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NINETEENTH-CENTURY BALLADS 77
method, if so, of giving ease to a wounded heart. He was a prolific lyric-writer, and occasional composer, the one-time famous "We met—'twas in a crowd' being an instance of his double capacity. A popular lyric of his was " Isle of Beauty," the music of which was by T. A. Rawlings.
A composer who set a number of Haynes Bayly's lyrics was J. P. Knight. One of the most famous of these was "She wore a wreath of roses," which enjoyed great popularity for many years. While in America in 1839 Knight wrote the still more famous "Rocked in the cradle of the deep," which was followed, on his return to England, by " Say, what shall my song be to-night," "The Dream' (words by the Hon. Mrs. Norton), a song that was all the rage atone time ; "The Watchman," "The Anchor," and "Queen of the Silver Bow."
About this time there sprang up the custom of parodying, in the shape of "answers," the well-known songs of the day, and the copyright law as it then existed seems to have afforded no protection against the practice. Thomas Haynes Bayly's "I'd be a Butterfly" was shortly afterÂwards followed by "I'd be a Nightingale," his "Oh no, we never mention her" by "Oh yes, we often mention her," and John Barnett's "Rise, Gentle Moon" by "Rise, Gentle Star." |
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