Charles Dickens and Music by James T. Lightwood
page 21 of 210 (10%)
page 21 of 210 (10%)
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His only remaining suggestion is that Miss Rainforth[6] will want another song when the piece is in rehearsal--'a bravura--something in "The soldier tired" way.' We have here a reference to a song which had a long run of popularity. It is one of the airs in Arne's _Artaxerxes_, an opera which was produced in 1761, and which held the stage for many years. There is a reference to this song in _Sketches by Boz_, when Miss Evans and her friends visited the Eagle. During the concert 'Miss Somebody in white satin' sang this air, much to the satisfaction of her audience. Dickens wrote a few songs and ballads, and in most cases he fell in with the custom of his time, and suggested the tune (if any) to which they were to be sung. In addition to those that appear in the various novels, there are others which deserve mention here. In 1841 he contributed three political squibs in verse to the _Examiner_, one being the 'Quack Doctor's Proclamation,' to the tune of 'A Cobbler there was,' and another called 'The fine old English Gentleman.' For the _Daily News_ (of which he was the first editor) he wrote 'The British Lion, a new song but an old story,' which was to be sung to the tune of the 'Great Sea Snake.' This was a very popular comic song of the period, which described a sea monster of wondrous size: |
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