The Washington herald., 1910-04-10

"The Last Rose Of Summer" Is un-
doubtedly the most sung of all Of
the lyrics of the noted Irish singer,
Tom" Moore, with Believe Me. if
All Those Endearlng Young Charms
as very close second. Moore
wrote this lyric in 1913, and pub
lished it shortly after its writing.
welded to the air The Groves OF
Barney" I'm the nth number OF
his Irish Melodies The Groves"
is said to be variation of a still
older air called The Young Mans
Dream
Rlarney. near Cork. became popu-
lar I'm 1858 or 1889. and it was then
that the words OF The Groves Of
Barney were written by R. a. NIL
likin, an attorney Of Cork The
tune is a very beautiful and charac-
teristic melody In adapting it to
words he considerably changed the
melody. but whatever alterations he
made. apart from their artistic mer-
its or demerits. it IS probable that
these forid touches had much in
fuence on the extended popularity
OF the melody.
1t must also be remembered that
the poet was wedding a pathetic
song to what was then always assoc
ciated with a humorous lyric, and il
is likely that he thought some
changes We're necessary.
Crofton Croker. in Songs of Ire
land, 1899. gives the date of Mil
likin's Groves of Barney as about
179S or 1899. and tells us that its
origin was to ridlcule laudatory
set Of doggerel verses praising the
beauties of Castle Hyde. 1t was to
the air of Castle Hyde" that the
song The Groves of Blarney" was
sung. and copies Of the first named
melody are found in Fitzsimon's
Selection of Original Melodies of
Erin" issued in 1916 and in R. A
Smiths Irish Minstrel" issued in
1926.
The ballad of Castle Hyde"
which is unintentionally as comic as
its parody, does not appear to have
been reprinted in any collection. but
copies are found on broadsides is
sued by the ballad printers of the
Catnach period. A traditional YER
sion OF the air. set TO a poem by
Lord Byron, THE kiss, dear maid,
and harmonized by Beethoven. is
included in George Thompson's
collection of Irish Melodies"
That the reader may have an idea
of The Groves of Barney the
first verse is printed:
The groves Of Blaruey, they look 30 charming
Down by the purling Of sweet silent streams,
Being banked with posies. which spontaneous
grows there
Planted in order by the sweet rock close;
IT'S there the daisy and sweet carnation.
The blooming pink and the rose 50 fair
The daffadown-diIly, likewise the Ills.
All flowers that scent the sweet fragrant air.
Beethoven has also set the arta
in E-fiat to the words sad and luck |
less was the season" Mendelssohn |
wrote a fantasia on the air, consid- |
erably altering the notation, and |
Flotow has made it the leading |
motif in the latter part OF Martha" |
in which opera the song is sung by |
the heroine in the last act. Ber- |
lioz's enthusiasm for the tune |
equals his contempt for the opera. 1
He says The delicious Irish air /
was so simply and POLITICALLY sung |
by Patti that its fragrance alone |
was sufficient to disinfect the rest |
of the work
Thomas Moore. the bard of /
Erin" was born in Dublin May -, |
1779. Tom commenced rhyming
so early in life that ne was unable
TO fix the data of his first illusions,
but he was only about fourteen
when. 10 use his own words, he had
become a determined rhymer." 1t
was at this age that he produced
his Lines to zelia" and "a Pas
Copyright. 1910 ct