
} prime, but still most consummate artist
The writer happened to meet the Siguor at
tho house Of q relative one evening, and in
the course of conversation with him upon
musical subjects, expressed the regret that
while England, France, Russia, and even
little Switzerland, had most noble and in
spring national anthems or airs, we were
not alike fortunate. The Signor expressed
his surprise at the remark, and observed
1 that he, on the contrary, thought tha
there was much more character in oul
Yankee Doodle" as we called it, than il
the national air Of England. He theI
! seated himself at tho piano forte, and play
+ ed and sung "God save the King" (Wil
liam 4th was then ou the thronc), in @
most inspiring manner, as if to repudiatC
his own assertion. But no sooner had ht
: finished it than he remarked Now, sir
: see how much more character there is ii
j this )" at the same time he changed hi'
!. hand" and commencing our national air
e he threw such an accent, expression ant
}. telling effect into the quaint melody that il
appeared 10 the writer entirely new, an(
= certainly produced such an impression OF
!, the whole company. that not one left the
room ashamed of his nationality, from 1
t comparison of patriotic melodies.
o Julien made great deal ont Of Yankee
Doodle, in one Of his national air quadrilles
); !, and almost everybody tries his hand at it
= Worse tunes in the world than Yankee
i Doodle-"you'd better believe !"
i Sar A land speculator out West, in de
IS feuding his tract against insalubrity, de