Stories of Famous Songs, Vol 1

Histories, Lyrics, Background info - online book

Home Main Menu Singing & Playing Order & Order Info Support Search Voucher Codes



Share page  Visit Us On FB


Previous Contents Next
FAMOUS SONGS
holiday with his sweetheart, treated her with a sight of Bedlam, the puppet shows, the flying chairs, and all the elegancies of Moorfields, whence, proceeding to the Farthing Pie House, he gave her a collation of buns, cheese cakes, gammon of bacon, stuffed beer and bottled ale, through all which scenes the author dodged them." Charmed with the simplicity of their courtship he drew from what he had witnessed this little sketch of nature. He adds, with pardonable pride, that Addison had more than once expressed his approbation of his produc-tion. " Strange to say, he was much ridiculed by some of his acquaintance for the perform-ance, which nevertheless made its way into the polite world." It was utilized in the f< Beggar's Opera" by Gay in 1728, and sung by Macheath in the " Medley," in scene 2, act iii. It was also introduced into several other plays and parodied and imitated right and left. Carey's music was superseded in 1760 by an older tune (about 1620) called, " What though I am a Country Lasse," which it curiously resembled, and to which it is now always given.
Carey, who was created Mus. D o c , died October 4th, 1743, though how old he was it is not easy to say. Some say he was eighty,
others that he was under fifty. His posthumous
203