The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-01
" HONE, SWEET HOME"
THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH PAYNE
WROTE THE SONG ~ -.

| THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH PAIN
| WROTE THE SONG. a
The Brooklyn Eagle, in reviewing Howard
life Of Payne, says: Mr.. Payne, on one oc
casion in 1885, while at New Orleans, whel
questioned on the subject of the music o
| ''Home, Sweet Home" told his persona
friend, Mr. James Reed, of Philadelphia, tina
the air was not wholly original with Mr.
Bishop, and related the following pleasan
anecdots concerning 1t. He said 81 frs
heard the air in Italy. One beautiful morn
ing, as was strolling alone amid some de
lightful scenery, my attention was arrested b!
the sweet voice of peasant girl. who wa
carrying basket laden with flowers ani
vegetables.
This plaintive air she trilled out with sc
much sweetness and simplicity that the
melody at once caught my fancy. accosted
her, and. after few moments conversation,
asked for the name of the song. which she
could not give me, but having slight knowl-
edge of music myself, barely enough for the
purpose, requested her to repeat the air,
which she did while dotted down the notes
as best could. It was the air that suggested
the words of Home, Sweet Home, both of
which sent to Bishop at the time was pre-
pairing the opera of CLAIR for Mr.. Kemble.
Bishop happened to know the air perfectly
well, and adapted the music to words." This
statement is fully sustained in the letters of
Mr. Payne to Mr.. Bishop which are in
troduced in the volume.
There have been many ridiculous state
ments as to the circu instances under which
Mr.. Payne wrote the words of his celebrated
song. "Some, says his biographer, shave
stated that he was residing in London at the
time, without shilling in his pocket; others
have stated that on q stormy night, beneath
the dim Pickering of . London street lamp,
gaunt and hungry, and without place to
shelter his poor shivering body, he wrote his
inspired song upon q piece of ragged paper
picked from the sidewalk"
This was not so. The letter of Mr.. Payne,
above quoted, prove directly to the contrary.
We see by his acknowledgment to Bishop Of
he receipt of eighty pounds, that he was
comfortably situated when preparing '"Clsri"
'or the stage. We admit that Mr. Payne never,
It any period of his eventful life, accumulated
my considerable amount of wealth, but those
Who know the state of his circumstances
NOW that he never was q street pauper. In
still later communication to Bishop is an 1
'ther acknowledgement for fifty pounds on the |
um of two hundred and fifty which he was |
o receive for the three dramas entitled cali |
'acha," "The Two Galley Slaves" and |
'Clari, all Of which were produced at the |
)ovent Garden Theater, under the manage
aent of Mr.. Charles Kemble.
Mr.. Payne has never been "let alone"
lmost everything he ever did had been
oubted, and it is somewhat surprising that
lis Consulship at Tunis has not been denied
i'm; but what Of that? Fools have been
ound who doubted that Shakespeare wrote
is own plays, and that Poe was the author
the Craven" and, with all their mooting
khvv a.
ne else who did perform the works. At one
me it was stated that Mr.. Payne did not
rite the words of "Home, Sweet Home"
he assertion called forth inquiry. Wash
lgton Irving was applied to on the subject.
nd his reply was that he had been unable to
iscover who else did, and he could see no
JASON for doubling the authorship.