Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-01
GOLDEN AGE OF NATIONAL
SONGS is DESCRIBED
Daily Letter by Frederic j. HaskIh

| delphia, the fourth OF July, 1853.
1t was written for this independence
Day anniversary because a great pa
rade was being held in honor OF the
ratification of the Federal Constitu-
| ton by ten of the states.
The composer of this march, Alex
ander Reinagle, was honored by nav
ing George Washington attend one
of his benefit concerts. Washing'
ton, in his diary of attending n
concert, and it is thought that THIS
prominent musician of P~hiiadeiphia
was engaged by Washington TO teacn
Nellie Gusts to play the harpsichora'
| One of the pieces that Nellie Gus.
tbs played and sang for the general
ia the drawing room at Mt: vernon
is in the Music Division exhlplt,
George Washington is mentioned
frequently in the exhibit. Since he
was the most prominent man OF the
| time, Washington's opinions on mu-
sic were quoted and remembered.
Tha comic opera THE Poor Sol
der a copy of which Is In the ex-
| hibit, is interesting today chiefly be-
| cause 1t was performed a number OF
times ''at the Presidents desire
when he visited the theatre" The
| deduction drawn is that The Poor
Soldier must have been a particu-
| lar favorite of Washington.
One exhibit. a book of handwrit-
ten compositions, is open to a page
! entitled, diary fashion, Fancy Men
uet Dance before Gen'l. Washing
ton, 1792." The composer of this
dance tune was Pierre Landrin pu-
port, who Is said to have been the
accredited dancing master of society
&, pAa4An Maui Vnrk phitadplnhla.
| Richmond and Georgetown.
Martha Washington Figures
There is evidence that Mrs. WASH
ington shared her husbands fame az
a patron of music. Another page OF
Duport's music book bears the head
ing, Fancy Menuit with Figure
Dance by two young ladies' in h
presence of Mrs. Washington in
1892, Philadelphia"
Mrs. Washington, like her hus-
band. had songs indited to her. One
pathetic, and yet amusing. specimen
Of the Revolutionary period is en-
titled Lady Washington" 1t begins
| with fiamboyant rhetoric. saw you
my hero? Saw you my hero George y
According to the song. Mrs. Wash
irgton goes on to say that she has
been out looking for her hero. She
| has ll1QuAlCu vi CNClN o"o+h 0HfJ
to be told that the missing General
was in the van of the battle. The
song ends with a dramatic line in
which Lady Washington implores
the SWANS to return my hero
George"
The conception of this emotional
song was certainly lofty enough, and
sincere. But it is a little difficult
for us to picture the digniied Mrs.
Washington of Mt. Vernon going
about the countryside to inquire of
the SWANS IL they ave seen George.
Whether this simple ditty was ever
performed before Mrs. Washington
or what she may have thought of 1t
unfortunately, not recorded.
One of the oldest looking manu-
scripts in the exhibit is "a Collection
OF the best psalm tunes engraved by
Paul Revere and sold by him and
Josiah Flag, Boston. 1854"
The preface of the little old vol
ume closes with the quaint remark:
ut is hoped. ii will not diminish the
Value of this Book in the Estimation
OF any, but may in some degree rec-
ommend Ii even TO those who have
no particular Relish for the Musick.
| that however we are obliged to the
| other Side of the Atlantick chiefly
for our Tunes, he Paper on which
they are printed is the Manufacture
of our own Country"
In spite of the intensely patriotic
character of the early music of the
republic, almost all OF the composers
were foreign born. The first native
bern American composer. Francis
Hopkinson is represented in the ex-
hibit by one of his manuscript SOM
books and a letter written by him
to Thomas jefferson, II was the
son of this Francis Hopkinson who
wrote the words of Hail, Column
bia."
Composer a Statesman, Too
The first American composer was
of the signers of the Declara-
ton of Independence. and his por-
trait hangs today in Declaration
Chamber of Independence Hall.
Philadelphia. 1t shows a man with
a mild, idealistie face. holding a quill
pen.
Much of the music of the colonial
composers has passed into historic
collections and much into oblivion.
The march written for Jefferson's
Inauguration and the national song
commemorating the Louisiana Pur-
chase are forgotten. But a few of
-