The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-04
BALLADS. OLD AND Me

indeed. Deeds of heroism. Of love and
patriotism have no part in the modern
ballad. The popular song is the frail-
est, lightest kind of negro melody, vamp-
ed in the Bowery and built upon the
weakest of foundations. Sense or senti-
ment is totally lacking in the words, and
the air is an ear-racking jangle-nothing
more. Such gems as Telegraph My
Baby" and 1.-The Hottest Coon in Town"
are greeted with rapturous applause, not
only in the concert halls and variety the
aters, but in private drawing rooms and
parlors. Rich and poor alike fall into &C.
stasies over such "rag-time," "two-step,
"caKe-walk" things, and it is not only
the Gathering air that seems to please,
but 1t is also the utterly nonsensical
words that amuse.
1t is not the first time that the social
ed negro melodies and ballads have been
popular. 1t is within the memory of this
generation that Down in the Cornfields,"
Poor Old Jo," and similar pathetic dit
ties were ellA lhO Id5CT OoI ~ NOAAiPHNi
the negro melody of thirty years ago
with the modern "coon song" is simply
an insult to the memory of the sweet
melodies and sentimental and often pa
thetic words of the almost forgotten IA
vortes.
In many of the coon songs of today
there is a strong element of coarseness,
so strong, indeed, that to hear a gentle
feminine bud of fifteen or sixteen sum-
mers MARBLE the advice TO get a coon Of
your own comes as somewhat of shock
And there are many such songs, trilled
in artless innocence by scores of lads
and lassles, and voted excruciatingly fun
ny by dozens Of select lotteries, which
are worse in sentiment and language than
the risky gems of French opera bouffe.
These, however, are the popular songs
of today-pounded out Of every piano,
whistled at every street corner-the songs
of the people. There are some good songs
published, songs with good music and re-
fined words, but they are not popular
Even white Wings" and annie
Rooney" have vanished, though there re-
main few traces of Annie Rooney's be-
nign influence in numberless variations
of the air set to words which invariably
commence with Sweet Little" somebody
or other.
Back in the dark ages-in fact back Of
beyant the darkest of the ages - the
ballad was a fearful and wonderful thing.
1t was the Saga of the Norskman, with
never less than a score or more Of
"fyttes," and usually took several nights
to sing or chant. The evolution of the
historical ballad occurred in feudal times,
and it's length was curtailed at the same
time and to about the same extent as
its character for truth and veracity. An
element of pure romance crept into 1t, and
the bI6ody doings Of the warriors Of old
were replaced by the gentle chickering's
of the Grant knight. The sweet
roundelay" also made its appearance, and
is the progenitor of the modern song or
ballad, and when the art reached the
Anglo-SaXon 1t assumed the form which,
but for Its greater proixity. is that of the
descriptive ballad Of today. as. for in
stance, the lugubrious ditty entitled "The
Fatal Wedding
The Oldest and best known of the
ancfapt ballads or Soups 10 nerhapS that
entitled "Sir Cauline." which no doubt
was extremely popular in it's day, which
is in two long parts and is all about a
"ladye brighte,' certain false ''cay-
tiffe" and a "comelye knighte,' who
lived in Ireland about the time of Brian
Boru. The recital Of the glorious deeds
of Sir Cauline, all done for love of the fair
Ladye Chrystabelle, and the sad fate of
these ancient young people must have
stirred the arder and sensibilities Of
thousands of ambitious youths and tender
maidens as no Hot TamaIe Alley" coon
song Of today could do for the modern
youth. The ancient ballad contained an
incentive to high deeds and noble resolves.
The whole Of the Robin Hood series of
ballads bears this character. and as they
were the popular songs of their day the
effect upon the people could only have
been of an elevating character. The
short song or ballad was usually de-
voted exclusively to love themes some
times cheerful in tone, but oftener mel
ancholy, as, for instance, the original
song, 1.-THE Willow" from which Shakes,
peare took the verses referred to by Des-
demona in the play of "Othello.''
But humor was not lacking in these
songs of ED, as. for instance, in the
ballad Of THE Frolicksome Duke, or the
Tinkers Good Fortune" which it is said
suggested 1.-The Tanning of the Shrew'' to
the Bard of Avon. And old drinking
songs were not devoted to advertising
some particular brand of wine or beer,
but paid generous praise to all manner
Of liquor, but principally ale, the ditty
ing a choice sample of the bacchanalian
song of olden times. q
But with the decline of chivalry the
popular ballad suffered in tone. 1t be-
came rather washy affair and dealt
largely with innumerable Phyllises, Aman-
das and Lucindas and suffered a. gradual
decline until the days OF Bobbie Burns
and Tom Moore, when the common peo-
pie were once more given songs they