" (1901), a widely selling parlor song. The lyrics were by
Frank Lebby Stanton. Composer
Carrie Jacobs-Bond thought they were anonymous but later provided royalties to Stanton. The song typifies the sentimentality of the Victorian and post-Victorian era. Many of the earliest parlour songs were
transcriptions for voice and keyboard of other music.
Thomas Moore's
Irish Melodies, for instance, were traditional (or "folk") tunes supplied with new lyrics by Moore, and many arias from Italian operas, particularly those of
Bellini and
Donizetti, became parlour songs, with texts either translated or replaced by new lyrics. Many parlour songs of the time were derived from children's folk tunes, and the history of the origin of these folk tunes are heavily debated today. Various other genres were also performed in the parlour, including patriotic selections, religious songs, and pieces written for the musical stage. Excerpts from
blackface minstrel shows, arranged for voice and keyboard, were particularly popular. Also, a handful of the better-known
art songs, such as
Schubert's "Serenade," became part of the parlour repertory. Lyrics written for parlour songs often have sentimental themes, such as love songs or poetic meditations. Fantastical or exuberant themes were also common, as was commentary on incidents and events of the day, such as "Bryan Free Silver March", "Homeless Tonight" or "Shootin' Craps". (1864), a dance inspired by the
patent remedy "Wahoo Bitters". As the 19th century wore on, more and more songs were newly composed specifically for use by amateurs at home, and these pieces (written originally as parlour songs, rather than being adapted from other genres) began to develop a style all their own: similar in melodic and harmonic content to
art songs of the day, but shorter and simpler in structure and making fewer technical demands on singer and accompanist.
Stephen Foster's "
Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway" and "Come with Thy Sweet Voice Again" are early and elegant examples of the genre. The high point of the parlour song came in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the
Victorian era in North America and the British Isles. Songs of this genre became more complex and sophisticated in their melodic and harmonic vocabulary, and in addition to their continuing use in the parlour, they were also often sung in public recitals by professional singers. Characteristic and popular parlour songs include "Home, Sweet Home," composed by Henry R. Bishop with lyrics by John Howard Payne, "The Old Arm Chair" by
Henry Russell, "When the Swallows Homeward Fly" by
Franz Abt, "Kathleen Mavourneen" composed by
Frederick Nicholls Crouch with lyrics by Marion Crawford, "
The Lost Chord" composed by
Arthur Sullivan with lyrics by
Adelaide A. Proctor, "Take Back the Heart" by
Claribel (Mrs. Charlotte Barnard), "
Oh Promise Me" by
Reginald de Koven, "
I Love You Truly" and "
A Perfect Day" by
Carrie Jacobs-Bond, and "The Rosary" by
Ethelbert Nevin. "
Just Awearyin' for You" (see insets) exemplifies the parlor song. Note the sentimental lyrics by
Frank Lebby Stanton, the plaintive but well matched tune by
Carrie Jacobs-Bond, and the conscious artistry (including the operatic trilled "r"s) by singer
Elizabeth Spencer. In addition to dissemination as individual pieces of sheet music, parlour songs were also collected into anthologies and sold in this format. The most notable collection was
Heart Songs, first published in 1909 by Chapple Publishing Company of Boston and repeatedly revised and republished for the following several decades. The publisher claimed that this selection of songs "Dear to the American People" was selected from entries submitted by 25,000 people. ==Parlour chords==