The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-26
WROTE ANNIE LAURIE
Life of the Woman who Composed
Famous Song.

Each heart recalTd a different name,
But all sang Annie Laurie.


But all sang Annie Laurie.
Had the same words been set to other
notes, or had some other love ballad been
adapted to the sweet music of Annie
Laurie" would the subtle charm Of sug
gestion have been the same2 When dear
old songs plays upon our hearts, is it the
words or the music which exertS the most
infiuence2 Whom DO we hold best beloved
the composer of verse or the composer OF
notes.
In the case of this. perhaps the greatest
love song of the English language, she
who wrote the music practically wrote the
words-certainly the version sas sung tor
the last half century. Annie Laurie really
lived. She was born in the purple so to
speak, more than 200 years ago In Dunn
frieshire, Scotland A young fellow of the
name of Douglas in nearby hamlet loved
fair Annie, and ne wrote the original YER
sion of the well known poem. The verses
lived their little day and died. Their
author, in due course of time, laid him
down and died, too, but not for bonnie
Annie Laurie, for she would have none OF
him, and instead of becoming Mrs. Doug
las, she elected to take the name OF Fer
guson. In this manner she got the hus-
band of her choice, but no fame.
In the course of little more than CEN
fury there was born in England the wom-
an who was to breathe into the dead poem
the breath of life and the soul of music.
She rescued from oblivion the name OF
Annie Laurie, and wrought world wide
bond Of sympathy for the haplesS Doug
las Even the name of Mr.. Ferguson
emerged from the gloom OF the tomo,
and went gathering down the corridors or
/ time as the lucky husband of Annie
Laurie. 1t was sort or general reSur-
So to Lady John Scott Spottiswood, who
has just died. the world is indebted for
the words and music Of the song that It
| sings today. Born in 1909 she was married
in 1885 TO Lord John Douglas Montague
Scott She succeeded to her brother s
| property in 1870 and resumed the family
surname of SpOttiswood. she was an ac-
! cOmplished musician and a. prohcienJ
player on several Instruments Many years
/ ago she issued a volume of popular songs
! with music. 1t was much more than mar
| a century ago that she modified the orig
| inal words Of Annie Laurie and COM
/ posed the music that will keep alive the
verses for aye.
When in 1854 England was fighting in
] the Crimea, il was our own Bayard Taylor
/ who wrote the Song of the Camp con-
( tanning the lines;
| They sang of love. and not of fame;
/ Forgot was Britain'S glory,
Each heart recalFd a different name,
But all sang Annie Laurie
and thus linked the song to the other and
! Younger branch of the English speaking
world
: WestFuther have lost a real Denefactor by
! the death of Lady John. who was won't tc
/ saw of her charities, MY father was kind
| to the poor and why should not I be?
/ OF pronounced antiquarian tastes, Lady
! Scott Spottiswood secured every import
1 ant find in the district. and during heI
i long life gathered d large collection of OBJ
| jects of archaeological interest. She per
mitted no interference on her estate with
any feature that served to keep aliye the
memory of the past, and old place names
| were strictly adhered to. Instead CT plac-
/ ing the direction Shut the gate on gates
! she wished kept closed ia her demesne
the request appeared in her vernacular
"Steek the yeti" She had no box seat or
/ her carriage, her. coachmen having to ride
as position, and her clinging to bygone
customs was manifested in every reIa-
] ton of life