St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-04-20
Famous Popular Songs.
THEIR AUTHORSHIP AND THE CIRCUM-
STANCES UNDER WHICH THEY WERE
WRITTEN.

| THEIR AUTHORSHIP AND THE CIRCUM-
STANCES UNDER WHICH THEY WERE
| WRITTEN.
"Auld Lang Syne" is popularity sup,
posed to be the composition of Burns
but, in fact, he wrote only the second
and third verses of the ballad as COM
monty sung, retouching the others from
an older and less familiar song. ''The
Old Oaken Bucket" was written by
Woodwork in New York city during
the hot summer of 1917. He came into
the house and drank IA glass of water,
and then said Chow much more re-
freshing it would be to take Il good
long drink from the old Oaken bucket
that used to hang in my fathers WELL
! His wife suggested that it was happy
| thought for IL poem. He sat down and
wrote the song as we have it. "WOod-
man, Spare that Tree" was the result
of an incident that happened to George
| p. Morris. A friends mother had
owned little place in the country
which she was obliged, from poverty
to sell. On the property grew a large
OAK which had been planted by his
grandfather. The purchaser of the
house and land proposed to cut down
the tree, and Morris's friend paid him
so for bond that the oak should be
spared. Morris heard the story, saw
the tree and wrote the song. "Ott in
the Silly Night" was produced by
Moore after his family had undergone
apparently every possible misfortune.
One of his children died young, anoth-
er went astray, and third was acci-
! HanfallH- lyillnI safThn / inIt %
| Days" was written to be introduced in
to Balfe's opera, "The Maid of Artois.' y
| The opera is forgotten, but the song
still lives, and is as popular as ever.
Payne wrote "HOme, Sweet Home >
to help fill up an opera he was prepar-
| ing, and at first it had four stanzas.
The author never received anything
for it, but though the opera was "A fail
ure when played in the COvent Garden
| theatre, the song took, and over 100,
600 copies were sold the first year In
two years the publishers cleared OveI
! $4,000 by the publication and the va
riatiOns, transcriptiOns, and limitations
! have been innumerable. The melody
is believed to be IA Sicilian air, and
! DoniZetti has variation of it in his
opera Gamma BoleRa." Payne was af-
terward appointed American consul at
Tunis, where he died, and whence his
remains the other day were sent to
America. Some of his miseries may be
guessed from his own words GLOW
often have | been in the heart of Paris
Berlin, London, or some other city, and
have heard persons singing or hand or
gans playing Home, Sweet Home,
without having "A shilling to buy my
self the next meal or place to lay my
head. The world has literally sung my
song till every heart is familiar witt
its melody and yet | have been :
wanderer from my boyhOod, and in my
old age, have to submit to humiliation
for my bread" Fosters "Old Folks al
Home" was the best song he evel
wrote. Over 100000 copies were sold
by the firm that first published it, ant
the author is said to have received
ZOO for his share in its sale. Chris
ty, the noted minstrel, paid S400 fo
the privilege of having his name print
ed on one edition of "Old Folks Il
Home" as the author and composer
The song is thus often errOneOusly at
tributed to him. Crock Me to Sleep
was written by Mrs. Allen of Maine
She was paid 50 for it, and Russell 4
Co. of Boston, who had in three year.
gained $1,000 by its sale, offered her !:
apiece for any songs she might write
Some years after, when IA poor widow
and i'll need of money, she sent them
song, which was promptly rejected. -
Life on the Ocean Wave" by Epes Sar
! gent, was pronounced a failure by hi
friends. The copyright of the song be
came very valuable, though Sargen
never got anything for it himself
"What are the Wild Waves Saying {?
was suggested to DR.. Carpenter by ;
scene from Dickens novel, "Dombe,
Il Son." and the music was by Glover
"PoOr Jack" was from the pen o
) Charles Dibdin, the author of 9Th,
Lamplighter." "Poor Jack" nette,
S25, 900 for its publisher, and almos
nothing for the author.
"Stars of the Summer Night a YER
famous song, especially for serenaders
was written by Alfred II. Pease, tn
D noted pianist, whose sad death in ST
Louis few months ago was so greatl
deplOred by his friends. Love
: Young Dream" was one of Moore's best
but the tune to which it is so common
ly sung is from an Irish ballad calle,
"The Old Woman" Moore sang hi
own songs so well that both the audi
tors and himself were often moved t
tears. Once when he was singing thi
song a lady who heard him implore
him to stop. "FOr heavens sake, stop
this is not good for my soul" "Aul
Robin Gray" was the work of Lad
Anne Lindsay, who tells curious sto
ry of the circumstances of its compost
ton: al called to my little sister, til
only person near, and said Il hav
been writing ballad, my dear. | al
depressing my heroine with many mi,
fortunes. | have already sent her Jami
to the sea, and broken her fathers arm
is and made her mother fall sick, an
given her Auld Robin Gray for love
- but | wish to load her with fifth sol
3 row within the four lines, poor thinj
| HATra 20 -.