The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-26
ORIGIN OF SOME NATIONAL SONGS.

ORIClN OE SOMh MA I1ONAu OONOO.
Perhaps the most interesting talk of the
musical congress, which adjourned early
in the week, was that of Louis G. Elson,
the musical editor Of the Boston Adyer-
tiser, on the subject of "Our National
Music. ;"
SIT must not be thought, said Mr..
Elson, ''that Yankee Doodle is an origi-
nally American song. 1t, like many
plagiarism. There was an old English
dancing tune of the time of the sixteenth
century SO similar that it would now be
almost accepted for Yankee Doodle by
not too discerning ear. That was Lucy
Locket Lost Her Pocket, sung in the
days Of Charles H., and said to have even
been sung in derision of Oliver Cromwell.
Its next stage WAS when DR.. Schuckburg,
a surgeon of Abercrombie's army in the
colonial war between England and France,
composed the Maca roni phase of it.
Macaroni was an English derisive term
for the French. This was in ITS. Then
the British in time learned to sing:
Yankee Doodle came to town
For to get drelock.
But we will tar and feather him;
So we will John Hancock.
''The British employed it as 'Rogue's
March until the surrender of CORVALLIS
put an end to that sort Of thing, aud after
that event the Americans took it up as
their own. At the time the treaty OF
Client was being settled in 1916, Henry
Clay was informed that the Ambassadors
of England and France were at loss to
know what to have the band play as an
American national air. Henry Clay or
detred his colored valet to whistle Yam
kee Doodle, and told the band to play
that. Thus it was first heard in Europe
as the national air of this country
Hail Columbia also had an English
origin. 1t was composed by Prof.
Phevles, d German, at Philadelphia in
1879, for the inauguration of the first
President Of the United states, to re-
place the old 'Whashington's March. ;
"The words were composed by an Ameri-
can in 1798 This was Mr.. afterwards
Judge) Hopkinson. Charles Fox, the
actor. then sang it at q Philadelphia
theatre. -
GAS regards the 'Star-Spangled Ban
ner.' the words came very spontaneously,
but the music was also clear case Of
plagiarism. The song WAS written as it
DOW rams by Francis Scott Key in 1914.
President Madison had sent MIR. Key as
an emissary to the British feet in Chesa-
peake Bay to secure the release of DR..
Beane, non-com Blatant, but the British
Admiral, fearing that if he allowed the
American to return he would betray all
his plans, kept Mr.. Key on board. That
night the attack upon Fort MoHenry was
made. Next morning Mr.. Key, who had
been fearful of the fate of the fort, arose,
but seeing odd Glory proudly waving
in the breeze, sat down and composed the
soul.stirring words:
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early
light,
What SO proudly we hailed at the twi-
lights last cleaning?
"The music, though. came from Lon
don bacchanalian club. In 1850 Or. Ar
mold. one of the bon vivans of this club.
in his contribution of dubious GENIUS
each member being expected to do some
thing in this line-eomposed song, $40
Anacreon in Heaven which had the
very air adapted to THE Star Sphngled
Banner in course of time, and the tune
became favorite drinking song in Eng
land. The first real adaptation of the
"a Al Oi!lo SOUAlbEy was III 1870, Inc same
year Hail Columbia was written,
when Robert Treat Paine composed
Adams and Liberty as the words to it:
re sons OF Columbia who bravely fought
FOR those rights which, unstained, from
your sires have descended.
"And it had the refrain:a.g
Ne 'er shall the sons of Columbus be slaves
While the earth bears a plant or the sea
rolls its waves.
'sWashington in that time was almost
deified, and Paine had omitted anv refer
eRss to hin-a grave fault, indeed. So
e. g. dinner Il, Ma Major Ben Russell looked
would get no dinner and no vine
until he had composed a verse about the
country's hero. Thus the verse came to
be written, not inspired by wine, but by
the want of wine. A Baltimore news
paper printed both this and Mr.. Kev,s
song after the battle of Fort MoHeprv,
The publishers paid MIR. Paine S75O for
the copyright-a fabulous sum in those
days, 's-Omaha Bee