The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-06-19
Are Beginning at Last to Get
Some Recognition.
GIGANTIC LITERARY PIRACY.
The Product of Irish Brains Con-
I fiscated by ]. B.
POPULAR IRISH MELODIES
Appropriated by the Thousand and
Called "English."

Sdlleu EngllSu.
There are numerous indications that
Irish music is at present receiving more
consideration than it has ever obtained,
writes D. ]. O'Donoghue in the Dublin
Weekly Freeman. Its possibilities have
been fully discussed Of late, and several
musicians have very clearly indicated
the lines on which any future attempt to
found national school Of music should
proceed. At no previous time In our
history has the Irish music been so
widely welcomed or so closely studied in
and out of Ireland as it is today. Inc
patriotic workers in the cause OF Its
dissemination and preservation have not
existed in vain. Irish music has con-
uuered even the most hostile critics,
and we seem to be now in position to
hone for remarkable results in its Dopu-
1.arization. A genuine recognition of its
many fine qualities, of it's astonishing
variety and extent, has ALREADY been
won. and we have the recently expressed
opinion of so distinguished musician
as DR.. Herbert Parry that In richness,
variety and melodic charm, no folk lore
music in the world can be compared for
one moment with the music of Ireland.
But apart from the stores of national
or distinctly Irish music great body
of work has been left by Irish COM
posers which has never received its true
need of praise, or the compliment OF
adequate record. We all know that
thousands of old Irish airs, each express
Bive of the emotions or aspirations OF
the Celt, exist in the various great
nrinted collections or in manuscript, but
It is. not so generally known that very
considerable number of compositions
published since the middle of the last
century, and which have become popular
wherever the English language Is
spoken, were the work Of Irish men ana
women. though, not being Irish in SUBJ
ject, they have been appropriated as
English" The question which has
been more than once asked-What mas
ireland done for music in general, that
Is, what has she produced apart from her
native music; what contributions has
she made to the volume of music which
is not national in character-may De
answered by a consideration of this
Irish contribution to English" music.
Every nation, it is pointetd out, has It's
own native airs in more or less pro-
fusion, and though it is conceded that
Irish music is remarkable for beauty
and richness and abundance, it is often
suggested that, nevertheless, judged by
her contribution to world music, as 1t
may be called, Ireland takes back scat
before Scotland or Wales, OF course,
but after England. This is, however, a
very contestable point. 1t would not be
difficult to show that some of the leading
musicians upon whom the last named
country depends for her rank among
musical countries were undoubtedly
Irish. The average foreigner, naturally
enough, assumes that Balfe and Wal
lace were Englishmen, while the aver
age Englishman looks upon the former
as foreigner and the latter
as a Scotchman. Their most popular
works have gone the round of the world,
and though neither of them attempted
to write Irish music, strictly understood,
they are still Irish composers, and be-
long to Ireland alone. Balfe did GER
tainly compose the very popular air for
Falconers song of Killarney" but that
melody, with all it's prettiness, is not
Irish in spirit. But Ireland has done
more for music than produce the two
popular composers just named, and a
though even further back Irish musi-
cal sphere may have some value as we'll
as interest for our readers. Many of
the most popular song composers OF the
last hundred years have been Irish, and
few of their melodies are still very
familiar. There Is no need to go be-
yond this century for examples, al
though even further back Irish musi-
clans rendered good service to what Is
called English music. One might easily
show among many things how England
is indebted to us for many compositionu
which are looked upon as her national
property-how many of her earlier oper-
attic triumphs were built upon Irish
music skillfully adapted, and how many
of her singers and other musical celeb
brities owed their excellence to Irish
stances of what has been accomplished
for popular music by Irish men and
women are all that can be brought for
ward in this article. No note is taken in
the record which follows of music strict
ly Irish in character. With the single