The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
SONGS OF LONG AGO
A sEPTUAGEyARIAy RECALLS THOSE
OF HER EARLY LIFE.
Mrs. Catherine wallingford CompiI-
ing a List OF "F1rst Lines" OF
These Old Favorites.

Old songs bring TO mind old scenes. old
friends and other memories. and yet. how
ever much one may think OF old songs.
there is seldom any record made Of them
Mrs. Catherine Wallingford. Of this city,
has sung all OF her life. When she was
young she took lessons. sang IN concerts
and did many OF the things in musical way
which young people do to-day. She has
passed the allotted time OF life, being well
in the seventies, and her singing, which she
loves with all the old-time ardor. now serves
only TO please herself within the walls OF
her home. Sometimes her voice mingles with
those OF others in congregational singing.
One Of the traits. OF people who reach the
sixties and seventies is that they awaken
early In the morning. Some get UP and busy
themselves with duties about the house.
but Mrs. wallingford has taken the early
morning hours for quiet thinking. During
this time the recollection OF the old songs
has come to her and she has tried TO re-
member the words OF them. In some in
stances she has been successful, but in
many cases where she could not recall all
| the words she has been able TO bring TO
mind the first lines The words OF a song
do not always furnish a clew TO the name
OF IL and the names Of many songs Mira
| wallingford has recalled have faded from
her mind. The first lines however have como
to her and one day she bought blank
| book and wrote down the first lines AS she
reads them over she can tell where she
| heard them, where she learned them and
many little scraps OF song news.
| One OF the best remembered. on account
| OF association, is by the sad Sea Waves"
| This she heard In ST. Louis. sung by the
| famous Jenny Lind. who was then making
her tour OF this country. a fact which Is tn
| corporated in the musical history OF Ameri-
| ca. The glories of the wonderful voice vi
| brate through the mind as the words OF the
song are revived. After Jenny Lind sang the
song thousands OF copies were sold in this
country. Many years ago there was con-
cert company touring the country under the
| name Of 1.-THE Spanish Concert. The name
| of the song best remembered as sung by
| these people is when the Glow Worm
| Gnds the Elhn Flower" The words were
given by the voices. accompanied by the
| guitar, lutte and violin. a romantic combina-
| ton. The guitar has been Mrs. Walling-
| ford's favorite instrument. and It was the
| fashionable instrument for girls 10 play
| when she was young. She not only took
| lessons and played it years ago, but she
| has kept up the practice and amuses herself
| with 1t now. She was taught in the convent
| at Lexington, KY, and a long list OF the
| songs she now remembers were learned by
| her there. "Hark, the Convent Bells" is
| one of these. Her mother a singer be-
| fore her and many songs were learned from
hearing her mother sing them. A verse OF .
| quaint old song. which was considered
| "cute," is:
Lords of creation. men call;
They think they rule the whole.
| They're much mistaken after all:
They're under woman's control
"'Tis All but a Dream at the Best was
taught TO Mrs. wallingford by a
| girl whose father was the d.
rector OF the constantinople :" or
chestra, and still another. winds Hush TO
Sigh" which was one OF the favorite
songs in the repertoire OF the great Mad
anne Malibran, was taught TO her by
| friend who was a friend Of Madame Mall
ibran THE Day Has Gone Down on the
Battles Broad Billow," war first
heard at Bellevilie. Ill. where she
also learned the piece. A song
which has always been particularly
| dear to her on account OF associations In
I'VE Parted in Silence" a song which q
number Of friends sang to her husband
once. as he was leaving home. They stood
| on the bank and waved adieu to him an
he sailed away. In running over the list
| there was one. 20, Come TO the West,
| Love-" which brought to mind the
season when she was young lady. a
Young man devoted TO music called on
her He could not sing. but he could
| whistle. He learned the words and then
| whistled the tune TO her until she could
| get it. Some OF the sentiments or the songs
may be guessed by the simple reading OK
the first lines. There is Down by the
river our log hut stands" Farewell. fare
| well is a lonely sound" ..Win you come to
my mountain home" 20. why does the
white man follow my PATH They told
| me not to love him. WELL sir, SO you
are come: thought you'd come no more"
There came TO the beach poor exile
of Erin" II will love thee as long as
| live" TELL me the tales that TO were
| 90 dear" Meet me by moonlight alone"
| Though love is warm awhile. soon IL
| grows cold" The rose that all are prais-
| ing, "Tell him I love him yet" Love
! not love not, We helpless sons OF clay.
"And has she then failed In her troth."
| 1--WE met, twas in a crowd" "a baby was
| sleeping. its mother was weeping, Ny
pretty Jane, an never look 50 shy He
| oft has said that / was fair, 1T Is better
to laugh than be signing" Shades or
| evening close not DER US" When man
| is a little DIT poorly ne uidhcSs Lfo4abe-
| line. my lost Evangeline." and Sing. sing
the darkies, don't you hear the banjog'
Besides these there are all the old hymns
| and Scotch song. Twas within mile OF
| Edinboro' and others. Scraps from old
| operas, some of which are sung 10 admir-
| ing audiences this day. are remembered
by Mrs wallingford- The war time In
| brought 10 the force In Mother, Is the
battle OVER" and songs Of that kind There
are national songs and patriotic songs Love
songs take the lead and the moonlight.
the water, the bark. MY Love and J. en-
ter into a majority OF them Any one
past fifty or sixty will recall these and
others as they go over the names OF some
given. Not only are the songs remem-
| bered but there connecting links. which
these songs will supply. Perhaps some
one in the next century. which Is not so
very far of, viii write down some OF the
songs Of to-day. How many places. how
! many peoples and what events they viii
bring to mind. Thousands win visit the
worlds fair with After the ball" Some
| may think Of Jessie Bartlett Davis with