The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-27
STORIES OF OLD SONGS.
The Inspiration Under Which Many
of Them Were Written.


of Them Were Written.
Chicago Inter OCEAN,
One Of the features of the diary of
Charley White, the oldtime negro min
strel, 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 histor-
les are interesting, and a few Of them
are printed below.
The words of The Star-spangled
Banner" were written. as every one
knows, by Francis S. 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
prainted in ballad form. and scattered
through the camp on Federal hill, Bal
tlmOre. One evening one of the sol
diers picked up copy and read it
aloud three times. until the entire di-
vision was electrified by its eloquence.
An idea struck Ferd Durang, an
actor, who hunted up an old volume
Of flute music which he found in his
tent. He impatiently Whistled tune
after tune, just as they caught his
quick eye.
"One called "Anacreon in Heaven
struck his fancy. and riveted his at
tentiOn. 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
srangled Banner
Charley Durang sang it on the stage
OF the Holiday street theatre. The
music was first published by George
Willig. jr.. of Baltimore.
"Ferd Durang died i'm New York in
1880. I well remember Tom Blakely.
an actor, saying to his wife: Poor
Ferd Durang is dying Durang was
born in Harrisburg, Pa. His father was
a Frenchman and a fair musician. Du-
rang died in extreme poverty, and but
for his co-laborers on the stage, he
would have found a paupers grave.
The Hunters of Kentucky was
very popular in my early days. 1t was
written by Samuel Woodwork a type
setter. The Hunters was written just
after the battle OF New Orleans. in 1915
The tune is from an old English ditty
Unfortunate Miss Bailey.
1T was sung for many years by an
actor, Noah NJ. Ludlow, who died in
/ 1885 or 1885 in st. Louis, al the age of
So Ludlow came near having his brains
knocked out on the stage while singing
! the song in New Orleans. An English
man threw a large piece of gas pipe at
his head, but, fortunately, missed his
mark.
Woodwork wrote many funny
I Or
/ Of a fancy store in New York for a
/ long time, Joe Bonfanti, who made a
4 large fortune from his poetry. When
/ the California fever broke out in 1S49
/ Woodwork went to the Pacific slope,
| and was engaged there as a reporter on
! the Alta. He died there, and his re-
mains lie in the Home Mountain ceme-
/ terry.
/ Kathleen MayOurneen' was sold by
! Crouch the author, for S25, and
/ brought the publishers as many thou
( sands. Crouch was hopelessly improv-
/ ident, and in his later days became a
/ tramp. When Mile Titiens was in this
/ country. a number of years ago she
| sang Kathleen MavOurneen' in New
i York dirty tramp introduced him.
self as Crouch, was recognized and
/ thanked her for singing the song Sc
( we'll
Life on the Ocean Wave written
by Epes Sargent, was pronounced q
/ failure by his friends. Russell, Of a
| Boston firm Of music publishers. took
| the words from Sargent. and the latter
tells this story of the melody:
We passed through the music store
| Russell seated himself at a piano. read
over the lines attentively, hummed ar
| air or two himself, and ran his fingers
over the keys, then stopped, as if non
plused
Suddenly a bright idea seemed tc
dawn on him. a melody all at once
came into his brain, and he began tC
hunt it and to sway himself TO its
movement. Then striking the keys he
at last confidently launched into the
tune since known as Life on the Ocean
Wave
The melody proved a success. The
copyright became very valuable
though the author never got anything
from it but fame. 1t was popular il
England as wei as in this country.
The Arkansas Traveller The IA
nous traveller known as the 'Arkansa!
/ Traveller is no myth, but breathes and
has his being in that state. The traveller
lives in Little Rock, and may be seer
every day on the streets Of the tOwI
indulging his taste for music anC
story telling.
He is known as Colonel Sandy Falk
ner- He was born in Kentucky in 1904
In 1882 he went to Arkansas and be
came acquainted with Walter Wright
the original squatter in the song
My Maryland was written b.
James r. Randall Randall was de
scribed as one of the most delightful
men to meet. I met Randall some tim
ago in Admission, Ala He was cit.
editor Of the Hot Blast in that city
He said that he only received SO Il
confederate money for his song.
Charley White did not hesitate {
ascribe Beautiful Snow" TO Henry W
Faxou Of the Louisville Journal.
old Dog Tray 'Suwanee River
MasSa's in de Cold. Cold Ground
| Camp Town Races, old Folks