The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-24
PURE LOVE- Of THE ART
THE MAGNET THAT HAS DRAWN
MISS HELEN HAY TO LIT
ERATURE
WASHINGTON PROUD OF HER
Poetry Set TO Music-PecuIiar Quail
ity Which Renders 1t Fitted
for Musical Rem
ditiOn.


TO a remarkable degree her fathers lit
erary tastes and abilities. AS all the
world knows NJ Hay abandoned the
fowery fields of literature for the thorny
paths of politics and statecraft 1t is
caid that the secretary of state is a lit
tie ashamed now of his pike County
Ballads" but there is no reason why he
should be. Jim Bludso" and Little
Brooches" were daring and Il trife pro-
fame, maybe. and not COMFORTING in SOL
emnity with the character of a grave
and reverend ambassador and minister
of state. But they were fresh, vigorous
strenuous" ana they still live. Miss
Hay has inherited all her fathers poeti-
cal taste, but her muse is rather OF the
staid and sober order, lifting in verse
that has just tinge of sorrow in it. She
IS a charming young woman, however
with nothing morbid about her, and is
great favorite in Washington society.
Her well trained mind makes ii a pleas
ure for the most intelligent of the states
men and diplomatists in Washington to
converse with her, and she enters with
keen appreciation into her fathers
thoughts and plans
In Washington they say of Miss Hay
that she is intellectual" but that must
not be taken by any means as indicating
that she is a "blueStocking." On the
contrary, she is a thorough society wom-
an, the New York Press says possessed
of that easy grace of manner which
comes from a life spent amid the people
who rule and lead mankind. In Lon
Don, as in Washington, Miss Hay has
been in and of the very highest circles.
She has turned to literature from pure
love of art. Her book of poems re-
Gently published, was well received, and
showed a gift Of versiication which
would have attracted attention, even if
the book had been by an unknown au-
thor. The fact that the poems were writ
ten by the daughter of the secretary Of
state, of course, gave the book wider
notice than 1t would otherwise have re-
Celved but, on the other hand, it evoked
q sharper criticism.
WASHINGTON PROUD OF MISS HAY.
Washington society is proud of Miss
Hay. To have one in "our set" who
really writes poetry, that is the acknowl-
edged pOssessor of literary attainments
of no mean order, is rather unusual in
the capital, and such one when found
is correspondingly appreciated. WASH
lngton has always been proud and boast.
ful of the literary attachments of Mr..
Hay, and as to Bancroft, the historian
Why Washington society sat at his feet.
He was the Gamaliel of the inner circle
that charmed community Of the capital
around which the neWly-elected senator
or representative finds, to his surprise
when he arrives in Washington, there is
q great wall built To be able to shine
socially at the court of ST. James, to be
able to converse with the ablest men OF
science and literature and the greatest
statesmen Of the time to be able to write
both prose and verse of q considerable
merit-these are the attachments which
are seldom found combined in a young
and charming lady, and so no wonder
Washington society is proud of Helen
Hay. Miss Hay is now engaged in writ
ing play, says society, and society is
waiting anXiously to find out what the
play will be like
HER POETRY SET TO MUSIC.
There is a peculiar quality about the
poetry of Miss Hay which renders it par
ticulary well fitted for musical rendition,
and some selections from her verses have
been set to music by Bernice Thompson,
and are Just now being sung in every
drawing room in the national capital.
Washington likes to sing songs composed
by it's own people. Some years ago HUB
bard Smith made himself the most pop
ular man In society there by his song
"A Little Peach in an Orchard Crew.
He had not only the capital but the
whole country singing it. 1t is said that
Chief Justice Waite was once detected
T..
Hays three poems which now appear in
musical setting are songs Of love and
death, and are entitled Tones Passing"
1.-THE Everlasting Shows and sleep, My
Heart The music is of the classic style,
and is arranged for either baritone OF
contralto. The songs were sung for the
first time at a musicale at which were
presented a selected number of the mem
bers of the diplomatic corps and some
chosen senators.
THE ART OF IT.
The frequent use of labials in Miss
Hays poems makes them particularly
suited for vocal enunciation. Ms Ms and
Rs are the delight of the vocalist, and he
comes to grief over gutteral sounds and
such combination as "ch," "th' and ~
There is an art in writing words for mu-
sic, though it would be difficult to ex-
plain what makes a good song poem.'
The last song of the three published
'Sleep, My Heart" was written by Miss
Hay with the intention of having it SGT
to music. In the first line Love is a
broken lily the singer is able to make
the attack on the SmootheSt possible
sounds, and there is the least possible
hindrance to the production of a good
tone on the novels in each word. This
detail of song writing is little noticed,
and Miss Thompson who set Miss Hay g
call attention to its Importance though
many song writer's have followed the
rule unconsciously. In ''Sleep, NV
Heart the strophe form of song is
used-that is more than one verse is
written to the same music. Miss Hay
has placed exactly the same number of
syllabies in the second verse as in the
first, and the accented syllables in each
word are placed similarly in both verses,
so that in singing the second verse not a
single note of the music is changed a
particle. The poem is an excellent eX-
ample of song writing, and it would be
hard to find another writing of the kind
80 carefully and well planned. This song
is the most popular OF the three, and de-
servedly so. Miss ThompSon's idea in
writing the music was to make the mel
ody carry out the meaning of the words.
TONES PASSING"
The words of the first song, "Tones
Passing" are as follows:
Softly signs the gracious wind, dash of
rose in deepS of sky,
Love is fair and love is thanksgiving free
l pass him by.
Shredded clouds are Whirled in air, winter
stalks adoWn the gale,
Tossing wide loves golden hair; cease
the singing, love grows pale.
Howls the gray sky to the sea: loose the
storm-dogs from their bed.
Turned / back, and woe is me- l must
die, for love is dead.
The first part of the poem is Joyous,
and therefore the music is written in a
major key. The words Singing free" are
indicated by quick notes of the rising
scale, which is supposed to be Indicative
of rising spirits. Shredded clouds" be-