STORIES OF FAMOUS SONGS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3195, 15 April 1911, Page 3

STORIES OF FAMOUS SONGS.

HOME; HOME, SWEET' HOME.

It lias been said of this song that it has done more than statesmanship pr legislation to keep alive domestic virtues and to recall those that Avander from home, and yet it. cannot be said strictly to be an English song, for it was written. by an American, John Howard Payne, the son of a New York schoolmaster, born in 1791; it Avas not even written in England, but in the streets of Paris, one day in October, 1822, a very dreary day. Tlie music, hoAvever, AA'"as composed by Sir Henry Bishop, Avho Avas thoroughly English. One finds nothing but praise for this song, “which will only cease to live when all Nature is dead and Time is no more.”

Payne came to England as an actor and made his first appearance at Drury Lane in 1813, but did not succeed, and exchanged' it for Avriting. He' sold his play, Avhich included this song, to John Kemble,, for £250, a large sum in those days. The melody became very popular all over the country, and penetrated to every corner of the Avorld. When Payne Avrote tlie Avords he Avas in very loav Avater ;he was quite alone aAvay from all lie held dear. Indeed, at no time of his life does he seem to haA'o been very cheerful or successful, but it must, be said lie did not .die without knowing what happiness meant, and this touch Tie oAA’ed to Jenny Lind, who was singing to a croAvded audionco in the great National Hall at Washington. Never was there a more enthusiastic meeting. Having been asked for an encore, she came forward to obey, and as she did so she perceived Jolin HoAvard Payne in a far-aAvay corner of the hall, and turning her face directly towards him, she sang “Home, SAveet, Home” Avitli such poAver and pathos that a wild excitement swept through the immense throng, and for once John Howard 1 Payne kneAV Avhat success was.

Round his tombstone in Turin are the words—

“Sure when thy gentle spirit fled, To realms beyond the azure dome, With' arms outstretched God’s angel said, 'Welcome to Heaven’s Home, Sweet Home.’ ” THE LAND OF THE LEAL.

Most of our songs have some little story attached to them, and a touch here and there is all that is necessary to bring them back to our memory as something we loA’ed in our childhood. “The Land of the Leal,” lias a place in the Avorld of song such as 110 other possesses, and the heart of the world has responded, to it. As long as the English language is spoken the. fame and name of the lady Avho Avrote it Avill be held iii honor, not that this is the only beautiful song she has Avritten, but this of all others has made its way deep down into the human heart. It Avas Avritten by Caroline Lady Xairne, born Oliphant. a A'ery beautiful woman, who because of this Avas knoAvn as the flower of Strathcairn. She Avas born in 1766 and married in 1806, and Avrite the “Land of the Leal,” and “The Laird o’ Cockpen” Avhen at her best. The first of these is the most perfect interpretation, and the melody, which is equally perfect, Avas also composed by her; indeed,, she Avrote the words to suit the music. Her early life seems to -haA'o been very happy, full of innocent gaiety, family affection, and friendship. She used to play Jacobite airs for her aged grandfather, and later on wrote Jacobite songs to please him. She Avas first and foremost in all tlie gatherings and festivities of the tenants. but later on. from domestic grief and' narrow piety, she became depressed, and her former genius seemed co shrivel. '

She was without any personal ambition. Except to a very few friends, she never mentioned the fact that she had written the songs which all Scotland was wild- about, viz., “The Land o’ the Leal” and “The Laird o’ Cockpen” ; indeed, she remained quite unknown to her countrymen as a poetess. She was one of the first to recognise the genius of BuTns. She married her cousin. Captain Nairne, in 1806. ROBIN ADAIR. Among songs new and old none is more popular than “Robin Adair,” the air of which is based upon the ancient melody of “Eileen Aroon,” which dates back to the very early times, Fitzgerald thinks to be about 1456. The meiodv was taken down in 1792 by Edward Bunting, who has done so much to preserve the music of old Ireland. , . , Handel, when he heard it, said he would rather have composed that exquisite air than all he had written. It has always been a great favorite with Irish harpers and wandering minstrels. It was specially loved by the famous harper Denis a Ilampsey, or Hempson. who was horn in 1605, and lived to the great age of a hundred and twelve. '“Robin. Adair’’ in its present form is believed to have been written by Lady Caroline Keppell about the time of lier marriage with Robin Adair. THE MISTLETOE BOUGH. Fifty or sixty years ago there would have been no occasion to remind people of this song, or of the story connected with it, for no Christmas party would have been complete without the singing of the song and the relation of the tragedy. They were as much part of Christmas as our plum pudding. The words were written by Thomas Haynes Bayly in the early part of the nineteenth century. Bayly was born at Bath in 1797,' and died in' 1839. The story described in the song is a very sad one, supposed to have taken place at Bramshill, the seat of Sir William Cope. A young bride., full of spirits on her wedding-day, was playing hide and seek, and bid herself in a chest. In ietting down the lid the spring caught and she was buried alive. It was not till a long time after that the old chest was opened and the skeleton discovered.

Of course this account is not peculiar to the Cope family; it is shared by the Levels and the Noels, who each tell a similar story. The latter declare that it occurred in their family somewhere betu T cen 1700 and 1705; ■ AULD ROBIN GRAY.

This was written by Lady Anne Lindsay, the daughter of the Earl of Balcarres. She w-rote it early m life, at the age of twenty, and published it anonymously. It became extremely popular, but she did not acknowdedge it as hers until two years before her death, when she confessed it to Sir Walter Scott.—l’l'oro ‘'Girls’ Own.”