Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-15

grave, each had very large sale, and en- ! riched their publishers, and in one or two
 cases their authors. But only one of these
 has remained from oblivion-'sTenting on
 the Old Camp Ground"-which is being sung
 by the daughters of those whose memories go
 back to the sad scenes when they tented on
 the old camp ground"
 George F. Root, author of 'sHazel Dell, :"
 ''Rosalie, the Prairie Flower" and hun
 dred other songs which were once very pop
 ular, realized a comfortable fortune from his
 melodies, and some of them have now a fair
 sale at the West.
 H. P. Danks, the author of tsSilver Threads Among the Gold " sold the manuscript and
 copyright of this song for $15, and after it
 had become bonanza to its publisher he was
 rewarded by the munifcent sum of $50, ! which was the amount total of song that
 sold to the number of 300, GOO in a yer short
 time. Had the author shown merely ,m-
 mon shrewdness he might have become rich man from his pen but instead Of hanging
 up his muse for while and waiting the ur-
 gent appeals of enterprising music publishers ! all over the Union for another stSilver ! Threads he put forth song week, which
 he sold at once to whoever would buy, and l thus glutted the market to his own loss. AL l though he has written upwards of POO songs
 since Silver Threads, none have had more than an ordinary success, though many of them l would rank higher in musical character than ] the fortunate song. It is not merit alone
 that makes song popular, but peculiar
 plaintive Jingle" that captivates the ear.
 ''Grandfather's Cloclx' was another great
 hit. The author of this (Henry c. Work)
 had worked many years without any re- | markable success in financial point. but it ! IS said that he realized handsome fortune
 from this lucky piece. Some of our readers
 will remember Lilly Dale," popularity of
 thirty years ago. There were Lily Dale cook
 ing stoves-a very good stove it was, too; ! fortunate warehouse was so called, and for
 time the name was applied to hundreds of 1 different novelties to make them sell, and
 sell the public credulity. The author of
 Lilly Dale" sold his manuscript and copy ! right for $1O, before being published, and | when it was found such valuable piece of 1 success the publishers made him generous | present Musicians are not usually blessed | with abundant means, for it must be ac- ! knowledged that fortune never rewards her children with both genius and gold as the ! compensation would not be capitalized, and | they are anxious to realize at once and eat their golden egg while it is fresh. As gen. eral thing music publishers prefer to pay their authors royalty which is fair for both, l each bearing chance and risk on the suc- I cess-and, however it may be thought by the | public, the publisher is in nine cases out of | ten the loser. When it becomes known that ! only one piece in hundred issued calls for | second edition and only one out of perhaps | thousand makes hit, it will be seen that
 music publishing is not so very dazzling a speculative business.
 Perhaps one of the greatest successes in the | history of popular music was ssPut 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 to him one evening on going through street at the north part of the city, by hearing child say, stMama I want to be put in my little bed" This song made an immediate Chit" and for while it sold at the rate of a thousand copies per day! Of course that represented handsome sum when it was known that the net profit was at least $120 per thousand at wholesale; and it had sale during it's popularity of upwards of three hundred thousand without reckon ing the transcriptions from it. The success of this song encouraged it's author to work his talent to the utmost, and for time every thing that he published proved veritable ! ''horn of plenty" to his house.
 One of his popular songs had singular or igin and history-that called Homeless To- night.'' It was written on Sunday evening, while the great fire of November, 1872, was raging, and on Sunday it was got ready for the engravers, Photographers and printers, and on Monday afternoon, 36 hours from the commencement of the fire, one thousand copies were printed and on sale at the music stores, and that afternoons expresses carried copies to the various dealers all over the Union. The most striking feature of this song was it's title page, representing Trinity church in Summer street in flames, and two baby boys in their night shirts, as if rescued from their burning little beds"-a head and shoulders above Trinity steeple in height and the flames playing in close proximity to their cotton garments The song made an instant hit, and the public were not sated un- til forty or fifty thousand copies had been sold. Being ''equal to the occasion" pays as well in music publishing as in other ways
 When the little boy violinist who once de- lighted the frequenters of the Boston Theater by his wonderful performances was taken sick in the night, and awoke his father by his exclamation, 'tPlease, God, make room for little boy" aud died an hour after, the incident created profound sensation, which was availed of by three different music pub fishers of this city, with songs of the above title each of which had good sale at the time. Some songs will have an immediate success, and others work their way to popu- larity rather slowly. A great number have no sale at all, and, of course, are a loss to the publishers. But those songs which earn their way to favor quietly, generally hold their sale the longest. Kathleen Mavourneen," ''Her bright smile haunts me still,''
 Sweet By and Bly," 1.-The Sweet Long Ago" and some others that have become standard pieces with the public, possess enduring merit, and will always be in demand-the daughters following the tastes of their moth CTS. There is one song now very popular in England, Douglas, Tender and True," which is paying the authoress over five thou sand dollars 8 year as royalty.
 Forty years ago there were several mig ger'' songs then very popular, as "Old Dan Tucker, Mary Blaine,' ''Lucy Neal," (the melody from q Puritani'') "Uncle Ned," etc., etc. All of these songs, though pos sessing captivating melodies, are now forgot ten.
 The writer remembers the appearance of T. D. Rice, the pioneer of negro minstrelsy, l when he appeared at the old Fremont thea l ter in 1833 and how he ''took'' the city by his 1 famous s.Jim Crow" For time all the l juveniles were 'Jim Crow'' mad, and boy | who couldn't sing and dance that inspiring | song was nowhere" among his companions. l Edwin Forest, the famous traged1an made his first appearance on the boards as mig | ger" performer in a Western circus. Rice | died, only few years ago, after life Of | dissipation wherein he had spent many thou- | sand dollars earned by his talent. His sue cess was the commencement of the era of ne- | gro minstreIsy which for thirty years had | continual favor, though supplemented by | songs of secular, sentimental character. It | is impossible to deny that to this day there | is an inborn liking for the old fashioned ne gro melodies among many of our citizens who have an equal appreciation for the Ital- ian and German operas. Whether 1t IS due | to the pleasant associations of their early | life or from pure love of melody leave Lho reaQ6E to guess, Uut AI 10 A0'oA sAAoAooo | true.
 In enumerating few of the songs that have entertained our people the past forty years | no mention has been made of the songs that once delighted our ancestors of a hundred | years, and known to but few of the present l generation-tThe girl I left behind me-" "Old Resin the Beau, ,'' ''Araby's Daughter (from which the melody of the "Old Oaken | Bucket was taken the many beautiful songs | and melodies of Tom Moore, also "Gayly the l Troubadour," ''Annie Laurie, D s'The Cruis- l keen Lawn" stLord Lowell" i" the sea songs of | s'Constitution and Guerriere," Chesapeake l and Shannon" 'sTom Bowline,'' etc. Also | the songs once so popular, when sung by | Henry Russell, s'The Old Arm Chair, ''The | Sea" Lament of the Irish Emigrant," etc. | All these must be allowed to rest in the mem- | ories of the past
 It is to the introduction of the opera in | this country that we must attribute the l change in the musical tastes of our people. | Balfe's Bohemian Girl" and the introduc- | tion of English operas were the means of | producing greater changes in the style and | character of our vocal music than any other | c0rsaa That if mt sAnhemeral one |