The times., 1899-10-20

situdes through which the air had alread
passed, and still less of the career whic
the future held in store for it, His line
caught the popular fancy, and from tha
hour the air to which they were sung wa
stripped, in the American mind, of ali it
former associations, and identified exclus
lively with its new use.
Keys Famous Verses
Not only were Keys verses now known
as The Star-Spangled Banner" set by hi
own hand TO a familiar drinking chorus o
his day but the same music had once be
fore been pressed into service for a pa
triotic song which died so quietly that few
members Of our generation have ever hear
of IT, In its first convvial dress the al
was sung in much faster time than afte
it took on its later dignities This fac
suggests the question, how far the mer
rapidity of it's execution may determin
whether piece of music shall inspire il
hearers to mirth or to brave deeds Tn
chief lesson to be drawn from TThe Star
Spangled Banner" is, however, that an al
composed in a wholly different Spirit ma,
be used for national ode with one set o
words and fail, but with fresh words, pro
duced at the right tide OF affairs, win
recognition so complete as TO wipe out tn
memory of all former versions.
The air Of Hail Columbia" before Hop
Kinson's words were set to it, was know
as the Presidents March" II owes il
present Importance largely to a politica
accident. The French Revolution had bee
watched in this country With sympatheti
interest; but the riotous orgie5of 1893 i
Paris shocked the better sentiment of ou
people, and split the Republicans Of tn
| United States into two factionsLone VIII
oF nd H.
| thought that mob law under the conveh
ton was even worse than the divine righ
Of the court The "Marseillaise, whic
! had been taken up in America with almos
as much fervOr as if it had been addresse
10 our own lovers of liberty, began no'
to draw forth Kisses when played in th
theatres; and stage singer applied t
HOpkinson to write some words for tn
Presidents March" which would glorif
American freedom without reference to th
feud Of caste in France. Public feeling
here happened to be just ripe for tn
change, and Hail Columbia" by furnish
ing to the Republican factions a groun
for reunion, quickly superseded the Mar
| seillaise.
yankee DoOdIe.o
In Yankee Doodle" the oldest air in ou
national collection, we still see another va
gary Of patriotism in its search for a musi
| cal outlet. Here was a jig tune whic
could never be made anything better tha
| a jig tune, and which was already ancie1
when the British ifers brought it over i
1875 to mock our ragged rebels. TIL
promptness with which. after the laug
had been turned against the Knockers. tn
derisive music was adopted by tn
Yankees as their own, is one of the minC
satires of history.
/ civil war though it may have all th
| sentimental elements that go TO produc
music, is by its very nature hostile I
| the production of lyrics broadly nationa
| Each party TO our struggle had its ow
! songs; and the South, as the home
! poesy, might naturally have been expecte
| 10 make the finest showing. But the South
| ern Confederacy was a sectional group
States, loosely bonded, with only one com
mon tradition. Hence around the South
| ern camp fires, while the Marylanders wer
| singing their Maryland, My Maryland.
| the Texans sang their Flag of a Singl
| Star" and Dixie" the only song of an
note in which the whole Confederacy coul
| join. was borrowed from the minstrt
stage.
! In the North, on the other hand. the ma
| tional sentiment found expression in
| variety of songs not a few of which, afte
| the lapse of a whole generation, survive /
| the repertory of band music, and are re
! cognized everywhere by name, thoug
| rarely sung except at veterans reunions
| To show how little either merit or motiy
| has to do with the popular acceptance
! patriotic music, il may be observed tha
| Keller's Hymn of Peace" the finest mus
| cal product OF the Civil War era, is know
| today to but few persons outside the cir
| Gle Of music-Iovers; while John Brown
| Body" originally sung by New Englan
| regiment for sport and with no referenC
| TO Brown Of Osawatomie, is as familiar I
every street urchin now as in 1852.
The Result of Wars.
If the notion be well founded that for
/ eign war must be popular In order to b
/ musical, we have fine pair OF parallels i
the war with Mexico and the war, or tn
| sequence of wars, which began fftee
months ago. Our revolution gave US 'Yau
! kee Doodle" our interest in the Frenc
struggle for liberty gave us Hail Colun
bia,' and the war of 1912 gave, us "Th
! Star Spangled Banner" but the war wit
Mexico has left not one bin Of patriot
verse to grace its place in history, and th
same is true with the war with Spain an
| her colonies. II may be too soon to sa
| that the last war viii always remain thu
! barren. From the day the first trainin
/ camp was opened the regimental band
have found a sure favorite in the musi
| hall ditty, "A Hot Time in the Old Town.
| Ii has a good marching swing and it wi
be played at all gatherings OF the soldier
! Of the Spanish war as a reminder Of the
| comradeship in peril. One day there ma