Mesa free press. [volume] (Mesa, Ariz.) 1892-1901, 1899-04-21
BIOGRAPHICAL SONGS.
One Element In Popular Melodies
Seems to Appeal to Public Taste.

One Element In Popular Melodies
Seems to Appeal to Public Taste.
The trend Of the professional song
writer's just now is geographical, says
the New York Sun. 1t is thought fit
ting, If not, indeed, indispensable, for
popular song to haveea geographical
background. Louisiana Lou has at
tanned success on both sides of the At
lantic, and 1.-THE Little Alabama Coon
Is not very far behind 1t in many Of
the qualities which contribute to sue
see" has had as much, or nearly az
much, success In it's way as Bred in
Old Kentucky" and "The Georgia
Camp Meeting" has found admirers
among many who have not had occa.
sion to applaud a song of which the
Cracker State was the theme since
Marching Through Georgia" first stir.
red the patriotic sensibilities Of music
loving Americans. Down In Sunny
Virginia" has recently come into some
celebrity, following, though good dis
lance off, the always popular MARY
land, My Maryland" Everyone has
heard Of "The Old Kentucky Home"
Of which the late Eugene Field once
said that it was made up of five acres
and mortgage.
Many Of those who are familiar with
the subjects of these songs incline, per-
haps, to the belief that the Southern
States furnish for them the most desir-
able theme, and that other States have
been or may be neglected by the song
writer's. That is a mistake, for geo.
graphical divisions are Of very little
account to song writer's when public
applause is the object of their efforts.
''In My Old New Hamsphire Home"
has recently attained some popularity,
and song having for it's subject the
Boston Back Bay, or the elms Of New
Haven, or the pier at Narragansett,
cannot be far off. For a number of
years very popular song In the vaude-
vile houses has been "In Kansas"
which is descriptive of the unusual size
Of fruits and flowers, the unusual abun-
dance of cereal crops and the exalted
standard Of social life and citizenship
in the Sunfower State. More recently
some popularity has been attained by
waltz song, Little Miss Ida from
Idaho" and nearly every one has heard
sung, whistled, played on hand organs
or in monographs "On the Banks Of
the Wabash" in Indiana.
Up to date the Empire State of New
York has been little behind some 9th
er States in respect to songs with geo.
graphical themes, but this deficiency
may be accounted for, perhaps, on the
ground that the superior Importance Of
New York makes possible such minor
divisions as would be thought unneces-
sary or indefensible elsewhere. There
are two cities Of the first class in New
York, and each Of them has In the pop
ular estimate it's own appropriate top
ical song. "My Best Girls New
Yorker" is sufficiently descriptive of
what one city of the first class in the
Empire State can do in the line of pop
ular song making, and the other city
of the first class has lyric favorite,
put Me Off at Buffalo" By the selec-
ton of geographical subject of
song the author, or authoress (for
many popular songs nowadays are
written by women), is assured Of the
advantage of clear understanding of
the locale, SO to speak, of the nara
tive. Moreover, there Is decided par
TALLY for such songs, which dates
back, perhaps, to the first popular &C.
ceptance Of Way Down Upon the Su-
vance River" Since then the geo
graphical titles have always been pop
ular, but they were never before so
popular as they have been recently.
The number Of such geographical songs
further includes dat Gal from Balti-
more" elsie from Chelsea" ION the
Banks of the Ohio" and I'm the Old
Palmetto State" In the popular view
of intelligent and appreciative song
patrons 1.-THE Streets Of Cairo" is not
usually included among the geographi-
cal songs of the day. The particular
street of Cairo referred to was In the
Midway of the Chicago fair.