St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-04

IN was und u tie d y
ben BOLT The untimely death of
the usual theme of the sentimental song
OF that period, though it varied
occasionally in order to picture
the heart-havOc caused by the sep
aratiOn of slave lovers. ben BoIt'
was splendid illustration of the pre-
vailing theme, says the Chicago Herald.
1t was hummed. whistled, sung and
played on musical Instruments for more
than decade. 1t was immensely pop
ular with the young ladies, many of
whom are now grandmothers. ''SWeet
AIlce was shrIned in every sentimental
females heart, and the question of the
day was:
Don't you remember sweet Alice Ben Bolt
sweet Alice, with hair so brown:
she Wept with delight when you gave her
smile,
And trembled with fear at your frown.
Sharing Ben Bolts" popularity dur
ing the same period were two songs
widely sung by Dan Emmett, Dan
Bryant and other Ministries. These
were Nellie Gray" and 20, Susannahr'
both depicting the sufferingS of slave
lovers. Nellie Gray swept the coun-
try like cyclone:
My charming Nellie Gray,
They have taken you away,
Ahd III never see my darling any more.
80. dear Susannah." was built moro
IN the comic way, and the request
Don't you cry for me- was based on
the cOnsoling fact that "I'm going to
Alabama with the banjo on my knee
The peSSimistic strain in which the
fate of a certain ''Oid Niger" pOpu-
larly known gs Uncle Ned was be-
moaned was well known before Nellie
Gray" or '.SuSannah" appeared. Dan
Emmett'S ''Dlx1e" and Fosters ''Swanee
River" have proven the most prominent
or the ante-War melodies. A senti-
mental ballad called "Lorena' was
great favorite in the cos and for thirty
years previous the appearance and phi
losOphy of 'Old Resin the Beau" was
known to every one.
A state of warfare has always proved
conducive to song. The furnishing
condition of minstrelsy in ages past was
due largely to the warlike and adven-
turous spirit of the times. During the
civil war both sides were prolific in
song making. The South made the
first great hit with RandalPs MARY
land, My Maryland" The Bonnie
Blue Flag was the Southern national
air, and was to the boys in gray what
Yankee Doodle was to the boys in
blue. The Southern women ardently
took it up, and through every city rang
the chorus:
Hurrah Hurrah, for Southern rights of war,
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears
single star.
Of the sentimental songs of the war
period the most popular were Fairy
Bel" Annie of the Dell" Just Be
fore the Battle, Mother" Toll the Bell
for Lovely Nell" and when This
ol Or l. T., -,
'.Wait for the Wagon and Tramp,
| Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are March
ing" had great success during the
+ same period, and the others that ran
riot through camp and fireside were
MARY Blame" ''Old Cabin Home"
Fair, Fair, With Golden Hair" and
'Daisy DEAN Who has forgotten
''Daisy Dean and its wiStful chorus?
None knew thee but to love thee,
Thou dear one OF my heart,
Thy memory is ever fresh and green;
The wild flowers may wither
AND fond hearts be broken
Still love thee, my darling Daisy Dean.
A beautiful song. truly pathetic, OBJ
tanned great popularity in both North
and South during the war. This was
Florence Percy'S ''Rock Me to Sleep,
Mother"
| The South produced two war songs
that evince genuine poetic talent and
| have been accorded unStinted praise by
| the critics. They are the Conquered
Banner" and ''All Quiet Along the PO-
| tomac Tonight" the first named by
Father Ryan and the latter by Lamar
| FOntaine. One of the most pathetic
| poems that appeared during the wal
was somebody's Darling" 1t ran like
| this:
Into the ward of the whitewashed halls,
Where the dead and the dying Law.
| Wounded by bayonets, shells and balls,
| Somebody darling was borne one day.
| Somebody's darling so young and brave.
Wearing yet on his sweet pale face
| Soon to hide i'll the cold dark grave,
The lingering light of his bOyhood's grace
Matted and damp are the euris of gold,
Kissing the snow from that fair young
brow,
Pale are the lips of delicate mold
Somebody's darling is dying now
| Back fIom his beautiful blue-veined brow
Brush his wandering wares of gold,
| Cross his hands on his bosom now
| Somebody's darling is still and cold.
Kiss him once for somebody's sake.
Murmur prayer soft and low.
! One bright curl from its fair mates take,
They were somebody's pride, you know.
Somebody's hand has rested there;
Was il a mothers soft and white,
Or have the lips of sister fair
The circus clown was the great pro
| NAVIGATOR of popular music during anC
just after the war. He was then III the
| full blaze of his glory. Since then the
| blaze has degenerated to spark, an0
| that is threatening to go out. But
| twenty years ago he was the biggest at
| traction in the ring, and his songs sole
| like shares in wildcat mining scheme
The war songs were succeeded by
| what might be termed the Billyemer
| Sonian epoch, These were the DAYS
when the Big SunfiOwer" and ''LOve
| Among the Roses" were epidemic. The
| agile Billy was the pioneer of the gen
| teel song-and-danee business, and when
he sang
| Il feel just as happy as big sunflower
That mods and bends in the brcezes,
And my heart is as light as the wind tina!
| blows
The leaves fror, off the trees.es,"
he was pronounced unapproachable. OF
the same date is that ridiculous cOmpO
| sltion. Capt. links of the Horse Ma.
rines.' w. III. Lingard brought it over
from London and first sang it in his
| lightning changes. l.ingard has never
been surpassed in his act of lightning
| changes, and while he maintained in
| innate relations with Capt. JinkS" he
! prOspered. When he attempted some
thing higher he got into trouble. Pat
Malloy,'' The Charming Young Man on
! the Fixing TrapeZe," 1.-The Dark Girl
! Dressed in Blue" "'The Fellow That
Looks Like Nc" In the BoweryH and
1.-The Yellow Girl That Winked at Me-"
were widely sung at the time. The in
vasion of LYDIA Thompson and her
| British blondes in 1SjS was followed by
a deluge or English music-hall songs.
About this time the topical song began
to appear, Tony Pastor and his imitat-
| orS prefering that sort of composition.