New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-24
LYRIC HISTORY.
THE ORIGIN OF SOME FAMOUS SONGS

STORIES OF FAMOUS SONGS. By S. J; Adsir
12mo. PIP. PAT, o45, Philadelphia: J. B. hppn-
coz Company.
Nj FITZGERALD does not base his entertaining
book on exhaustive researches In the scientific
spirit nor IN the critical field, but has done his
best 10 make II authentic. and has collected from
vast variety of sources. 1t is certainly enter
tanning. and abounds in anecdote and reninis-
cence and in amusing glimpses Of the authors
personality. He IS clearly an Irishman. and de-
termined that the Scots who have long had
the reputation Of not only stealing Irish melo-
dies but Irish saints as we'll should be made
10 yield their urfounded claims. Burns himself
was a great culprit at appropriating and dis
gUising any melody thai took his fancy, and II
has slipped from the memory Of both the Irish
and Scottish. and especially the latter" that
Ireland was the school of the Highland Scotch.
When We learn however that Irish music may
be traced thence in the modern history of the art
''imparting much Of its beauty and sweetness TO
Italy" are somewhat amazed. OF Moore's
proceedings with Irish melodies Mr.. Fitzgerald
takes every opportunity 10 express his opinion:
he was in no wise Irish poet in sentiment,
sympathy or sensibility' The chief character
istic Of his Irish lyrics IS their lack of Irish
characteristics though here and there Irish
town or vale or waterfall is mentioned all the
Il ASAL SOLSS are 6DSO4NlG-E i-LS4lSL III lOIITl,
metre and sentiment" And then, he received
such very comforting remuneration for his songs
for the Melodies" averaging. it has been
computed, t120 q song. or IS a line.
Mr.. Fitzgerald gives much Information about
the origin OF the great national songs that is
well known; for great research and historical in
vestgation have been devoted 10 the history of
God Save the Queen" MaiOrouck,' The Mar
the others Of this sort HIS judgment on the The
American National airs is sound-that none Of
them are worthy OF great nation none have the
simplicity and strength that should be doni-
nant in such airs; while as 10 that peculiar
production. Yankee Doodle &" not American at
all as he points out his comments are all that
the case deserves He gives due credit the
admirable qualities OF Stephen c. Fosters songs
and 10 the war songs Of the North and the
were better Informed as TO the conditions OF
musical culture in the United States than 10
mention Gottschalk as the only composer Of
merit that this country has ploduced.
The saying that makes Kathleen MavoUr-
neen z queen OF Irish songs born out Of its
own country OF English parents, he characterizes
as more epIgraEnatic than truthful; for though
Crouch, who wrote the music. an English
man C'who might have been Irish II he had
chosen, for there are many of that name in the
Green Is.eD, the writer Of the words. Mrs Julia
Crawford, was true daughter Of Erin, born in
which in Mr.. Fitzgerald's view alone has given
The opera Of Martha" It's continued popularity.
,hougA put n its present forr1-''un Irish, Of
ccurse-by Thomas Moore, was based on time
tEa1 dates back 70 the seventeenth century.
Moore came upon i IN a third hand manner;
t1r The Groves Of Barney" as he calls the
melody, was burlesque on a trashy song Of but
few years earlier. both employing the same
tuae. real folksong then prevalent among the
common people.
There is almost an endless study involved in
tracing the historical incidents upon which so
many Of the Scotch and Irish songs are based.
Nj Fitzgerald has collected the fruits of many
song historians patient Investigations into such
stories Such. for instance, is the true history
= annie Laurie, daughter Of a Scotch baronet,
whose ardent lovers death in Flanders was
probably a fiction She became the mother Of
= .exander Ferguson the hero OF BUrns's song
The Whistle" Such transformations and re-
r1atngs OF words and tunes as happened in the
case Of The Last Rose Of Summer were ex-
rrernely common: many Of the oldest tunes as
Burns remarked, outived their original and
perhaps many subsequent sets % verses So
with one Of the oldest OF the Scottish tunes
Scots wha hae': II 1912 It was favorite under
the name OF Now the Day Davis in later
times II was known as Hey. Tuttie Taite"-for
what reason Is a mystery that many have tried
. solve without success In Jacobite days Il re-
appeared as Here's 10 the King, Sirs.' Then
Burns was taken with il and wrote his famous
lines. under the Impression, or pretending 70
DC, that IL was the melody TO which Bruce's men
marched 70 Barnockburn.