Amador ledger., 1909-02-19
Some FaVorite Old SOnus.

Thousands of song have won tran
sient popularity, but comparatively
few have become permanently popular.
This element of vitality in music is
secret which composers, critics,
publishers have long striven to dis
cover. Like genius, it refuses to be
defined.
The very Oldest favorites are what
are called folk songs, that have origi-
mated nobody knows how.
Two Irish favorites are "Robin
Adair" and "The Last Rose of Sum-
mer," the words of the latter being
Thomas Moore's. Of.the Scotch three
prime favorite are "Auld Lang Syne.
"ComIng Through the Rye" and
"Annie Laurie" Burns supplying the
words for the first two, while Annie's
charms we're described by her devoted
laddie. William Douglas. The song
goes straight to the heart, and the
British army sang it all through the
Crimean War, when
Each heart recalled different name,
But all sang Annie Laurie.
The French have furnished two
splendid war songs, "Malbronk and
the "Marseillaise. The first, author
unknown, was intended to deride
Queen Anne's great general. Marlbor-
ough; but he defeated the French so
thoroughly that the song was adopted
by England. and is heard there to
this day. The "Marseillaise" was the
great song of the French Revolution.
1t was composed, words and music.
in a single night by Rouget de LisIe,
an army officer. Ii is generally deem
ed the finest of national songs.
England also has grand one. GOD
Save the King" written and compos-
ed at white heat in LAO by Henry
Carey, and sung by him the next day
at patiotic celebation. About 1882
Rev. S. f.. Smith, of Massachusetts
fitted to this tune his American
national ode, my Country, 'tis of
Thee" Our other national hymn,
1.-The Star SpangIed Banner,' is de-
servedly popular. The tune is old
English; the words were written in
1914 by Francis Scott Key, Il Bal
timore lawyer. while watching our
flag OH Fort McHenry during its bonn
bardment by the British fleet.
Two of our Civil War songs seem
destined to imm mortality, Dixie" and
Glory Hallalujah. :" "Dixie." the
South's ia, orite song, was composed
by an Ohio Unionist, Daniel ID.
Emmett, as minstrel "walk
around" while "GIoIy Hallelujah"
was a Southern camp-meeting tune,
which found its way North just be-
fore the war, and was adopted by the
soldiers.
Other favorite old American songs
are cold Folk at Home," by Stephen
G. Foster, of Pittsburg, which has
had a sale of 500, 600 copies; "Nelly
Bly," and "Old Deg Tray" by the
same composer; kathleen Mavour.
neen," by q. P. Cranch, an Irish
American; "Rosalie the Prairie
Flower, -" Hazel Dell, " "rhe Battle
Cry of Freedom" " aud Tramp
, Tramp, Tramp" by George f.. Root
"Marohiug Through Georgia, - 10y
Henry G. Work, and DeKoven's &C
J Promise Me. -
B Among old English favorites perhaps
the best of all is'' Home, Swee
, Home" composed and partly derIv
/ ed from a Siclian folksong by Si
o Henry Bishop in 1928, the author O
D the words being an American, Johl
Howard Payne.
q Root, Sullivan, and DeKoven mad
much money out of their music. Ia
less worldly-wise was the great Ger
D man composer, Franz Schubert, VIII
10 wrote more than six hundred beauti
q ful songs and died worth about to-
dollars, and who sold his most pOpu
I lar song, the lovely "Serenade, " TO
forty cents l--Charles s. Elliot.