"GOOD-BYE, SWEETHEART, GOODBYE."

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 76

"GOOD-BYE, SWEETHEART, GOODBYE."

Interesting stories are told in regard to seme of our best-known songs, "Good-bye, sweetheart, good-bye," liko "My Pretty Jane," was sung into popularity first by Mario, the great tenor, and secondly by Mr Sims Reeves. It was composed by the late Mr J. L.. Hatton while touring with Mario.

Hatton was a humorist. It was on this same tour that he announced his intention of playing -the accompaniments in a pair of Moses's fifteen-shilling- trousers. He had been an-ROyed by the violinist of the company advertising the long price he ha 4 paid for his. Stradivarius fiddle.

Sitting down to the piano one evening Hatton, taking 1 out of his pocket-book a sheet of notepaper, said to Mario, "I have some words here for a song.*'

"Read them to me," said Mario, whereupon Hattcn read the. words of ''Good-bye, svoethearfc, good-bye."

'■(jood-a-bye, sweetheart," repeated tb« tenor, with that pleasant, winning foreign aeoent which made his singing so very fascinating to his fair admirers. The concert company were all standing round thepianoforte. Aftfr d short prelude, Hattcn. asked them to listen to the way in which, he proposed setting the charming -verges. "I could-a not-a-loa\o thee, though I said Oiood-a-bye, sweetheart, good-a-bye," sang Maiio. and when he had gone over it a second and a third time every member of the company declared emphatically that the song was made for popular favour. "Will you sing- it at our con-certs?" said the composer to the tenor. "Certainly I will. i£ you do not think my English will bo laughed at," replied the modest Mario. And so it was decided that "Good-bye. sweetheart, good-bye,'' should be included in the programmes of the concerts to be given during the remainder of the tour. It met with immediate success, and hag been popular ever since.

Hatton dearly loved a practical joke at the expe-n?<? of a fellow-artist. Ho was once accompanying a well-known tenor in "f?oocfbye, sweetheart." At the end of the first verse, 'n stead of playing the usual symphony, ho improvised a fully-dcielope<J fugue on tlie opening phrase. He thea bowed to the sing-er, thereby intinoating that ho niiqht proceed. When they reached the artisteis" room peace w«» vj_i£J> difficulty. rcstored.'r-Esjiie^s.