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began writing songs. "When I started composing," she said once, "I had no technical knowledge, and found it difficult to put my songs on paper." Then she took them to Mr. Weist Hill, head of the Guildhall School of Music, who was struck with their merits and offered her a free scholarship in the theory of music. She afterwards won the Lady Mayoress's prize for an overture, " Undine."
Frances Allitsen's first successful song was " An Old English Love Song," which was introduced to the public by Herbert Thorndike, who also brought out the more famous "Song of Thanksgiving." The last song was, it is said, considered a hopeless venture by the publishers, on account of its difficult accompaniment! How far they were wrong in this estimate has since been conclusively proved. They offered it first to Edward Lloyd, but he did not care for the words. Afterwards it was sung both by Clara Butt and Margaret Macintyre. It is interesting to recall that Lilian Russell once sang it to the prisoners in the Tombs Prison, New York, where it met with an enthusiastic reception, and that a French version has been sung by Plancon. And here it may be mentioned that a number of operatic singers have shown a partiality for this composer's songs, a fact of which she is justly proud.
"A Song ofThanksgiving,"was not copyrighted |
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