In 1823, playwright and actor John Howard Payne lived far away from his beloved New York home. He had been living in England since 1813, and the years spent away from America weighed on his mind when he sat down to write his most famous composition, “Home, Sweet Home.”
‘The American Juvenile Wonder’
Payne expressed a keen interest in the theater from a young age. When he was only 14 years old, he published Thespian Mirror, a weekly magazine featuring his play reviews and news regarding the theater circuit. The articles were so well written that when a New York Evening Post editor found out the periodical was written by a teen, he arranged for Payne to receive a sponsorship which allowed him to attend Union College in New York—all expenses paid. The young performing arts enthusiast quickly accepted the offer.
In the early 1800s, Payne went from being a critic in the audience to a part of several productions. From 1810 to 1811, he found regular work and developed such a reputation that he was given the nickname “The American Juvenile Wonder” by promoters. But as anyone who’s spent time in the performing arts industry knows, work can at times become unpredictable.
When he hit a dry spell in the States, he headed for England to test out the waters of their flourishing theater culture. The War of 1812 meant international relations were strained. It was tough for the American to find standing work as an actor, so he returned to his first love, writing. For years, he continued to create in the shadows of the industry, both trying his hand at writing original works and reinterpreting the works of others.
‘The Maid of Milan’
The play debuted in London in 1823, and one song in particular lingered with theatergoers long after “The Maid of Milan” had closed its curtains. While writing the opera, Payne sought help from his friend, the great Romantic-era English composer Sir Henry Rowley Bishop. With the help of Bishop, Payne was able to transform a set of lyrics into a stirring ballad about the evergreen love of one’s native home, no matter how far one travels from it.Featured in the very first scene of the play, “Home, Sweet Home” is sung by the play’s main character, Clari, as she reminisces about her childhood village and longs to return there. This yearning is highlighted through Bishop’s serene melody poignantly communicated through gentle piano notes and wistful, drawn out vocals.
On the play’s opening night, actress Anna Maria Tree, the first to play Clari, made theater history when she sang Payne and Bishop’s introductory number and sent critics raving about the surprise gem.
A Message of Comfort and Hope
The song was a hit in England, and Payne’s opera ran for many years in London theaters. By the 1860s, its lasting popularity helped it cross the pond, and the people in America loved it so much that it became known as America’s first “hit” song.
“Home, Sweet Home” was a favorite among families. It was known as a “parlour ballad” in America, and the subgenre was extremely popular during the 1800s due to its commercial appeal that allowed the whole family to sing along to the composition during nightly family time.
While its status as a parlor ballad made it a prominent piece, its adoption by Civil War soldiers on both Union and Confederate sides as a comforting anthem affirmed that the song was truly a “hit.”
On the banks of the Rappahannock River in Virginia in 1862, a Union army band gathered at sunset to boost troop morale by playing some of their favorite songs. This was a common way to end the day during the Civil War, and on this particular night the musicians segued into a rousing rendition of the sweet and simple song.
Many times, Confederate troops and Union troops camped near each other, and on this night Confederate soldiers were on the opposite side of the river. As Union soldiers began to sing along to their band’s version of “Home, Sweet Home,” they heard a familiar melody coming from across the water. Moved to tears by the song’s message, the Confederate army’s band had begun playing the tune along with the Union band, and soon both parties were swept up in the moment. Overcome with emotion, they sang together and reminisced of their homes so far away. In that moment, the men transcended their duties as soldiers and came together as brothers, despite the river and war that divided them.
A soldier present that night on the Rappahannock River later recalled that moment and remembered witnessing soldiers “with tears streaming down their cheeks; men who were not afraid to leave their homes, their wives, their families, their all; but men with hearts, who could not restrain the tears when it was so vividly brought to them.”
“Home, Sweet Home” soon became an anthem among Civil War soldiers, with many accounts of men on both sides of the fight coming together at night in solidarity to sing the song they all loved so much alongside one another.
Mixson, the young private who witnessed the soldiers’ spirited performance that evening in Virginia, ended his account of the events by saying, “Had there not been a river between them, the two armies would have met face to face, shaken hands, and ended the war on the spot.”
A Civil War soldier’s favorite ode to home and family, the sentimental ballad continued its rise in popularity throughout the 1860s. Among a sea of new parlor ballads constantly published due to consumer demand, “Home, Sweet Home” flourished as a familial anchor. It spiritually reconnected those who traveled far away from their native land to their roots. It also became a longstanding sing-a-long tradition among families celebrating the joy, peace, and comfort found wherever they call home.
