Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-04-06
HE WROTE "NANCY LEE.~
A London Lawyer Who IL Poet,
Composer. aud Translator.
Oondon Sketch.

tlyOnUOn SKETCH
Nancy Lee" and THE Midshpmite."
and all the other famous songs by Mr..
+. Z. WeatherIy are the productions OF
that talented authors spare hours. his
real career being that Of a successful and
harl-working barrister in London.
when did / make my first essay In
song-writIng?" Mr.. Weatherly repeated.
meditatiyely. Just when left school. and
| was an oxford undergraduate when my
first song. When We Are Old and Gray,
was published I need hardly tell you
that even then literary work had a great
fascination for me. and in the intervals
of tutoring | wrote several chlldren
Christmas books ard puDliehed Nancy
Lee which caught on at once The YER
ses Of that song. by the way. were Writ
ten while | was waiting for a piph VINO
failed to keep an engagement In con,
nection with Nancy Lee Is associated
a rather sad incident. which az the ume
naturally injured It's popularity, for II
was being sung on deck just before the
Thames excursion steamer Princess Alice
went down"
of the popular composers OF the day
yes as writer of original verses.
and as an adapter of foreign llbretti
have had the honor OF being assoclatei
with nearly every modern composer or
note. | did the English version of 'Caval-
leria Rusticana.' 'Pagliacct L AMIGO
Fritz I Rantzau.' Amy Robsart.' La
Navarraise.' L'Attaque du Moulin. sig,
ma. many OF the lyrics in 'Mirette.' ana
DO YOU often compose the music to
Il have written the music for some
four or five songs that have been very
successful. Uncle John and The Bee
and the Song particularly sO but songs
do not sell to the extent they USED 10.
People have cOntradicted me 70 my race
as to the authorship of some or o., my verses
and songs. oh. no. they VIII say you
are mistaken: that was written ny SO
and-so; I'm sure Of it, Even my identity
has been called in question: Having ad-
mit.ed that ! was Mr.. +. +. Weatherly,
! have been amused to hear: oh but the
author Of those songs IS tall man. win
a gray beard. ! know him well. But
perhaps the most amusing little incident
Of the kind which ever occurred TO me
was when | went on one occasion into
shop i'm Fleet street and ordered some
thing 10 be sent home. giving my name
and address. The shopman asked: Any
relation sir, 10 the well-known weather.
w. was not going TO be drawn, ana
50 replied. 1T all depends what you mean
by well known I mean. sir. any re-
lation TO the famous Wcatherly, who
made fortune out Of sweets In Batter
Even the critics sometimes make a
mistake continued my host. laughing.
zone OF my songs was announced 10y
mistake IN the lItEltitiut VI 81 YIN -
as IAN English ballad The representa-
tive OF a wel-known Journal spoke OF It
as AN exquisite old English ballad. al,
ding that II was a pity that singers ana
ola aud cxhorting modern composers To
note the way in which ancient composers
caught the spirit Of their words-the
words and music having been written by
myself month before
(which 10 | prefer, men or women. II
interpret my songs? Why. men. most
decidedly They feel more deeply than
women. Take Douglas Gordon, for eN-
ample: a woman will sing that. and sing
IL with effect. no doubt but the instant
she leaves the platform she IS ready to
laugh ana Toxic. Very different with
man: he feels the pathOs 10 the innerrnost
flbres and when he leaves OF singing
can scarcely find words TO speak To any
one"