Show first topical song suny sung by frenchman what purports to have been tile the centennial of american vaudeville was celebrated recently and although much was said about the origin ot of this form ot of ainu amusement ement olivier the fuller a frenchman was left out of the picture when olivier was born bora nobody knows but in 1418 his boam booming voice went to the choir celestial on the cherubim circuit olivier was a poet as well as a fuller ond and composed songs which lie aarl sang i at his work ills songs were just frivol yet they ther caught the public fancy they were filled with hits on the foibles of the day topical songs we would call them now these then new lyrics named darned in derision from the hamlet where olivier lived in the valley of the aher alre in normandy were called Val devires or V and later vaudevilles Vaude villes just as ona might say today sing us a Hick ballad so BO fastidious paris branded the songs of olivier Bassel basselen ln as of lowly provincial origin yet for years the name has stuck and Is now nov considered more elegant than the american term variety john walker har ring arington rington ton in the smokers companion magazine |