SONGS THAT LIVE

Evening Star, Issue 18808, 5 December 1924, Page 8

SONGS THAT LIVE

HAPPY ACCIDENTS OF INSPIRATION. It is remarkable that few of our greater English poets have succeeded in writing a song which lias become widely and permanently popular (says ‘John o London’s'). Even Shakespeare failed. As literature, ' \\ here the Bee Bucks,’ ‘ Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind,’ and ‘ Who is Sylviaare exquisite lyrics, and essential music, but their popularity has never been commensurate with their quality. Such a great lyrist as Coleridge never succeeded in writing a song; neither did Keats nor Wordsworth nor Blake. The poetry of Tennyson is replete with lovely longs, but perhaps the best known, ‘ Coma Into the Garden, Maud,’ is only a tragnent of an exquisite poem, entirely spoiled jy its abbreviation, and at that essentially i concert song, a “ selection " for the purdoso of displaying a tenor's top note! The song which is simply pleasing music let to “ words ’’ is scarcely a song at all n the true sense. It is when words and nnsic seem to be twin born, inseparably, issociated, that a song becomes a living lower, than which there is none greater, such songs have generally been more in ho way of a happy accident than anyfling else. The authors have, seldom been jreat poets. THE ' MARSEILLAISE.’ Perhaps the greatest song in the world, or instance, is the ' .Marseillaise ' i Aux armes, cifcoyens! Eormez vos batailions: Marchons, inanitions, qu’un sang irnpur Abrouve nos sillons. Its author was a captain of a corps ol ingmoers, and though it was destined to lecome the song ot the Great Revolution, t was not born in revolution. When m .7H2 Louis XVL, whom it was to destroy, ieclared war upon Austria, the Mayor of. Strasbourg, where Bouget de ITsle waa itationed, thought a stirring patriotic song vouid rouse tile young men of that bolder ;ity to its defence, and .vgi so in the hearTig oi De ITsle. The latter, in a white icat oi patriotic inspiration, composed tllo vords and set them to music on his violin fiat very day. On the next !;e taugnt nis long to his men, and its • nect was so nagical that aOU youths oi Strasbourg omed the colors. It became the of .he Revolution when the fierce men and vomen of the Mediterranean seaport narched to Paris and sang it all tfre -vay! REVOLUTIONARY SONGS. Revolution has given birth to man; ;reat songs, songs the authorship of whicJ s often unknown. ‘ Here’s a He. Ith iu< iis Majesty,’ ‘ The King Over the Wator, Bonnie Charlie's Gone Awa’,’ and Bonnie Dundee ’ are all Jacobite songs, md Jacobinism was a living passion for i hundred years. The first-named, despite ts origin, still remains one of dor md bravest national anthem/