SONGS THAT WE ALL KNOW. How Some Popular Ones Were Written,

Otago Witness, Issue 2170, 26 September 1895, Page 45

SONGS THAT WE ALL KNOW. How Some Popular Ones Were Written,

" The Campbells are comin' " is a very old Scottish air. Copies of it date back to 1620. " One bumper at parting " is one of the beßt-known of Moore's convivial songs. The tune was called " MoJl Roe in the morning." "Come, landlord, fill the flowing bowl," dkteß from the time of Shakespeare. It appears in one of Fletcher's play 8. " Cheer, boys, cheer " was the work of Charles Maokay, the music being by Henry Russell. It was the outcome of an evening of conviviality in 1843. 11 Drink to me only with thine eyes " is from a poem entitled " The Forest," by Ben Joheod. The air is an adaptation from one of Mozart's opera melodies. "Allan water" was written by Matthew Gregory Lewis, better known in literature as 11 Monk Lewis," whose weird tales were the fashion when Scotfc was young. " What are the wild waves saying ? " a duet that was once immensely popular, was suggested to Dr Joseph Edwards Carpenter by the conversation in " Dombey and. Son." " Rule Britannia " is usually credited to James Thomßfion, It first ajapeftre.d ia a play,

entitled " Alfred," by Thompson and Mallet in 1740. The air was by Dr Thomas Arne. " Tho wearing of tho green " exists iv several formß and versions. The best-known one was written by Dion Boucicault, the dramatist. It is sung by Shaun the Poafc la " Arrah-na Pogue." 11 Scots wha hae " was by Burns. II was written on a dark day while th« author was on a journey. The tuno is " Hojf tuttie tattle, 1 ' an old march that is said bj? tradition to have animated B race's men at Bannockburn. " A life on the ocean wave " was the worb of Epss Sargent, nn American poet, the idea being suggested to him during a walk on the battery in New York ono day, when m high wind was blowing from the sea. Id was set to music by Henry Ru.«eell. " The last rose of summer," one of Patti's favourite eocg*, was the work of Thomai Moore. The melody is a very anoient Irish tune, formerly known as " Tho groves of Blarney." This tone has been found in collections of Irish mußio at least 200 yeafi old. "The blue bells of Scotland" was the work of Annie M 'Vicar, afterwards Mm Groat, the daughter of a Scottish officer in the British army. The melody was lorg believed to be Scottish, but is now known to be of EoglUh origin, boiDg an old English folk song. " Kathleen Mavoureen " was written by Mra Crawford, an Irish lady, whole song« 00 years ago were In high repute Tho musid was by Crouch, an eccentric genius, who £p his old age and povarty begged his way into a concert given by Tiiienu, that he might hear bis own composition fi'ly suug. " Love's young dream," ono of Moored best, was set by him to an Irish tune c.itled " The old woman." Mooro heard the tun« from a blind fiddler, wrote it down, and, discerning its beauty, determined that it should have better words than the nonrensioal versos to which it was sung by the Irish peasantry. " I'll harg my heart on a willow tree " has attached to it a bit of royal romance. It was written by a young nobleman who became deeply enamoured of Qaeen Victoria a year or so bofore she aeoended the English throne, whioh event destroyed his hopes o{ wincing her hand. The words first appeared in an English magazine, and were act to music by Wellington Guernsey. " Auld laug Byne " is of uncertain origin, there being several versions of this deservedly popular song. One of the best is by Burnt), but only tto seoond and third ataczfti are by this poet, the remainder being from the pen of ltanißay. Tho song ii of uncertain antiquity; one version is dated 1716, another is said to date from the sixteenth century.