Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-07-31
The BRIEF LIFE or a SONG.
whistiing Tune into Notice ana Then
Bu-ying II In oblivion.

Whistling Tune into Notice and Then
Burying 1t IN oblivion.
A song, a flower, an actor becomes
popular. Everybody sings and whistles
that song because II has tuner Not
exactly; other songs have tunes and do
not achieve this universal sequence. The
girls who sells paper Of pins huns .
certain tune as she wraps up the little
package; thegrimy little boy who blacks
yer boots' whistles 1t as he puts on the
shine; 1t Is In the air, in the streets, in
the parlor; II Is played by German street
bands and ground by the street organs;
babies murmur It before they can talk;
JOKES are made at lbs expense; itresounds
from Maine to Mexico; but how did 1t
begin7 and when and where does it end?
There Is even now generation which
has never heard "Pinafore;" IN ten years
from now no one will care for the
"PinaforeV that drove this generation
half distracted, and The chances are,
should that opera be then revived, it
would fall fiat; its fun would not touch
the bumor OF the day, and the young
folks would say. dear me, this Is
decidedly antiquated; Why can't you
give us something amusing2,
Once upon time, about q thousand
years ago, there was written song
known as Wilkins and His Dinah.n 1t
travelled far and wide, from cottage to
palace, by rail and by sea; IL was sung in
the theatres between the acts; as encores
at concertS somebody even wrote play
on the touching story; twas whistled uni
versally, and every undeveloped musical
genius in the land sung nothing but "Vil-
likins." Who knows now where that
popular ditty first impressed itself on the
sensitive public carr Who knows, in
deed, who wrote it, or by what inspira-
ticn he hit on melody that bewitched
millions as II did. Nobody sings it now,
any more than he sings "Life on the
Ocean Wave,' ABen Bolt" and dozen
other sentimental ballads that had such
vogue; yet they are unchanged, and
quite as fetching In substance as the
hour they were written. A song or
tune has its day, and can never be resus-
citated. The first person who whistled
it into notice Is lost in obscurity, and
more singular yet, he who was the last
to whistle 1t oan never be discovered.
Who is the man that finally buries the
popular tuner ~ ave se
This view Of the life Of song is dis
tracing. Yesterday the classic aSee-
Saw" pernieated society, to-day 1t is Tit
Willow" tomorrow to-morrows
tune is unborn, but, as sure as the sun
rises over Park street steeple, it will be
here when 1t Is wanted. Probably at
this moment some poor devil In back
street In London Is covering music
paper with the notes of tune for the
music hall favorite 10 beguile rough,
uncritical crowd. 1t Is wretched stuff,
but it has "go," and go sends most any
trtsh headiong into dangerous popu-
lartty. 1t catches on Hike leech to the
public's tympanum, and, after one or two
nights, 1t will be carried away bodily.
What is sung with success in the London
music hall ascends with ease to Che pale
Of good society.
= Ine higher type--Gilbert and Sullivan
sohgs-have hewitched nations, but IL
the readers of to-day live twenty years,
their children will ask them who We're
this Gilbert and Sullivan, and nothing
VIII induce them to believe those old
fashioned things were ever thought droll
and amusing. THAT ever considered
fascinating! Why, my dear sir, you
must be mistaken. How uninteresting
tits. DonS you see we have outgrown
all such rusty twaddle." In it's day, THE
Beggars Opera" took London town by
storm. London society lost it's head in
admiration OF this new departure; its
music, Its singers; but let any reckless
theatrical manager Of to-day place on his
stage that once popular musical innova-
tion," in ell the glory of modern dress,
and he would be beggared as we'll as
Polly. II con not sing the old song"
MARBLES the tired world No, You can't;
that Is the unblemished truth.-Bor. Bos-
ton Herald.