The Hawaiian gazette., 1885-08-05
Popular Songs.

was first published at Charlestown, Mass.
CAPTAIN James Greenleaf, an organist of
the Harvard church. set the notes for
music. and a Massachusetts regiment made
them first noted by singing them IN Fort
Warren. in 1861.
The author of Maryland My Mary
land" lives here at Washington, and you
NAV see him in the press galleries Of Con
gress almost any day during the session.
He writes gossipy letters to the Atlanta
Chronicle. His name is James K. Randall,
and he is a understanding dark-complex-
toned man of 40 He must have been very
young when he wrote that beautiful poem.
His ideas are broader now and he Is as
liberal in views as any member OF the
gallery.
America was written by the Rev.
Samuel Francis Smith in 1892, and 1t was
first sung in Boston on the Fourth of July
of that year. Like the Battle Hymn of
the Republic" it was inspired by great
tune. viz: God Save the King" This
tune is in use in nearly every country, and
it has been ascribed to Handel. The writ
er of the words still lives in Massachusetts,
and saws he wrote the song at a sitting.
He is now rs years old, and he graduated
at Harvard in the same class with Oliver
Wendell Holmes.
John Howard Payne's Home, Sweet
Home" was written for an opera. and he
never got anything for it but his tomb
tone in Oak Hill Cemetery. 1t was first
sung in the Covent Garden Theater in
London, and made a big hit. One humid
red thousand copies were sold the first
year. and by the end of the second its
publishers cleared $4,000 from it
Robert Treat Paine wrote "Ie Song of
Columbia early in 1900, under the title
of Adams and Liberty and he was paid
$3.50 for it. Paine was the son of one of
the signers of the Declaration of Indepen
dence He was christened Tom Paine, but |
on account of his dislike to Tom Paine's |
infidel tendencies he had the Massachu- /
sets Legislature change his name and |
give him what he called a Christian one /
He was a Massachusetts man, and he died |
in Boston in 1911
Foster got $4,000 for writing odd |
Folks at Home" Charles Dibdin Melted |
several weeks board for writing Poor |
jack" while his publishers made $4,000 /
out of it. Crouch, the writer of Kathleen |
Mavourneen.n received S25 for the produc- |
ton. and afterward became a begging |
tramp. while his publishers could have /
bought a brownstone front out of its sales. |
George p. Morris wrote ''Woodman, Spare |
That Tree because the purchaser ole a !
friends estate wanted to cut down tree /
that his grandfather had planted. His |
friend paid the purchaser SO to spare it |
Morris was touched by the story and |
wrote the song.
Hail Columbia" was written by JOsepha
Hopkinson. in the summer OF 1873, and 1t |
was first called the presidents March"
1t was always sung when Washington
came into the theatre and one Of the OBJ
iects of its writing was the cultivation Of
a patriotic Spirit among the people Of the
republic Joseph HopdnsOn was Is years
old when he wrote it. An autograph copy, .
penned In 1928. was shown at the Centen
nial 1t was first set to music by Ger
man music teacher. at Philadelphia. named
Roth.
The Star Spangled Banner was writ
ten by Francis Scott Key, while watching
the bombardment of Fort McHenry. He
was in "a small vessel among the British
ships, and he saw his countrymen win the
victory All through the fight he watched
anxiously to see if the flag was still stand
ing, looking for it at night by the flash of
the bombshells, and anxiously waiting the
dawn The song was printed in the Balti-
more Amatcqa. eight days after the battle,
under tine title Of The Defence of Fort
McHenry."
Many people VIII be surprised to know
that Yankee Doodle" is not of American
origin. Even the words date back beyond .
the days of Queen Anne. and the tune IS
still older In the wars Of the Round |
heads, says Commodore Preble, in his book
on the flag OF the United States, to which,
by the way, am indebted for much of
this information. Yankee Doodle" or |
..Nankee Doodle was applied in Lewiston
to Cromwell, and Professor Rimbault, .
prominent physician OF London wrote the /
song directed at Cromwell under this title |
The jingle of these two songs Is about the |
same, and the words are not much differ |
fret tho ]