The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-08-27
POPULAR SONGS.

tluence over the minds and actions Of Il
community. A writer of English his
tory, in speaking Of the British navy of
Nelson's time, attributed to the songs of
Charles Dibdin. author of Poor Jack "
and hundreds of other famous songs, a
value that should have secured to their
author national recognition of statue
by his countrymen.
A good many different persons have
written the popular songs of the last fifty
years, and in nearly every case they have
lived to see their songs quickly forgotten
by the tickle public. With but few ex
ceptions, the songs that have had the
widest success lived but few years at
most. OF course there are some songs
that will be sung by generation after
generation. as Home. Sweet Home,
- Old Folks at Home Sweet By and
By" and a few others that have become
household melodies. Yet there are hun
dreds of others, of equal merit, that
have won universal popularity, and have
passed away with the people who sang
them. Some songs of the slightest merit
have had undeserved popularity, made
their authors rich, and quietly dropped
into oblivion.
"Shoo Fly" sung ten years ago, from
one end of the Union to the other, had a
sale of 80. 600 copies. and is now forgot
ten. 1t was certainly the most worthless
musical absurdity ever written, and its
success was largely owing to its being
alluded to in Congress. by Benjamin F.
Butler, in political wrangle with IA fell
low member. 1t netted the fortunate
publishers several Thousand dollars.
"Old Folks at Home" was written by
Stephen c. Foster. thirty years ago. who
sold it to Cnristy, of minstrel fame, for
five dollars, and received a bonus of five
dollars more for the privilege of having
his (Christy's) name on the title page as
author; and alter the piece had made him
rich, he generously gave Foster fifty dol
lars more. which was all he ever received
for the song. But it served to make the
author famous, and to sell all his other
songs; yet he died a poor man. For a
while the piece waned in public favor,
until it was sung by Mile. Nilsson at her
concerts, when it took new start, and
at this present time it is one of the best
selling songs in the market The numer-
Gus transcriptions from its melody, by
upwards of twenty different composers,
serve to keep it popular. 1t is really a
worthy companion piece to Sweet
Home" and will probably be sung for a
hundred years OF more.
During the war, several songs published
at the time had remarkable success.
Weeping, sad and lonely had u sale of
upwards of 100000. "When Johnny
comes marching home" ''Tentins on the
Old Camp Ground " (sung by the Hutch
inson family. 'John Browns body lies
moulding in the grave, each had a
very large sale, and enriched their pub
lishers and. in one or two cases, their
authors. But only one of these has re-
NAMED from Notwithstanding on the
Old Camp Ground which is being sung
by the daughters of those whose memo
ries go back to the sad scenes when they
tented "on the old camp groud."
George F. Root, author of " Hazel
DELL" :. Rosalie. the Prairie Flower"
and hundred other songs which We're
once very popular, realized comfortable
fortune from his melodies, aud some of
them have now fair sale at the West.
II. p. banks, the author of "Silver
Threads Among the Cold" sold the
manuscript and copyright of this song
for fifteen dollars, and after it had become
"bananza to its publisher he was re-
dollars. which was the amount total of a
song that sold to the number of three
hundred thousand in very short time
Had the author shown merely a common
shrewduess, he might have become a
rich man from his pen; but. instead of
hanging up his muse for while and
waiting the urgent appeals ct enterpri>-
ing music publishers all over the Union
for another SILVER Threads" he pu,
forth song Il week, which he sold at
once to whoever would buy, and thus
glutted the market to his own loss. AL
though he has written upwards of tw"
hundred songs since - Silver Threads.
Though many of them would rank
higher in musical character than the for
tunate song. 1t is not merit alone that
makes song popular, but a peculiar
plaintive Jingle" that captivates the
ear.
"Grandfather's Clock" was another
great shit" The authorof this (IIenr,
Z. Work. had wo ked many years with
out any remarkable success in a financial
lint, but it is said that he realized a
handsome fortune from this lucky piece.
Some of our readers will remember Lily
Dale" a popularity of thirty years ago.
There were Lily Dale cooking stoves-a
very good stove it was, too; fortunate
warehouse was SO Gale |, and for a time
the name was applied to hundreds Of diff
ferent novelties, to make them sell, and
sell the public credulity. The author of
Lilly Dale" sold his manuscript and
copyright for ten dollars before being
published. and when it was found such IL
made him 4 generous present.
Perhaps one of the greatest successes
"Put me in my little bed'--the first of
the so-called baby songs. Dexter Smith,
who wrote the words with the exception
of the last verse), said it was suggested
t, him one evening on going through a
street at the north part of the city, by
hearing a child say, Mamma, want to
be put in my little bed" This song made
an immediate hit" and for while it
sold at the rate of one Thousand copies
per day! Of course that represented a
handsome sum when it is known that the
net profit was at least one hundred and
twenty dollars per thousand, at whole
sale; and it had sale during the time of
its popularity of upwards of three hun
bred Thousand. without reckoning the
transcriptions from it. The success of
this song encouraged the author of the
music to work his talent to the utmost,
and for time everything that he pub