Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-07-24
HOME. SWEET HOME"
The circumstances Under Which JOhs
Howard Payne Wrote the SOBE.
brooklyn Eagles Review of Harrison's Life

Brooklyn Eagles Review OF Harrisons Life
Of PayneI
Mr.. Pavne on one occasion in 1885,
while at New Orleans, when questioned
on the subject Of the music Of Home,
Street Home, told his personal friend,
Mr.. James Rees, of Philadelphia, that
the air was not wholly original with
Mr.. Bishop, and related the following
pleasant anecdOte concerning it. He
said: ~ first heard the air in Italy. OGe
beautiful summer morning as l was
strO)ling alone amid some delightful
scenery, my attention was arrested by
the sweet voice Of peasant girl who
was CT ~rying q basket laden with flow
ers and vegetables. This plaintive air
she lied out with so much sweetness
and simplicity that the melody st once
caught my fancy. l accosted her, and,
after a few moments conversation, l
asked for the name of the song, which
shs cnnli not give ME, but having
slight knowledge 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. 1t was the air that sug-
gested the words of Home, Street Home,
both of which 1 sent to Bishop, at the
time l was preparing the opera of C2dri
for Mr.. Kemble. Bishop happened to
know the air perfectly well, and adapted
the music to the words" This state
mept is fully sustained in the letters Of
Mr.. Payne to Mr.. Bishop, which was in
troduced in the volume. There have
been many ridiculous statements made
as to the circumstances under which Mr..
Payne wrote the words of his celebrated
song. "SOme," says his biogrspher,
"have stated that he was residing in
London at the time, without a shilling
in his pocket; others have stated that ION
a stormy night, beneath the dim flicker
ing OF London street-lamp, gsunt and
hungry, and without 8 place to shelter
his poor, shivering body, he wrote his
inspired song upon a piece of ragged
paper picked from the sideWaIk.'n This
was not so. The letter of Mr.. Payne,
above quoted, proves directly to the con-
trary. We see by his acknowledge
eighty pounds that he was comfort
for the stage. We admit that Mr..
Payne never, at any period of his
eventful life, accumulated any consider
able amount Of weslth; but those who
knew the state of his circumstances
knew that he never was a street pauper.
In still later communication to Bishop
is another acknowledgment for fifty
pounds on the sum OF two hundred and
fifty, which he was to receive for the
three dramas entitled, Hi Pa
cha, The TUO Galley SldVe8, and GGTi,
all Of which were produced at the Co.
vent Garden theater, under the man.
sgement of Mr.. Charles Kemble.. Mr..
Payne has never been "let alone;" al
most everything be ever did has been
doubted, and it Is somewhat surprising
that bis cOnsuiship at Tunis has not
been denied him, but what of that?
Fools have been found who doubted that
Shakespeare wrote his own plays, and
that Poe was the author of the RQye1l,
and, with all their mooting of the ques-
ton, they never could find anyone else
who did performI the works. At one
time it was stated that Mr.. Payne did
not write the words of Home, Street
Home ! The assertion called forth in
quiry. Washington Irving was applied
to on the subject, and his reply was that
he had been unable to discover who else
did, and he could see no reason for
doubling the authorship.