WHAT LITTLE LONDONERS SING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 31, 5 February 1910, Page 11

WHAT LITTLE LONDONERS SING.

What songs axe favourites with" children at the present time? An industrious inquirer has : been, investigating this problem in London, and it will 'be interesting, to ccc how the tastes of little Cockneys compare with those of their brothers and sisters in New Zealand.

One fact that has been, brought oat is; that the little London, boy of 12 knows more tunes, jokes, and slang catch words than, the same aged iboy of twenty years ago. . This is the result of tha "tvw-ehowe-a-night" policy at the mueic-lialls, with a fourpenny pit and 1 a twopenny gallery. Recently a census was taken among the children of 12 different London County Council schools to ascertain which were their most popular song*. And what do you think these were? The census revealed the astounding fact -ffiatf "Boiled beef and carrots" and "His anybody here eeen Kelly!" are the most favoured of the lot. The Hst is instructive. The favourite sentimental ballad is called "Deer Louise," an American effusion, but in high favour is "S-O* double L-O-M-O-N- spells Solomon," an English adaption, of IH« G-A-N- likewise from across the Pond.

"Sweet> Adeline" is not despised,- bof domestic interest is aroused by "There** no shop like the pawn-shops." "John' Bull, put your trousers on" ie a patriotic effort only rivalled iby "Out went' the gas." "We all came into theworH with nothing" has its admirers, but "SUM anybody here seen Kelly?" *ops the bill with "Boiled beef and carrots." ■ -

It is significant that of the twelve schools selected for this census, eleven of them go for their repertoire to tie two houses a night music-hall, where as stated before, the twopenny and threepenny gallery is educating the - young ideas in this class of literature. One schoolmaster, however, evidently e»< chews the variety palace songsters, foe he chooses all his choruses from "Mis Dougall's. English Songster," and , "The Bailiff's Daughter," 'Wye ken John Bull," and a Health. Unto Hie Majesty,", head a long list of the purest of Old English songs. While on. the subject of muefic-hall songs, it is worth noting what a terrible lack of -originality there is about them. As soon as a new one makes a hit it is followed by a host of imitators, all variants of the same theme. In an analysis of the year's output we find - that of about 400 "selected" numbers thii year the sets run as to their subject matter somewhat as follows:— ;-. P.e. Daffodils, tulips, roses, cTierrles, 'anddaisies 15 Songs about the "Moon" and the"llim". therein, 15 Coon songs 15 ltenl humorous—or labelled as such.. 5 Ballad of the "Lore Mc and the World is'Jline" order.... 10 The "Girl" School (Le. "I Want a. GHrl, I A Girl "Wants Mc," "There's No Room for a Girl," or vice versa, or "All the . World's a Girl" Ift Eag time 10 Waltz refrains 20 But for an absolute downright catchyj "Daisy Bell" tune, there, seems to be no place. Another development is th* "teaching-the-audience" ditty. J"ewi tunes can be popular nowadays unless the audience has- paid to sing it. "What is your idea of the general result?" the expert who prepared the analysis was asked. "Of any attempt at genuine domestic pathos, of a respectable effort of scansion, or any kind of real novelty there ie no sign. One hundred and.forty-seven of this collection have exactly the same rhythms and harmonies in the first four bars, and 264 have an "ad lib" symphony measure of a more or less hackneyed pattern."