The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-09-22
# THE BALL,
How One of the Most Successful Songs of
h Century Came to He Written.

How One of the Most Successful Songs OF
the Century Came to he Written.
AS this song is just now riding the top.
most wave Of popularity it will interest
many to learn something OF its composer
and the story Of how it was written.
Charles X. Harris of Milwaukee is the
author. He was born in Poughkeepsie,
N. Y, in 1864. When a year old his par
ents removed to New York city, where
his boyhood was passed. When 13 years
OF age the boy came with his family 10
the Beer city, where he has lived ever
since. When comparatively young he
began composing music, and thus far
upward of twenty Of his compositions
have been published. He never had the
advantage Of a musical education, but
he takes to music and music-making as
naturally as a duck takes to water. His
first songs were sold TO publishers, but
shortly ai.er young Harris became his
own publisher. Several songs proved
fairly successful, and one entitled kiss
and Let's Make Cp" netted him SSCOO.
But it was not until he composed After
the Ball that things began coming his
way in tallyhos and coupes.
The story of how the song WAS written
is rs follows: Last March the Milwaukee
bicycleTs were preparing I" give al en-
tertainment. sam Doctor, Il local singer,
called on Hariis one morning about a
week before the show and asked him to
V. .te him a song. Harris had attended
a ball in Chicago the night before and
was lying on a sofa in his Office when
Doctor called. I'm too tired. Sam.'sa;d
Harris, Ito try to DO anything just now.
| am suffering ION the fatigue o. a ter
the ball" Doctor urged his claims and
finally Harris consented to compose
something for his friend. The ret of
the story is in his own language:
Tine words OF my reply, AFTER the
ball. kept ringing in my ears and |
quickly recognized that / had a catchy
title for a e'ng. I thought out the
verses, and lit a by little the tune came
to me and iitted the words to it.
Finally the whole thing developed and
it came to me like an inspiration. |
hurried to a music house and ascertained
that no music had been published bear
ing the same or a similar title to Alter
the Ball Then | sent for Joseph Clau-
der, The orchestra leader, and picked out
the piece on the piano for him can't
read or write music, but | can play any
thing by ear--aod pokeo him If he could
write it down for me. Clauder can
grasp and write music as quickly as a
stenographer can take a dictation, and
in an hour or SO | had the words and
music of After the Ball on paper.
We'll | gave the manuscript to thu
doc, Or and after rehearsing it he sang /
the first time at the amateur mil
strel show. l sat way back in the hcuea
very Dervous over the outcome. Doc OF
sang two verses finely and got tremen-
dous applause. This staggered him and
he forgot the third. | left the house
and mortified. | threw the
manuscripts in a drawer with a 10. c.,
rubbish, fully determined never 70 pub
lish C lCok TT it again. But the people
who heard it remembered the tune end
It grew on them. ] herd boys wbIs,
Ting it a Few days laier. nJme CHICAGO
isitors carried it to that city, and | had
two or three inqu' .es for it. Two weeks
later DitcOn, G L ol, orde ed tea COP
les. l don't know how it had got ii IT
lar out. This order in|r. ed me = pub
.lsh the song, and the result is known.
Today | had a Geographic order from
his same BostJn house for 5C..0 copies.
expect the circulation to touch the
million mark early in September