The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-21
Sou d n e S
IN THE SEA OF INK

pirate craft that grapple the unwary
while their crew swarm aboard, and
stay out the voyage. Such buc-
caneering book is stephen Collins
Foster; a Biography" &C. Schirmer) by
Harold Vincent Milligan.
can't get the pitiful picture of the
man who wrote "Swanee River" out of
my memory. But aside from the
pathos in his life, for anybody that
cares about this whole creative bust
ness-writing songs. painting land
scapes and the rest, the book raises
again the question: How much. did
circumstances have TO do with the Kind
of songs he wrote?
Fosters gift was melody. His i'm
mortal airs are worthy TO be found
among the themes of great symphonies
or operas But so far as the record
goes he took no interest in the study of
music as a structural form. Was that
only because his latent powers had no
chance of development?
America has gone a long way must
cally since Fosters day. Yet there Is
George NJ. Conan. almost as innocent
of harmonic structure, with musical
art societies, symphony orchestras and
opera companies volleying and thun-
dering thorough bass to right and left
of him. His not to reason why, his to
write "And we won't come back till
it's over over there" Of it isn't over
yet, it isn't Georges fault)
| Well | asked him about it, and if
the original question remains unan-
swered, at least he made his contribu-
ton.
IF Stephen Foster should come back
here now" he said, and so. on writing
songs, he'd write the song that was in
the air, just as he did then" Not a
word about Carnegie Hall or the Insti-
tute of Musical Art George pulled
the visor of that schoolboy cap he
wears down further over his eyes,
hunched further-if possible-into his
chair and gripped the edge of the desk
more firmly with his feet. This was no
time to let them dance. He went on to
explain how haphaZard business the
making of popular melodies had been
during his own recollection.
There was no such thing as dyed
in-the- wool song writer when | began.
Mostly variety actors-Jim Thornton,
Paul Dresser. 1 was just a kid when
wrote why Did Nelly Leave Her
Home?" Isadore Witmark took it.
They changed my words and 1 didn't
like that.
what you kicking aoout?' Izzy
asked me. Anybody can write words,
words amt anything. It's the tune
I thought it was the other way around
I could always find a tune when l
needed it.
There was no such pay then as they
get now. / used to rewrite English
lyrics to fit American for $3.50 each.
And finally when my account got up to
5000 for three months royalties
thought it was wonderful"
But further efforts TO get at the
why and how of the song writing itself
brought only this:
when a play needs song | can
always write it," He appears TO re-
quire the occasion to stir him. When
the world-pluy filled the greater stage,
he found words for the notes of the ma
tons bugle call and last line that
was musical barrage.
Cohan's natural accents fitted easily
into a crisis OF our own period. Eos
ter lived through most of the civil war
but the timely" songs he wrote were
his poorest. He expressed FAMILY
affection. the pathos of loneliness and
loss. Music was a means to the end OF
this expression. II does not seem 10
have occurred to anybody at the time
that either Stephen Foster or George
VI. Conan ought to make some STUDY
of music as a craft. Fosters father
wrote of Stephen in 1871:
"He is at school now with Mr..
Moody. n first rate teacher of mathe-
maics in Pittsburg. and it is n source
NJ much comfort to your mother and
myself that he does not appear TO have
any evil propensities to indulge; ne
seeks no associates and his leisure
hours are all devoted TO musick, Tor
which ne possesses a strange talent.
Yet the presence of strange talent
did not suggest TO Stephens parents
any different kind OF training from that
which would make lumber merchant.
And George NJ. Cohan. whose boyhood
beginnings are not far back of this en-
lightenedr day. was evidently left TO
work out his own salvation. He did,
with amazing results. But so far as
music goes ilt sum NVhibOsN"
thing in one key
have faith enough in the originality
of such men as Foster and Conan to
believe that a happier adjustment OF
education TO the nature of every child
would take away none Of the tender
ness of "Swanee River" none of the
vibrations from the bugle blast of
"Over There" And something might
have been added.
Might -beens are not very use
full. except as guides to a better future.
And certainly one song like Hard
Times, Come Again No More" is enough
to Justify a mans existence. Foster
interpreted his own day. with its limita-
tons He is one of Americas few
great historians. George NJ. Cohan has
written his line Of history, too. And
what he may write tomorrow no
prudent prophet will undertake to say.
ROBERT j. COLE.