Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-07-12
THE SONGS OF THE DAY.
WHY BALLADS ARE PoPULAR-THR CHANGES IN
THE PUBLIC TAsrE-soNGs THAT HAVE BEEN
WIDELY sUNG-AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR
ILLUSTRATING THE POWER OF MrsIc

WHY BALLADS ARE PoPULAR-THB CHANGES IN
THE PUBLIC TAsrE-soNGs THAT HAVE BEEN
WIDELY sUNG-AN INCIDENT OF THE WAR
ILLUSTRATING THE POWER OF MUSIC.
"The songs which are most popular now are
ballads. as they are suitable for parlor or con-
cert, said well-known avenue music dealer
to STAR reporter. ''They are Of q different
style, both in words and music, from those
which were popular twenty or even ten years
ago, he continued :but Of course there are
some which will never grow old on account of
the sentiments connected with them. The
composers who seem to have the principal sale
just now are Tosti and Marzials, who write
very much like Willard, the composer Of The
Kerry Dance, but young balladist in this city.
Idly becoming q favortte and one of his songs
'Margery Daw,' has had a large sale. The old
songs Of Stephen c. Foster. once so much in
demand, are seldom called for. operate airs
are not In so much demand as one uninitiated
In the music business would suppose, and are
seldom asked for, excepting by teachers of
vocal music and professional singers. The
songs with quartette chorus, having pretty
catching harmony, and usually heard In the
minstrel shows, are not sold to a very great ex-
tent, because when you sit down in q parlor
and attempt to sing one of them as O solo the
effect is lost and the result is an uncomfortable
feeling that something is lacking"
WHY THE BALLAD Is POPULAR.
$50 you see," continued the dealer, 'that the
reason why the ballad is popular is that it is In
place when sung In parlor, where nine-tenths
of all our music Is heard and also because
ballads are usually written in Compass
easily controlled by the average voice. One Of
the most popular ballads ever written is When
the Leaves Begin to Fade of which over mil
lion copies were sold. In connection with this
there is a matter which perhaps you have no.
ticed, and which music dealer has to guard
against sharply. and it is this: Whenever song
appears which is a favorite the rival music pub
fishers will issue publications bearing title
very similar to the popular song. and thus en-
deayOr to work off spurious music on a careless
purchaser. Thus in the above case they have
songs about the leaves falling the leaves turn
Ing and the leaves doing this, that and the other
thing, until you would believe that the leaves
could perform as many different tricks as
trained monkey In menagerle. Publications
like the Song Folio are due to the lack of an
international copyright. and one gets much of
the best music published very cheaply in that
form. You meet this book everywhere. In the
stores, on the cars. at the news-stands, where
ever you go you see the Song Folio and over
million copies Of it have been sold. In books OF
that KIND the publisher makes his profit out of
the immense issues and in this particular in
stance we figured up the other day that the first
one thousand copies must have cost over one
hundred thousand dollars, but the output has
been SO large that the publishers have made
money on 1t. A good campaign song sells with
great rapidty If it has taking qualities, and the
new song by SOusa bids fair to attain q large
circulation, as the air Is bright. easy and very
effective. Sometimes asong will have mark ed
effect EN- in political canvass: The power of the
ola song OF .Iippecanoe and Tyler, Too of the
campaign of 1910. has become matter of egen-
Diary interest. Talking about
THE POWER OF MUSIC
think one Of the happiest incidents which
remember occurred during the late war. Our
army under General Bragg was lying in the
trenches outside of Chattanooga watching the
Yankees, and there had been considerable
skirmishing going on all day. but towards night
fall even the picket firing seemed to cease with
common consent. The evening was lovely and
during the comparative stiffness one Of the
federal bands took a position on little knoll
just inside of their lines. within hearing distance
OF ooth armies, and began to play old tunes
familiar to all.
The boys dropped everything to listen. and as
the sweet tones. mellOwed by distance. came
throbbing down the lines men ceased to talk. or
only spoke In subdued voices, for the music
seemed almost divine. BY and by the notes Of
Hall Columbia rang out, and cheer on cheer
went up from the Union soldiers, which were
echoed back by the confederates, when tie
band followed with 'Dixie's Land Then came
the Star Spangled Banner and we could hear
the loud voices OF the Yankees as they came in
on the chorus. Bonnie Blue Flag next
awakened our enthusiasm and we sang it with
religious fervOr. short interval followed,
and then the air of Home, Sweet Home touched
US with an effect which l never experienced
before or since. The men drank in that music
as If 1t came from Heaven, and every now and
then as it struck some tender memory YOU would
see some one bury his face in his hands or turn
away to hide his agitation. and we listened.
listened for full five minutes, It seems to me.
after the music ceased. Then from the ranks of
federals and cOnfederates alike mighty volume
OF shouts and cheers went up, answered and
answered back until the echoes of Lookout
mountain re-echoed from the great sounding
board of Mission Ridge, have heard the Mar
seiliase Hymn sung by ten thousand voices. but
1 never expect to hear such music on earth
again as heard that night on the banks of the
Tennessee" and the story teller gave sigh as
he walked away in reply to summons from a
caller.