The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-06-28

Among the extracts from the diary Of
I Charley White, the oId-time negro
minstrel. published recently, was the
history Of the famous song Dixie. "
White spent much time in tracing the
history Of other songs and in his diary
he gave the results OF his work. Some
Of these song histories are interesting
and q few of them have been selected by
the New York SUM- as follows:
The words Of The Star SpsngIed
/ Banner were written. as everyone
knows, by Francis 5. Key during the
bombardment Of Fort McHenry during
the war of 1912, but the history OF the
music to which they were set is less
/ familiar
The verses" wrote White. were
printed in ballad form and scattered
I through the camp on Federal Hill.
/ Baltimore. One evening one Of the sol
diers picked up a copy and read it aloud
/ three times. until the entire division
was electrified by its patriotic elo-
/ Quence. An idea struck Ferd Durang,
an actor. who hunted up an old volume
/ of flute music which he found il his
( tent. He impatieutly whistled tune
after tune, just as they caught his quick
! eye. One called 'Anacreon in Heaven
struck his fancy and riveted his atten-
/ ton. Note after note fell from his lips
With laugh and a shout he ex-
claimed:
Boys. I've hit it. and fitting the
words TO the tune there rang out for the
! first time the song Of The Star Spangled
Banner Getting a short furlough Ferd
and Charley DuraRg sang it on the stage
of Holiday Street Theater The music
was first published by George WiiIig,
( jr-. OF Baltimore.
"Ferd Durang died in New York in
I 1890 I well remember Tom BIakely.
an actor, saying to his wife, Poor
Ferd Durarg is dying Durang was
born in Harrisburg Pa His father
was Frenchnan and a fair musician.
Durang died in extreme poverty and but
for his co-labo-ers on the stage he would
have found a papers grave.
Kathleen Mavourneen' was sold BY
Crouch. the author. for SIS and brought
the publishers as many thousands.
Crouch was hcpeIessly improvident and
in his later days becamea tramp. When
Mile. Titiens was in this country a
number Of years ago she sang Kathleen
MavouTneen' in New York dirty
tramp introduced himself as Crouch.
was recognized, and thanked her for
singing the song so well
" Life on the Ocean Wave written
BY Epes Sargent. was pronounced fail
ure by his friends Russell. Of q Boston
firm of music publishers, took the words
from Sargent and the latter tells this
story OF the melody:
g We passed through the music store !
Russell seated himself at piano, read
over the lines sttentively, hummed an
air or two himself and ran his hands |
over the keys. then stopped as If non
pIusssd. Suddenly bright idea seemed |
to dawn on him. A melody all at once /
came into his brain and he began TO hum
it and TO sway himself TO its movement /
Then striking the keys he at last con
fidentiy launched into Ocean Wave -
The melody proved success. The |
copyright became very valuable though 1
the author never got anything from it
but fame. 1t was popular in England as |
we'll as in this country
. The Arkansas Traveller. The ia
nous traveller known as the Arkansas /
Traveller is no myth but breathes and /
has his being in that State The trav-
eler lives in Little Rock and may be i
seen every day on the streets of the /
town INDUCING his taste for music and /
story telling He is known as Col. San
dy Faulkner He was born in Kentucky /
in 1904 IN 1882 he went to Arkansas
and became acquainted with Walter |
Wright. the original squatter in the
money for his song
Ny Maryland was written by James |
E Randall Randall was described as
one OF the most delightful men to meet.
met Randall some time ago in An |
niston. Ala He was an editor of Tia J