The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-16


OF the sentimental song ana the old
fashioned ballad. 1t has been accepted
and approved by the people for the sim
pie. and sufficient reason that they like
it., 1t has developed such widespread
popularity that in some instances no
20 know at least the air of the choru:
of vaudeville song is to argue your
self unknown. But just why it is Sc
popular, what is the secret of its at
traction and what it is really worth as
music, nobody has taken the trouble K
find out.
The publishers insist that the way II
which a song is pushed" is more thar
half the battle-that its success OF
failure depends upon the number oil
persons who can be made to hear ii, OF
at least hear of il. But in the Ions
run writer's and publishers are alike
dependent upon the public's tastes in
the matter, and all the pushing" that
has ever been done cannot explain why
not only a single song, but a whole
class OF songs, have a distinct family
resemblance, should have come into g
flcurishing popularity.
The so-called coon song" for in
stance, which appeared in its present
shape little more than five years ago
has had a readily traceable history
America has no coster class to be taken
off in song in the manner of Albert
Chevalier. the nearest approach TO il
is the Bowery type, and the BoweTy
song duly appeared. 1t has still a mod
crate popularity, and My Poll Is a
Bowery GciP' and 1.-THE Bow-ry' ragged
for awhile. But the Bowery type, one
of the very few which lends itself read
lily and safely to caricature, was either
not widely enough known or had toe
little variety to hold attention long.
Gradually the coon song crowded ii
out of place, and it is the coon song
which still somehow hangs on to the
public favor
There are reasons for this. The "coon
song has character. 1t is not true
character, OF course, and the theory
that the inspiration of the coon song
is drawn from the colored race is q
transparent fiction. The subject of the
song is the same imaginary person who
is seen in the funny weei1lieS, who
speaks a make believe dialect and has
no eXitence in actual life. The type is
individual, however, and so it strikes
the imagination and holds interest. The
song writers turned to it unconsciously
as the one affcrding the most accessible
material for song writing of the kind
which would make a hit" What other
cleverness there is in these songs lies
in the successful use of catch-iine re-
Trains and suggestion of groteque
hurnor in the lines.
g g @
Apart from the element of character,
however the coon songs have come
into popularity, no doubt, largely on the
strength of the tunes themselves, and
these, too, have a flavor of their own,
though it is totally unlike the charac-
icfi il Aox Of
Most of the songs have romping cho-
ruses, which are made attractive by
reason of their swing and rhythm.
Probably without stopping to consider
the means they used, the writers Of the
tunes most popular today have resorted
to an expert use of accent and rhythm.
One secret of the "coon song" is that
it has caught the rhythm of the shut
fling, Gathering, hating dance step
which is the especial property of the
vaudeville dancer. This is the reason,
also. fer the popularity Of rag time, -
stop time" and all other ingenious
rhythmical contrivances of the vaude-
vile music maker. To- a tI1eorist in
music, of course this is chiefly a trick
of syncOpation. 1t consists very largely
in keeping in the auditors mind the
true rhythm of the music, at the same
time relaying or advancing an accent
so than il falls on an "off beat" This
popularity, or else the steady use of a
strong accent, such as SOusa employs
in his marches, combined with a. swing
ing melody, have given the coon song
music much of its character as music.
Take collection of such songs as "All
Coons Look Alike to Me- "A High
Born Lady" THE Wedding of the Chi
nee and the Coon" "a Hot Time in the
Old Town Tonight and THE Warmest
Baby in the Bunch and in most cases
you will find that the swinging, romp-
ing rhythm and the smashing accents
of the chorus are the things which hold
the average ear.
1t is with no little interest that peo-
pie who have time enough TO watch
this curious phase of peoples amuse-
ments will wait to see What takes the
place of the coon song" Several at
tempts have been made to get away
from it and in some cases, as in "On
the Banks of the Wabash" and '-She
Was Bred in Old Kentucky" the COM
pOseG's have made signal successes in
an entirely different line. But it seems
to have been shown both here and in
England that the development Of
music hall performances follows some
logical law, and one of these laws is
that people like a note of characterize
ton in popular stage songs. The coon
song has been distinct and individual.
as its subject, its swinging tunes and
its cake-Walk adjunctS show. All these
elements save one may be taken away.
as they are, in fact, in Why Don't Yo'
Get a Lady of Yo' own" an absurdly
ditty, that has same real
charm of melody in il. But the char
acter is especially strong in that par
ticular song. The sentimental songs,
most Of which are atrociously bad as
music and maudlin in sentiment, may
recur from time to time. but they will
not answer the requirements of the in
Suitable vaudeville public, which de-
mands to be amused.
There is one point, moreover, which is
we'll worth the respectful attention of
crofesSed musicians, however much
they may scorn the humble democracy
Of the vaudeville show. This constant
hearing and production of such songs
is going to have an appreciable effect,
not only on public taste, but on the de-
of music as well. SyInpho-
MES and grand operas may be superior
means of culture, but where ten per-
sons hear works of art of that style a
thousand are listening to some singer
IN the vaudeville houses. What influ->
ence is all this to have on the evolution
IF public taste in music?
--<<ED<7>-
An nti-breakfast Society.
An anti-breakfast society is to be
in Elgin, ILL.,. its member
-hir CorloDr-iSi1lc some ~ tbe ,r1nSf