Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
u
THE MUSIC TRADE
Ignorant Person. The new musical play which
is to startle New York next season was under
discussion.
"Yes," said the Manager, "there is no use do-
ing these things in a half-hearted manner. The
public has been educated to expect first-class pro-
ductions and that's what I'm going to give them.
I figure that I will have spent $75,000 on the pro-
duction before the curtain rings up."
"Oh, at least that," said the Librettist.
"Who gets all this $75,000?" asked the Ignorant
Person.
"Oh, the authors, composers, scene painters,
costumers, lithographers, designers and others,"
the Manager answered. "You see, we have
twenty-four show girls, and their first act gowns
cost $700 each. No, I didn't order anything.
(This to the waiter.) Let's see, where was I?—
Oh, yes, well that makes $16,800.
"I think you are wrong," put in the Librettist;
"there are twenty-six show girls."
"Well, twenty-four or twenty-six—it doesn't
matter."
"I should think everybody as well as the show
girls would go into the costume business," said
the Ignorant Person.
"They don't make so much, as a matter of
fact," said the Composer.
"Or get so much," added the Ignorant Person,
who continued:—"It seems to me it would take
some time to get back $75,000, even if the show
catches on."
"Oh, that is certain." This from the Composer.
"Doubtless," the Ignorant Person continued,
"but at, say, $8,000 receipts a week your share
would be $4,000, and at that rate, without paying
salaries, royalties or transportation, it would
take you nearly twenty weeks, or half the pea-
son, to pay for your production."
"We will never see an $8,000 weeks," said the
Manager.
"Oh, I hope so!"
"I mean we will never drop down to that. We
should average $18,000. It's hard to explain the
detail of this business to an outsider."
"There are many other sources of revenue,"
remarked the Composer, who had the music pub-
lishers in mind.
"Well, I can't see why you risk so much
money," the Ignorant Person persited. "For in-
tance, let us look at two of the successes of the
last season. 'Candida' has a cast of six people
and only one set of scenery. You can figure out
what it costs. 'The Marriage of Kitty' had six
people and nothing particularly over elaborate
in the way of a production. You could have put
on a half a dozen 'Candidas' and 'Marriages of
Kitty' for $75,000."
"But, my boy, they're very different," protest-
ed the Manager. "Take the show girls alone"—
"Why show girls when you can get a good
looking and good singing chorus at 18 a head?"
"Well, the public wants them."
"Or the stockholders?"
"Nonsense. I see you are not familiar with
the subject. No one should object if I think we
could get the best results by making a $75,000
production."
"I don't, I'm sure," said the dense Ignorant
Person. "Only why should the costumers get it
all—what's the matter with the librettist and
composer getting something? They can't make
silk tights and they have in some isolated in-
stances more brains than the show girl. Some
of the musical plays this winter did miserable
business. Wouldn't it be better to put less money
into the costumes and a few more dollars into
the libretto and music?"
"Wait till you see my production and then
you'll understand all these things," said the
manager. "Evidently you don't -understand the
Broadway theatrical business."
"Perhaps not," said the Ignorant Person, "but
I represent the people who buy tickets to hear a
good musical play and don't get it. I'm not get-
ting it and that's the reason so many of you fel-
lows this season have started on Broadway and
wound up in the sage brush. Sometimes I think
I'm not such an Ignorant Person as you fellows
imagine. Anyhow, I'm getting wise."
REVIEW
SONGS AND INSPIRATION,
ATTRACTING MUCH ATTENTION.
The War in the Far East the Subject of Consid-
eration These Days—Writers Always Looking
for New Ideas.
A musical composition for piano which is at-
tracting attention, has been written by William
H. Penn, the composer of "Honeysuckle and the
Song writers are quick to make the most of a Bee" song, "There's Nobody Just Like You" and
situation or a condition of public affairs for pur- many other well known vocal and instrumental
poses of their own. All are eager, in fact anxious, successes, has been christened "Unter Den Lin-
for inspiration of any kind, which taken at the den," and is described as an Intermezzo—
proper time may lead on to that dearest goal of
March—Two-step. As a novelty in this class of
their ambitions, a hit. Now the Russo-Japanese popular music, it is without question most de-
unpleasantness is a fair field for song making ma- lightfully original, catchy and "whistley," if
terial, and in discussing its possibilities in the line
a publisher remarked: "The song writers are be- the term may be allowed. The atmosphere of the
ginning to desert the old homestead and are con-
cocting lyrics about almond-eyed Japanese maidens.
The transition is easy, as all composers can palm
off rejected Indian love songs, so popular the last
last year, and put Japanese titles to them. Still,
there are few Jap songs published, because there
are hundreds of pretty lyrics from old Japanese
comic operas that can be drawn upon, though I
notice that clever writer Wm. H. Perm is, the first
in tlffe field with his 'Little Brown Man of Japan.'
"Not a single Russian lyric has come under my
observation, and I think that gauges the popular
pulse to be strongly pro-Japanese. Of course,
Japan is naturally attractive to the song writer,
because it is the land of beauty and poetry, incense
and geishas; but I hold the strange theory that Gil-
bert and Sullivan are partly responsible for our
Jap sympathies. If it is granted that even comic
opera stagecraft will create a sympathetic atmos-
phere, why, many Japanese operas that have fol-
lowed 'The Mikado' have had some weight. Every
one of these hodge-podges has had poetic environ-
ment, like a cherry blossom festival, and the public
has remembered that atmosphere when the caper-
ings of the comedians have been forgotten.
"On the contrary, every play of Russian life re-
volves around the clanking chains of frigid Siberia,
the cruelty of the knout, intrigue and Nihilism.
Every one of. these dramas of desolation has been
an anti-Russian document to the people of emo-
tional tendencies. Opposed to these, the serious
Jap dramas, 'A Japanese Nightingale,' and the
melodramatic 'Darling of the Gods,' have been music is German-American, a charming combina-
girded with sympathetic stagecraft. But the song
writers are getting busy, and we may expect a full tion, and as one listens to the melody, it in-
crop of stirring military songs and instrumcntals stantly carries you to that greatest of boulevards,
Unter Den Linden in Berlin, with the emperor's
before the advent of warm weather."
palace, its noble residences, etc., and its famous
row of trees. You easily imagine the Emperor's
P. C. MASON JOINS STERN FORCES.
mounted guard passing to the strains of "Die
A recent adjunct to the staff of exclusive writ-
Wacht am Rhein" and hardly has this familiar
ers of Jos. W. Stern & Co. is Percy Campbell
air caught the ear than the melody changes, for
Mason, whose work as a writer of lyrics, sketches
wafted by the breezes come the strains from a
and plays, invites the attention of many melody
band near by playing an American intermezzo
makers, and places him in the category of possi-
two-step, the trio from Unter Den Linden. The
bilities in having one of his works produced at
bandmasters featuring the melody are Sousa,
one of the Broadway theatres during the coming
Conterno, Clander, Lander, Van Baar, Fred.
season.
Hager, Max Schmidt, Erdman, Arthur Pryor and
Mr. Mason, although quite a young man, is in others. Sol Bloom is the publisher.
collaboration with several well-known compos-
ers who have expressed themselves highly
Mrs. Ellen Wright, a composer of many sweet
pleased with his work.
He has placed with his publishers a few of his songs, including the now celebrated "Violets,"
recent efforts, among which the following will will be married at Mentone, France, shortly to
soon be published: "A King of Vikings Am I," Baron Scalici, a naturalized Englishman, also
an accomplished musician. Mrs. Wright is one"
"On a Summer's Night In June," "Sidney" and
"The Sun That Rose on Thirteen States Now of the three daughters of the late Carl Rosa.
Sets on Forty-five."
Melodies to the above, are the works of A. Separate Numbers and Scores
Baldwin Sloane, W. K. Phillips. Ellis Ephraim
of the following-
and C W. Searles.
Comic Opera and Musical
The very limit of uniqueness has been reached
in the way of musical comedy by Frank Pixley
and Gustav Luders in their new piece, "Wood-
land," which had so successful a premiere at
Providence, R. I., on Thursday last. From the
beginning to the end of the play, every character
represented was a bird. Among the song hits
were "If You Love Me, Lindy," "Tale of the Tur-
tle Dove," "Dainty Little Ingenue," "Time is
Flying," "The Valley of Kohus Po," 'When You
Are Gone," and "They'll Have to Go." M. Wit-
mark & Sons are the publishers.
SOL
p.bn.h.jb T j o s .
84 East 21at Straet
CHICAGO
w
. STERN & CO.
NEW YORK
LOntOI
U H FBIHCIKO
PUBLISHER OF
BLOO
NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE BUILDING,
42nd Street, near Broadway,
= NEW YORK
: : Comedy Successes : :
"RED FEATHER"—By Chas. Emerton Cook, Chas. Klein
and Reginald De Koven.
NANCY BROWN"—By Frederic Ranken and Henry K.
Hadley.
"THE MOCKING BIRD"—By Sidney Rotenfeld and A.
Baldwin Sloane.
"WINSOnB WINNIE"—By Frederic Ranken and Gut-
tave Kerker.
"THB OFFICE BOY "—By Harry B. Smith and Ludwig
Englander.
"THE SLEBPY KINO"—By Geo. V. Hobart and Gio-
vanni E. Conterno.
"A OIRL PROM DIXIE'—By Harry B. Smith.
•'THE ISLE OF 8PICB"—By Allen Lowe & Paul Schindle
:
" LAUGHING WATER." "UNTER DEN LINDEN," (New)
" S A M M Y " (the Hit of "Wizard of Oz,")
"THERE'S NOBODY JUST LIKE YOU,"
"THE GIRL YOU LOVE"
from "Three Little Maids" and "The Silver Slipper,"
"TWO EVES OF BROWN."
Send for our New and Complete Catalogue*.