Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-19
EDUCATIONAL.
OUT OF WASHINGTON
THE PAYNE HOUSE.
It's at East Hampton, but the Sons
Writer Was Not Born There.

From the New York sun
There is vague tradition told to sum-
mer visitors at East Hampton that John
Howard Payne wrote Home, Sweet Home
in the old Payne house near the Duck
pond. Payne did pass his childhood In this
old house, but did not write his famous
poem there. Nor was he even born there.
He was born in New York on the site Of
33 Pearl street on June Q, 1871. and not
1892. as the biographies usually have It.
His father had. about twelve years before
that time. moved to East Hampton to as
sumo the direction of the academy founded
by Governor Clinton. Two of his sisters
and one brother of this family of nine
children were born in the little house at
East Hampton.
1t is owned to this day by his descend
ants 1t was built before William Payne,
the father of the poet moved there.
Payne was in Paris when he wrote
Home, Sweet Home" probably in the sky
parior In the PalaiS Royal to which
friend. One of the stories concerning the
song had the author penniless in London
garnet while he wrote it. and another ro-
mantle account described him writing the
poem by the light of a street lamp in Lon
doE on a fragment of paper he picked out
o. the gutter.
Payne had quarreied with the managers
o. Covent Garden and gone to Paris. where
came into control of the theater. and i'm
mediately wrote to Paris asking Payne,
who had then high reputation as play
wright, to come to London or let him have
whatever new material he had collected.
Payne sent over to Kemble sackful Of
plays. asking x1.2Jn for the lot. Kemble
selected one called "Angioletta," paid SID
for that and sent the rest back 1t was
then decided that the text needed music.
and II. r. Bishop called in to supply
the score.
In one of his letters to Bishop, written
just before he started for London, Payne
WI ote that Home, Sweet Home seemed
excellent refrain for one of the songs.
He had heard the air in Italy, according to
his own accounts of the work So Bishop
on the title page of the first copies Of the
song described il modelled on and partly
t. ken from Sicilian air.
In a later account Payne said he heard
peasant girl singing it in Italy and asked
her the name She could not tell him, but
repeated it while he took down the notes.
He said that the pathetic character of the
Music suggested to him the words of
''Fcme. Sweet Home" which he wrote
when the idea of putting the melody into
his version of "Angioletta" occurred to
him. He then wrote the poem and Bishop
made the text fit the music. This was the
so called first version of the poem. ..t
"Clari or the Mad of Milan was pro-
duced and London crowded to Covent Gar
den to hear it. Ellen Tree sang the mel
ody with one or two other singers. From
the HrSt night the success OF the opera
was assured Kemble and the publisher
divided between them more than $4,000
during the first year of the songs sale.
The old house at East Hampton is still
pleasant place of residence. In these
Lnmer days it is surrounded by trees and
flowers. There are several other Payne
houses in the village. for some of the de-
scendantS of William settled there. In none
of them was the author of Home Sweet
Home born, nor did he write his poem in
any of them