The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-11-12
WELL PAID ART.
Comic and SeriO Genie Songs
That Have Gained POpu-
larity.

New York, Nov. 6, 1S39.-Ma1y
Of. the comic and serio.com;c songs
worthy of the name, and that have
obtained popularity, are of English
origin. England is the home of
comic songs and comic singers. With
the exception of Irish and negro dit
ties, many of the songs issued in this
country as native productions, and
attributed by their title page to Amer
lean authors, are reprints of English
publications.
With the people of old England the
fondness for comic songs and comic
singing amounts to a positive passion,
and man who can sing good comic
song need never starve among them.
There are large number of peopI-
in London who make their living by
going about from tavern to tavern
singing comic songs.
The English comic song includes
many varieties. anil the title is a gen.
eric one, embracing many which,
though not strictly comic, are, never
theless, sung by professedly comic
singers. Among these varieties may
be mentioned the character song, in
which the singer assumes, by the aid
Of dress and makeup. some strongly
marked character, as in the ditty
known as yorkshire Sam" where
he personstes an old Yorkshire farmer
or "Gee There, Whoa Dobbin," in
which he portrays a simple, awkward
country lad. .Ssell songs, as their
names implies, are those in which the
dress, walk and other peculiarities of
dudish young men are set forth, as for
example:
Pm a swell. you can tell,
And behave aS such
Elbow square, close-cut hair.
With my too;Lpick and my cru,ch.
Dialect songs are those In which
the strange, Eug'ish,speaking accent
or dialec: of various classes OF foreign
ers is delinea,ed, as in dot Leedle
German Baad," and "Msry Ann Ke-
hos" Patter songs are those in which
here Is 4 constant succession of rhym
ing and jingIing words, of which the
best example is the song of Major
General 5 anley in the first act Of
Gilbert and Sullivan's.
PIRATES OF PESZANCE'
/; may be remarked en- PEASANT that
Mr.. Gilbert is the writer par excel
leuce of pa:ier songs. Motto songs
have a motto for a title, which forms
the las; line of the chorus and of sew
eral il not all of the verses. such, for
instance, as Remember that many
can always help one, though one can
not always help many "Never push
a man when he's going down Hill"
etc. Topical songs are those which
deal with popular topics of the day,
both men and things, and hit the gen.
eral and local fOlli and fOibles of the
time. They generally have some
catch phrase for title, which is used
in the chorus and verses like the title
of "A motto song as "SpOnge it Out"
The Dotlet on the l." and "For
Goodness Sake Don't Say / Told
YOU" Descriptive songs are those
which describe persons and events. or,
in other words, tell a story. The bes;
examples are "The Old Arm Chair"
and '.Dorkins' Night" Admirers of
Dickens are familiar with the "'Ar-
monte meetings" held at London
taverns, as so graphically described by
him in Bleak House" but, doubtless,
many readers will be surprised to
learn that precisely similar entertain
ments, conducted in identically the
same manner, may be enjoyed in this
city every Saturday night. 1t is only
at these free and-easys, as they are
cslled in this country, instead of har.
monte meetings, that Americans who
have never crossed the water and Wis
tied an English music hall-the name
by which all variety theaters are
known in England, can form a correct
idea of English comic singing. These
largely impromptu and volunteer mu-
steal entertainments especially abound
in the old districts of the city, which.
named as they are for districts of Lon
don and settled largely by English
weavers and other artisans. afford bet
ter opportunities for the study of En-
glish life and character than any other
part of Gothsm.
AT a free-and easy there is always a
who presides at a table
around which the company are gath
cred, with flowing BOWS and smoking
pipes before them. In one corner of
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