Evening star., 1896-10-31
YANKEE DOODLE.
Merits of the National Tune Tint
Still Survive


Still Survive.
From the Philadelphia Record
The superior court of Boston has handed
down learned opinion in which .Yankee
Doodle is declared to be not a sacred
tune. From the musical standpoint the Dc
cision of the court cannot be impeacb,d
for scarcely another nation the world over
has such a trashy song among its national
airs. But despite it's cheap musical effect.
its sangy words, and even it's British
origin, yankee Doodle will ALWAYS be to
every patriotic American a truly sacred
tune-sacred with the memories of the ra q
geo Contlnentals who marched and fought
and bled and died to it's lively strains from
fife and drum.
DR.. Frederic Louis Ritter who himself
gets out of patience with the music of
Yankee Doodle in his valuable work on
Music. in America relates, nevertheless
an amusing little anecdote in which the
redoubtable Macaron, with a feather in
his hat, makes characteristic figure. In
the year 1898 the st. Cecilia Society sought
TO establish public appreciation of class
lcal music in New York. When a small
band of seven or eight musicians one night
attempted to play in the theater a part of
Haydn symphony the gods" in the gall
lery cried out: Stop that noise; give us
'Bonypart Crossing the Rhine Washing
tons March or Yankee Doodle"
At the close of the revolutionary war the
IoNe loi military airs was quite intense.
Not only was Yankee Doodle" a great
favorite. but the Frankln-inspired Ca
Ira," White Cockade," French March"
"Hessian Camp Duke of Yorks March,
Baron Steuben's March and many other
marches almost proved byt heir over
whelmins numbers that, as DR.. Ritter ex-
plans, lighting was still in the air." Bill
Billings, the Yankee composer, who Invent
ed the well-known psalm tune Chester"
had written many inspiring patriotic hymns.
As has been said: "Cne secret no doubt of
the vast popularity Billings works OBJ
tained was the patriotic ardor they
breathed: and his tune Chester was fire.
quently heard from every fife in the New
was also manifest in his Lamentations
Over Boston, his Retrospect his .Inde-
pendence,' his Columbia and many other
pieces"
But Yankee Doodle has yet survived
the best efforts of all the old-time Yankee
psalm tune smiters" and "cornstalk fid-
dlers,' the British soldiers sneeringly
styled them. AS melody it has little be-
yond simplicity in its favor; but there is a
quaint direct and incisive character about
1t which redeems it from vulgarity. In it's
own rollicking words:
1t suits fer feasts, it suits for fun,
And just as well for fighting.
The tune of Yankee Doodle is certainly
of English origin, and is not older than the
middle of the last century. Tradition as
cribed the words to one DR.. Schuckburg, q
surgeon in General Amherst's command
during the French and Indian war. The
British regulars made a butt Of humor of
the colonial contingent. According to one
account, "Dr. Schuckburg recommended the
tune to the colonial officers as one Of the
most celebrated airs of martial music The
British corps. Brother Jonathan exclaimed
that 1t was nation fne;' and in q few days
nothing was heard in the provincial camp
but the air Of Yankee Doodle"