Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1862-02-07
MISCELLANY Y.
Songs and Song -Writers..--2.

Some French songs and melodies, coeval
with those of the Trouhadours, have been
preserved. Among these are the celebrated
songs of the Choteiain de Coucy, whose
iragical story has been the foundation of so
much poetry and romance. He lived in the
times Of Philip Augustus and Richard: and
took the cross. and went to the Holy Land.
in cons, quence of an unhappy love for the
lady of Fayel, by whom his passion was
returned, though in innocence and honor
De Coucy was no less distinguished for his
u.isfortunes than talents. He left bplind
him some Of the most elegant and affecting
songs in the French language, which we're
preserved in manuscripts nearly four hun
dred and fifty years, and have been cited
as models on the subject Of love. The mu-
| sic partakes of the rude state of the art in
those early days, but has CLEANS of feelir 2
| that are not TO be found in the elaborate
compositions of the learned. for ages after
wards. Very old specimens OF French
songs exist. written by IHiba,a, King of
Navarro, who lived in the early part of the
thirteenth century. The chroniclers tell us
that this prince, having conceived violent
and hopeless passion for Queen Blanche
was ADVISED to seek solace in the pursuit
of music and poetry. 1t is the opinion oi
the French antiquaries, that The airs of the
King of Navarre's songs are his own, a.
well a. the words and they are thus very
curious and valuable. as remains of French
melody at that early period. Two Of them
are given by Burney, in his history, and
approach nearly to the French popular airs
OF the present time. One of them, in par.
ticular, is precisely like rdudeutue in a
modern French opera.
Nothing is more difficult to fix the age OF
authorship Of, than an old song, for music
publishers, everywhere, seem to have adop-
ted the transcen ndental reason, or the idea
that music is Of no time, but is supposed &c
belong to the everlasting now-since it can
not be limited to any one point in space, il
being universal language. The proprie.
tors, however, probably leave it dateless fol
the express purpose of concealing its age
on the ground that only novelties, like
young maids, are vendble. This argument
may be good as regards poor music, will
which the publishers Of modern collections
and the dealers in sheet music, seem deter
mined to keep the world crowded; bu
good music, like good wine and good somen
improves and charms the more by age.
Songs without number, as well as Other
kinds of music, have been claimed by per
II soas WHO never wrote them the worlC
over; and it is not novel thing at the
present day. to see songs with the names o
modern authors attached 10 them, as au
thors, which had been in existence so long
that they had become classed with ancien
music before the persons thus claiming t'
have composed them we're born Some o
them will receive notice in future number
of these papers. Many of the popula
songs of Scotland, previous to the time o
Burns, were written by the laboring classes
and Allan Ramsay, Scottish barber, avh'
lived in the days Of Pope and Swift, at
tanned great notorieiy for his songs, Hi
wrote "Auid Lang .Syue," which ever
Scoichmen, with one accord, credit TO Rob
ert Burns. Walter Scott ought to be know
better in the world for his poetry and mu
sic, but he was never so favorably know
to his own countrymen as Burns, who's
songs we're regarded as next To tue Bible
The songs of ireland date back man.
years they in general partake of ful
throughout, and many Of them were writer
by Englishmen- Thomas Moore was tn
first Irishman who wrote anything that at
tained grea, popularity. He wrote for th'
drawing-room and the noliliiy-and som
Of the songs which perpeiuate his nam
were English, and not Irish Samuel Low
er, the author of aRory O-uOrs,' par;Ool