Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-14
|SONC WRITER / n HERE. R
EDGAR Sheldon VINO PENS
SLANG CLASSICS FOR THE
MULTITUDE.
Lyrics BROUGHT s2oo,ooo o
| rsrss by Inspiration and Not by
.,..em-Hi. Most Famou. Piece.
nave been renned ON Spur of the.
moment.
Lyrics BROUGHT 100000.
,,, by inspiration and Not by

rs
.re. me write the songs of the nation
! ,,s care not who makes the laws
/ O. runs the old axiom of Andrew Fletch-
g. the littcrateur and great authority OF
| ,-,s and letters. and such has. been the
,ot.o of Edgar Sheldon. the well-known
,ng writer.
Mt. sheldon is In the city this week.
md rather clever company of fin de
,,c,e girls and kicking comedians are
,-ssnntJng his lovely musical skit, peck
md His Mother-in-Law.''
Ar Sheldon has written more than
RI songs, of ali shades classes. and de-
grees-serio comic. comic. and serious.
How ne came TO write these songs. why
,bor we're written, and what prompted
chem, are valuable tips fer the anbi
,iogs would-be purveyor of vocal melo-s
sies and medleys. Those looking for sys-
,,,n In method to become successful song
critters however, are doomed to disap-
continent If they intend to follow in Mr..
sheidons footsteps.
SYSTEM" said he last evening. ri
haven't any IN my work, Everything sug-
casts something. and I find myself plan
ning out song or ilusnming the re
frain Of some new work am about to
write almost before the song has begun
to develop. You can't write, songs in
cold blood. though There must be some
sort Of inspiration. The most successful
tonGs that ] have written have been
composed on the spur of the moment
right of the bat as it were. -
You make no elaborate preparation,
don't go in training, and that sort of
thing?" was asked.
Indeed, no. was the reply. II. don't
know how 1t is with other song writer's.
but with me It is the thought of the mo-
rnent. The first song that: ever wrote
was entitled The Pretty Little Quaker.
II was sung by Lillian Grub in 'Adonis'
during Its long run on Broadway and
throughout the country. and my friends
are good enough TO say that it had much
10 do with Henry DiAey's. success. with the
piece. ] was a boy, Is years old when
] wrote il. and its success added consid-
crably TO my height. / was brought up
in a straight-la ced Episcopal family, and
the theatre vas forbidden fruit-abso-
luteiy tabooed, unlawful, criminal, and
ell that OF course, in consequence. [
took to 1T like dog to water. ouch is
the ragary of human nature.
HIS MOST SUCCESSFUL SONG.
What Is the most successful song you
ever wrote. Mr.. Sheldon?"
There isn't much doubt about that
Ny Little Dots High lair holds the
top place. It was written for Anne. and
vas sung by a girl named Jennie Will
lialns in "Mamselle." BY the way, there
is a curious story In connection with. It.
This Jennie Williams was a very fetching
little somebody, petite and exceedingly
pretty She disappeared from view all
Of a sudden, and when my wife and i
went 10 England last summer we found
she had married an English lord, and
is now Lady Pearie. We visited her and
found her living In high state. with
ifunkeys innumerable. and in an environ
rnent of the highest regal pomp. Her
noble English neighbors know nothing
of her past, and little know that she
was once plain Jennie Williams, singing
my modest little song. At the time she
was singing It Annie made quite a hit
with another song of mine. entitled
Purple fansies" Sounds bilious, doesn't
TT But ii took.
Everybody rem embers Mr.. Sheldon's
Sweet Fleur de Lis that Virginia Earle
sang with such success in THE Passing,
Show Ma Angelina" and THE Annap-
oils Cadet" are two of his songs that are
beng sung in The Liberty Bellies" and
Will West is very successfully singing
another of his iitties with the Rogers
Brothers in Harvard" Whether any Of
these recent efforts compare with Mr.
sheldcn's "Old Love Letters" or his
Girl With the Naughty Wink is a. mat
trr Of opinion.
Mr.. Sheldon says he has strong hopes
Of a song which will be sung in '.Mr.
Bluebeard' which will be produced at
the Knickerbocker next week. 1t bears
the significant title Its Dope That
Builds the Castles In the Air.
Mr.. Sheldon says he is guilty OF writing
Peck and His Mother-in-Law." He also
wrote Hot Old Time" ..McKenna's
F!!rtations'' and 1.-THE Irish Pawn
broker" ,--t4..-.i
AT WORK ON EXTRAVAGANZA.
Mr.. Opner. the New York Journal car
toonist and humorist. and Mr.. Sheldon
IRE now at work on a big extravaganza
entitled 'once Upon Time"
Il am going over to the other side as
Soon as our season closes to get some
ideas for the piece says Mr.. Sheldon.
VIII you do anything over there?
Not l." was the prompt response. i
took McKenna's Flirtations over there
little while ago. They had been doing 1t
In the provinces for three years under the
title Bright Eyes" Mr.. Hoyt had almost
technically the same experience with :
Parlor Match %
II was this experience that prompted
Mr.. Sheldon to join the American ORA
matte Club. and he and former Judge
0ittenhoefer and the late Amos Cum
mtngs worked for years at Washington
10 arrange some sort sort of protection
Tor American dramatists.
This is Mr.. Sheldon's first visit to
Richmond
III is strange. too. that never got
any further South, said he. have
been playing in Baltimore for ten years
IT Is MY first visit to Richmond. but 1t
Will not be my last. ! have already ar
ranged TO return here next season. 1t is
a charming city. / never saw anything
IKE the squirrels In your square. They
are the most fascinating pets, and for
some reason they remind me of the
sllls that one sees on the boats between
oakland and San Francisco. The boys
out there sell great leaves Of stale bread.
and the gulls will eat it out of your
hand. They are as tame as the squirrels
Mr.. Sheldon is an unassuming, unosten-
fatious. and decidedly good-looking
young man, who does not look a day over
", despite the fact that he is said to
have made more than 100000 out of his
songs and musical plays. He Is accompa-
MED here by his wife, an exceedingly
handsome young woman. who, curiously
sAough. is not an actress.