The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-09-15
NATIONAL SONGS.
To Whom We arc Indebted for the
Music of our Harmonies.

To Whom We arc Indebted for the
Music of our Harmonies.
America, 1t Is only too well known. is
indebted to most Of her national songs.
either the words or music. to some one
not a native Of this continent; but the
facts were never told more plainly than
in the Stories Of Great National
Songs" Just written by Colonel Nieho-
las Smith. The first Of these In point Of
time is Yankee Doodle" but neither
words nor music entitle this to serious
consideration. Originally comic song.
and never more than one degree bet
ter, It was applied to the revolving coll
onists in derision and accepted by them
in laughing defiance. Long associa-
lions have endeared 1t to the American
people, but 1t is always taken humor-
ously and not as expressing real ma
tional feeling.
Next to this is the Presidents
March," afterward given words and
called Hail Columbia" The music was
composed by German in Philadelphia,
called by a number Of names, Phylo,
Feyle,l and Roth among them. and was
played the first time at Trenton, N. j.,
when Washington passed through from
Virginia for his Inauguration in New
York in 1883. Nine years later John Adj
ans being president, a young actor
named Gilbert Fox was to receive q
benefit. in Philadelphia. War feeling
was rushing high France having been
the aggressOr. He persuaded a young
lawyer, afterward judge. Joseph Hop
kinson, to write the words we still sing.
These he rendered in the evening and
the success was instantaneous. Laterly
the song has fallen into disregard to
some extent.
The best known, the most difficult to
sing and the most warllke Of our songs
is, doubtless, '"The Star-Spangled Ban
ner. OF the Imprisonment Of It's young
author, Francis Scott Key. on British
man-Of-waF, while Fort McHenry was
bombarded, of his prayers through the
night for the failure Of the enemy's
arms and Of the triumphant Outburst
at dawn, when the American ensign
still fioated over the fortress, all are
sufficiently informed. II was written
on the morning OF September II, 1914,
almost eIghty-fve years ago. But a
week or more ELAPSED before 1t was
sung and then Ferdinand Durang, an
actor in Philadelphia. set 1t to the air
Of "Anacreon In Heaven" This Is an
old English tune, written by John Stat
ford Smith, some time between ITO and
l175, for society Of young bloOds called
Anacreonites, who met every two weeks
and always opened their proceeding
with that song.
America" called also from its open
ing line, MY Country, IT'S Of Thee"
iaea TrR11s I'D
unte, classmate OF oliver Wendell
Holmes, Samuel F. Smith by name.
Lowell Mason. whose name is Identified
with the history Of American music, one
day gave some German music books to
young Smith, not being familiar him
self with that language Smith chanc-
ed upon the air which the English have
taken for their anthem, God Save the
Queen" liked II, and promptly wrote
the words which we stlll sing to 1t. This
was in February. 1882. No one knows
who wrote the music, but II Is very old.
columbia, the Gem Of he Ocean," has
been held to be mere adaptation Of
an older song called "Brittannia. the
Gem OF the Ocean," This Is not the case.
Like Hall Columbia" and THE Star
Spangled Banner" 1t had Its birth as
song in Philadelphia. and Philadel-
phla actor wrote both words and music.
He was, however. an EnglIshman by
birth. Thomas A Beckett, and the name
and idea OF the song originated with
David T. Shaw, another actor In Phil
adeIphIa, who wished something TO sing
on his benefit and asked Beckett to help
him. This was In the autumn OF 1913.
But both Beckett and Shaw were Amer
leans by adoption, being citizens OF the
republic when the words and music
were written. 1t is, therefore, almost
wholly American,
The last OF the really great songs
OF the nation is undoubtedly Mrs. JULIA
Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Re-
public" This was written In December,
1861. after visit to the camps about
Washington. II is set to the air of
John Browns Body" and no one
seems to be sure when or where this
great marching tune came into being.
II Is variously said to be the adaptation
OF an old camp-meeting air, to have
been invented by a quartet in the Sec
ond battalion Of the One Hundred and
Twelfth Massachusetts regiment in the
spring OF 1861. to have been used by the
Millerites as far back as 1913. and nu-
merous other origins have been devised
or unearthed. all equally probable. It
is not likely that the truth will ever be
disclosed.