Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1857-07-08
WHOLE NO. 21e7.
THE SONGS OF THE NATION.

graphs in the New York Tribune. in an
article defending Americans from the
charge that they do not appreciate songs.
The writer has music in his soul:
We would not exchange the profound
reverence with which Yorker receives
Lilly Dale" or "Woodman Spare that
Tree or "The Old Folks at Home" as,
in some sort, stamm ring utterance of
his best hopes and sweetest "reminiscences,
for all the sensuous and delinqueseent
raptUres Of southern shores.
What song is, and by what rules it
should be constructed, remains to this
day an unsolved and inscrutable prob
lem. Horace. with all his poeiical,
would have been puzzled to say by what
method he composed "-Eanc est Jebsn-
dana," the most joyous and fascinating
of Latin melodies. OF all singers, it
may best be said of the song singer that
he is born, and not made. These har-
monists Of the heart are ALWAYS bursting
upon US like angels, without the drill Of
colleges or drum of discipline. From
the Ayrshire cottage of Burns, from the
garret of Carry, from the printing house
of Beranger, from shrinking women and
from unletered men, come the melodies
which fasten themselves upon the life of
the world. Thesong is writ'en-nobody
knows how. or when, or where. Often,
like the ''Mlrsrillaise, lit is the accident
Of an accident. Often. ike little found.
ling, it ventures into the ca tn. without
paternity, and first wirning by its honest
Humanity the affection Of the steret or
the cottage, walls is way to the affection
of the palace. Poor Howard PAYNE,
sitting in his lonesome Lonion chamber,
hard at work by manufac'ure and adapt
ati,n, and II aven knows by what other
resources, constructing his "Maid Of
Milan" for a manager greedy of novel
lies. feels some old thought come over
him of Boston or New York. and Of boy
ish triumph there, marries his ''Home.
Tweet Home 10 Sicillisn air, and the
world catches The complaint ofhis home
sick heart, and will sing it for century.
A young lawyer in Philadelphia is asked
for song by an actor whose benefit
night does not promise to be of the most
lucrative; he dashes off 'Hail Colum-
bia!' and t, this day he is chanted by
glee singers, played by brass bands.
AMI whislled upon the forecastle of ships
sailing about Cape Hlrn. We remem-
Der that Prot. Wilson undertook to
prove-we think in one of the ''Noctes''
that Tom Moore could not write
song; vet there is no land upon this globe
that has not listened to ''Ofl in the
Silly Night" ''Mary's Tears and
There's Nothing True but Heaven"
The song floats ITO existence price
less waif, most opuIent estray. an an
oymous donation, love gift of the mod
est and kindly, to the kin and retiring.
The masses. taking u2 the cheerful ca
rol or the minor plant. seldom inquire
whose mas:erhand struck the key note
of their unfathomed erudition. How
many gallant tars. roaring out the ebay
of Blscay." know who wrote il? How
many grim whiskered soldiers, singing
with unusual tears ''Annie LAURIE in
the trenches of Sevastopol, have head
of the pure hearted woman whose white
hand FIRST wrote "Maxwelton braes are
bonnie?" The singer OF songs must be
content to find in his vocation ':its own
exceeding great reward" Not less,
however, should be our gratitude toward
those who have cheered loneliness, ele-
waited our hopes or sssuaged our grief.
The song is especially the property Of
the people. 1t is pleasant, therefore,
and encouraging to find that the taste of
the people inclines 10 the deeorous; the
chasie, and the affectionale, and escheWs
the coarse, the ribald. and the heartless.
OF dozen ballads purchased Of hawk
er yesterday, we found but one which
might not be sung by modest woman.
A recapitulaiion of the titles will at once
recall to the rc adler the character of
those productions. We have "Anule
Laurie" ''EIlrn Bayne." Song OF the
Farmer '.The Dyiog Californian
''Willie we have Missed You" "Jennie
with thy Light brown HAIR! Cheer.
boys, Cheer" and LET US Speak of
Nan as we Find Him. ."-productiors of
widely differing p1etical merit. but all of
them honest and true in their sentiments
and decorous in their expression. Nor
do we discover in those which are de-
signedly grotesque any objectionable vi
olation of Taste. The best OF us have
rughed at John Perry's inimitable
Wilkins and his Dinah," for new ard
then We all relish little nonsense Our
scrutiny of our purchase was certainly
satisfactory. We found, as we have
said. but one song to which we could
object. and that recited the delinquencies
of reverend gentleman in Boston.
Common sense and substantial home-