Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-05-07

hayc been very preSumptuous pe--
son, IL he fancied that he could make
the songs Of pcople--of any people.
Because national airs, popular patrl-
otle songs. are never made TO order.
They grow out OF the stress Of great
public enthusiasm, ont of stirring
events aud large crises. They are born
Of inspiration; they must have not
only the genius of the poet and the
musical composer behind them. hut
there must be excitement and cnthu-
siasm lin the air. 10 stimulate their
efforts.
The occasion that prompted the
composition of both the star Span-
gled Banner and Hall Columbia"
arc proof of this assertion The for
mer fitted to a new mir, and the latter
70 an old one. were both born I'm OK
citing days of the republic: one. while
the author was actually prisoner on A
British frlgate homhsrding Fort Me
Henry during the war of 1872: the
other some years before, when this
then small country was largely stirred
up over the question as to whether
she could proffer her allegiance To
France in her gathering European
war.
Ia a musical way these were the
airs that made the stock In trade of
the Union at the beginning Of the war.
i must utterly cast out Of the account
tile frivolous and empty Yankee boo.
die" 1t was often played by military
bands during the conflict, but there
was never any enthusiasm in il; II
never excited anything hut mlrth. 1t
was and is now merely respectable
from age; there is certainly nothing
N 1t 10 recommend it to any people.
But the splendid measures ana
cadences Of the air. rs well as the
lofty patriotism of the words of the
.'Star Spangled Banner seized hrm
hold of the Union people in the spring
eff SCI, and have never lost their grip
70 TITS day. Before the firing on
Fort Sumter thIs air was not well
Known 10 the American people. 1t
had rarely been played and sung in
public; thousands of grown people at
tie North had never heard ii before
~ national uprising Then it was
fard everywhere. It WAS sung and
played az all war meetings, and upon
the departure of all Union regiments
for the front 1t speedily came to be.
as IL is now. the American national
air Some others were resnrrcc'cd
at that time and obtained certain
popularity, which thcy still keep. as
columbia, the Gem Of the Ocean"
and the solemn aud dlrge-llke Amer
ica." but the hold Of the star Span
gled Banner upon the people who
love the Union has never yielded TO
any other air
Later IN the coatlict came the stir
ring "Rslly Round the Flag" which
became An instant and general favor
lite, both In the army and ut home
Altogether, probably, no national air
was more played and sung wherever
the Union cause was dominant than
this.
| am speaking now Of the music OF
patriotism, not that OF sentiment. The
list OF the former kind Is not large
many attempts were made in this d.
rection, but few succeeded 1t Is. I'm
fact, so hard 10 make n patriotic air.
with words to match. There was.
however, one other notable success in
this line. which still holds It's place In
the hearts Of the people. and is likely
10 do so. | have read some printed
controversies as to who wrote the
words and the music OF the glorious
martial hymn. John Browns Body"
and ! cannot as nobody else can. tell
to-day who wrote them am inclined
to think. like Topsy, they "growed."
Mrs. julia Ward Howe wrote re.
sounding poem to the air. which was
never sung At all-certainly not by the
soldiers: but the trivial words OF the
original song. beginning:
John Browns body lies a-modering
IN the grave
with It's endless repetitions were
caught up am sung by those at home
and those Ia the field alike: and the
stanzas were 50 added to ana ampli-
fed. TO suit every incident OF camp
life that the original was quite lost
The air was grand WAS Inspiring. and
when played IN correct time bv full
land II was calculated 10 stir the soul
81 the dulIcSt soldier OF the Union
Buf the way the soldiers parodied the
words was shocking while ii was
laughable
Turning to the Confederate side. ,
wish to make SOME corrections as 10
present popular notions about their
war tunes which viii he corroborated
by thousands Of veterans Of the gray
siiii living
II is supposed by people who are
now reading mp on the war that the
words and tune of Dixie" were III.
shoots of the war spirit and were
never heard before the day of For
Sumter and Major Under on.
ON the contrary. the precise air AMI
n