The herald., 1896-04-05

remarkable interest. The song-writers
who chance to catch or reflect the notes of
the day are too often the victims of cir
cumstances, and it is as often as not that
they hit on a popular song simply by
the merest accident. 1t would De difficult
to find any one better sersed on this sub
ject than Charley B. Ward, who, besides
being the author of The Bowery Boy and
The Band Played On, is specialist in
this sort of song. "Charley Graham" he
said the other day, "sold Two Little Girls
in Blue for $l0 Obi bill. and the publishers
was written by an Englshman while
stopping in New York. The firm that ac-
cepted the song paid his passage back to
England. The song suddenly sprung into
extraordinary popularity there at the time
of q royal marriage and subsequently was
success that the publishers cleared $50, 900
out of It. The composer had luckily pro-
tected his interests. and raked in 81 900
in royalties. The largest royalty ever paid
yet has been on Sweet Marie. Raymond
Moore was on his way to San Francisco
with Thatcher's minstrels to appear in
Africa. One afternoon he was heavy loser
lines on Sweet Marie were about
all he had left in his pocket. He sought
consolation from them in the rear of the
car. A melody came to him, he summon
ed the leader of the orchestra, and in an
hour the music of the beautiful ballad was
accomplished. 1t is curious how song
sometimes jumps into popular favor. Joe
Flynn as one of song and dance team
had been singing Down Went McGinty for
year and q half without any particular
notice. He had offered it in vain to pub
fishers in New York, Philadelphia, and
Boston. At last an obscure publisher in
Brooklyn undertook to publish it. Joe
~ <o,, nd rofv in n
find in place of the insignificant home OF
the publisher a fine big block. The pub
Usher had made a fortune out of it. Ia
ra-ra-ra Boom-dc-ay was an adaptation of
a negro song, Ting-a-ling, etc. Henry j:
Sayers heard it one night in a dive and
licked it into shape. Lottie Collins hus,
band happened to be the advai ce agent OF
the company with which Sayers was travel
ing. Lottie Collins got hold of the song.
produced it in England as her own and
even appropriated royalties on it. The
evolution of some of these songs is really
interesting. The colored men get hold of
melody and distort it. The white man
an new form. 1a Take fhe New Bully,
you can trace that easily enough back to
that famous song Maid of Athens. Fe-
lix McClennan had the greatest difficulty
in persuading publisher to accept Com
rades. Her Golden Hair Was Hanging
Down her BACK 0hQ already acnleved pop.
ularity when what was the surprise OF the
New York critics to find it embodied in The
Shop Girl as q new song. The managing
editor of the New York Sunday World sent
for me one day and said he wanted q song
for his next issue. 1 presented to him
number of scores, but he did not like them.
l then hummed over to him the air of
The Band Played On: he liked it, and
the thing was really given birth ia ten
minutes. After the Ball? Yes 1 know
all about that. Charles X. Harris looked
after cigar stand in Milwaukee for his
brother.in-law, and at odd moments used
to amuse himself with the banjo. was
with him one day when his mother came
up and lamented that he wasted his time
in such a way. His brother declared he would
sack him, but he wrote After the Ball
and in a year had bought his brothers
place and put up $4,000 building within
q block of it.'