The Washington herald., 1907-10-14

Ask some one what class OF songs are
most popular. He probably viii say
love songs. OF course" And then you
may tell him that so far as English
speaking people are concerned, he is quite
wrong The songs that live and are sung
every day are those which breathe the
affection OF the wandereT for his home
Wherever the English language is spoken
the most popular song IS Home. Sweet
Home" and the second place Is awarded
10 "Suwanee River" Many songs that
are immortal have come from Britain,
but It Is significant that the two lyrics
which have proved most popular are from
the pens OF Americans.
Home. Sweet Home was first sung
by Miss Maria Tree at the Theater Royal
In Covent Garden. London, on May s.
1923 1t was, as almost every schoolboy
knows. q song In the opera. "Clari; or.
the Maid OF Milan" the music by Henry
Rawley Bishop, and the words by John
Howard Payne. Some songs are kept
alive BY tune and some by words. The
air to Home Sweet Home" had been
used for another song several years be-
fore, although IL isn't an ancient Sicilian
air. as is sometimes asserted. Il had not
proved popular Miss Tree sang Home.
Sweet Home" IN London in May and the
first sun In June found all England sing
ing Il. The words made IT. When Jenny
Lind made her triumphal tour OF America
she won the hearts Of the people by sing
ing Home, Sweet Home" as an encore.
70 r 4rtfa ~ hn n
ism nightingale, singing this song oftener
than any other, and many opera singers
have kept up the custom. Some hyper
sensitive musical critics have rallied Bit
terly. but Home. Sweet Home" Is still
the premier OpeTatic encore.
The little house that John Howard
Payne left when boy. and which he had
in mind when he wrote the immortal
song. still stands in a Long Island vii
lage. Payne never knew a home Of his
own. and died in Tunis, where he was
stationed as American consul. His body
was brought back to this country by ".
w Corcoran, the Washington phiian-
thropist. and lies in a cemetery almost
under the shadow OF the dome Of the
CAPITOL. While the world has forgotten
that John Howard Payne was the first
American actor to succeed on the Euro
mean stage. has forgotten that John How
ard Payne wrote the play Brutus, In
which Kean, Forrest, and Mccullough
stirred our grandfathers, the world has
not forgotten and viii not forget John
Howard Payne, because OF the song that
cannot be sung with throats all clear and
ewes all dry
"The Old Folks at Home" or. as it
is generally known, THE Suwanee
River" is one Of the many popular
songs written and composed by
stephen Collins Foster. 1t is sung to-
day In every American and British
possession, its air has been appro-
priated for folk-songs Of Russia and
japan. and to whistle it is a passport
10 tuneful brotherhood under any sky.
Stephen Collins Foster was born and
reared In Pittsburg. When he wrote
the Suwanee River song he had never
been south of Mason and Dixon's line.
He wrote the song without any par
ticular river in mind, and then went
TO the law Office of his brother and
asked for the name Of a river down
South that was pronounced in two
syllables. Yazoo and Pedee were sug-
gested and rejected The lawyer
brother could think Of no other, and
the two had recourse 10 an atlas.
''suwaneew cried Foster. with his
finger on the map Of Florida. And
thus did this obscure little river come
into immortal fame.
Foster wrote MY Old kentucky
Home" "Old Black Joe." and many
other songs which had great vogue in
their day and continue to be sung and
played. my Old Kentucky Home" was
written while Foster was a guest of
his relative, Senator John Rowan, at
Bardstown, KY It came to him as
he was out for an afternoon walk
with his niece. It was set down i'm
mediately, and that evening his niece.
Mrs. Crosman, sang II for the first time,
Mrs. Crosman was the mother of Hem
rietta CrOsman. the popular actress
A beautiful statue of Stephen Collins
Foster was unveiled by a descendant
in Louisville two years ago. on the
occasion of the first great Kentucky
Homecoming. Among those who saw
the unveiling and aided IN singing my
Old Kentucky Home that day was