Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1904 Vol. 39 N. 20

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
43
REVIEW
^
In tHe World of Music Publishing
REVIEW OF TRADE CONDITIONS.
Trade Somewhat Quiet, Although Election
Has Restored Confidence—An Upward Trend
Toward Improvement Is Predicted Within a
Few Weeks—Publishers of the Better Class
of Music Report Improved Trade.
Outside of the "passing show," which may be
construed to mean several things specifically ac-
cording to the viewpoint of the publisher, busi-
ness has been quiet. Furthermore it is expected
to be in the doldrums for several weeks to come,
election influences to the contrary, no matter
which way the political cat has jumped. There
was a certain stimulating effect felt before this,
but now a few weeks will probably elapse before
the sponsors of popular music have gained their
bearings, for they follow public inclinations
closely, and the least change find sa corresponding
shift on their part. From time immemorial no
one has gauged popular fancy to a scientific ex-
actitude. Popular writers who have enjoyed pos-
sibly several triumphs as a limit, and in that
time may have imagined they possessed the
touchstone of success, have had their rainbows
shattered and their glittering prophecies dashed
to the ground by an unexpected "frost," which
has chilled their enthusiasm to a degree and
given them a crick in their positive attitude.
About now writers and publishers in the ranks of
people who would rather "make a stab" at the
songs of their country than do anything else, are
kept guessing what will happen next. Under
these circumstances the drift of affairs is in ed-
dies, with the steady current of public approval
yet to be discovered. Therefore the publishers
are disinclined to hazard predictions and are sat-
isfied with the ordinary run of trade.
It is evident, however, that publishing houses
in the so-called better class of music are quite
content to await developments, being strongly
impressed with the fact that standard publica-
tions of merit will be in better demand than ever
from now. In fact preparations to that end have
been under way for some time, and along about
the first of the year the list presented the trade
will be one of the best and strongest ever offered.
NEW WALTZ BY CHAS. H. STEINWAY.
Played by tne Herbert Orchestra Last Sunday
With Great Success.
The concerts given by Victor Herbert at the
Majestic Theatre on Sunday evenings have be-
come not only the fashionable but the successful
events of the musical season. His programs
are a happy mixture of the classical and the
popular, and the orchestra through practice has
now become a most effective organization.
Among the interesting numbers on the program
last Sunday night was a waltz entitled "Made-
line," by Chas. H. Steinway, president of Stein-
way & Sons, the celebrated piano manufacturers
of this city. It is a charming composition, in
which are displayed originality and skill. It was
admirably orchestrated and played with that deli-
cacy and charm which is a feature of all the
Herbert interpretations.
Mr. Steinway reveals some rare traits in this
busy, workaday world. He is not only a busi-
ness man of conceded ability, but he is also a
practical piano maker, and, as we have just re-
marked, a composer of no mean ability.
'MUSIC AND MUSICIANS."
Issue No. 19 of "Music and Musicians," pub-
lished by the John Church Co., has as a frontis-
piece an excellent portrait of Mme. Johanna
Gadski. Other portraits, each with a complete
professional record, are of David Bispham, Wat-
kins Mills, basso; William G. Hammond and
Grant Hadley. In addition there is an interesting
paper' on "Wagner" by J. S. Van Cleve, with
group portrait of the great master. An exhaust-
ive contribution on "Voice Culture," by Edith
Lynwood Winn, adds to the general attractiveness
of No. 19, which is one of the best of the series.
The autograph collection of favorite songs of
famous singers, published by the John Church
Co., and the Wagner Vocal Scores, another of the
firm's specialties, are in lively demand.
VICTOR HERBERT'S LITTLE JOKE.
Victor Herbert is chuckling these days over the
acquirement of a handsome new baton, which
came to him in payment of a wager, and which he
prizes not the less because it embodies his faith
in the pleasant theory that "Merits always wins."
Mr. Herbert is an optimist of the somewhat ex-
asperating order, who insist upon the disputed
fact that talent finds eventual recognition, even
in the face of opposing argument.
Not long since the subject was under discus-
sion, and Mr. Herbert's opponent declared him-
self of the opinion that a struggling composer
without fame would find it next to impossible to
have his work accepted by a publisher. "Non-
sense," exclaimed Mr. Herbert, scenting an oppor-
tunity to vent his optimism again, "nonsense; if
a man can < compose a piece of music which is
likely to become popular, he will not lack a pub-
lisher ,of that I am convinced." The argument
was continued then to a point where a wager re-
sulted. Several days later M. Witmark & Sons,
Mr. Herbert's publishers, received a music manu-
script, accompanied by a letter, from a small
town in Pennsylvania. The letter was from a
young man who asked consideration of the accom-
panjung composition, saying that Victor Herbert
had advised him to send it to the Witmarks, and
that he, Mr. Herbert, had heard the music. Such
recommendations are looked upon with suspicion
by the publishers, who know the insistence of
mediocre musicians, and that these means are
often employed by such men as Herbert to get rid
of annoying would-ebe writers of music.
Some time later Isidore Witmark found an op-
portunity to listen to this composition, among
many other submitted manuscripts. Out of the
lot this number ("Al Fresco") was chosen, and
subsequently published with the signature, Frank
Roland. So much pleased was Mr. Witmark with
the composition that he mentioned it to Victor
Herbert in a letter, and the composer, in his re-
ply, referred to the young man who had written
"Al Fresco" as "an acquantance" in whom he be-
lieved there was "much promise." On the even-
ing of the first Victor Herbert Sunday night con-
cert at the Majestic Theatre, Isidore Witmark,
with his family, occupied a box, and one of the
numbers not on the program attracted much at-
tention and was loudly encored. Soon he recog-
nized it as "Al Fresco," and during the intermis-
sion he mentioned it to Victor Herbert. Then the
cat came out of the bag.
"It was all a joke," said Herbert. "I wrote it
myself to decide a bet. Now that I have demon-
strated my point, you can put my name on it as
composer—Frank Roland is a myth."
And now Isidore Witmark is wondering where
his smile at the joke comes in, since in order to
credit Herbert with the composition it was nec-
essary to destroy orchestral parts, a number of
expensive plates and the first entire published
edition of "Al Fresco," which bore in large letters
the name Frank Roland.
REVIEWOQRAPHS.
With all the alleged sentiment concerning de-
partment store positions, and the fuzzy news-
paper interviews, one publisher very much inter-
ested declares the only solution of the question is
"Publishers must keep out of the retail business."
The quotable party also added that the proposi-
tion of publishers to get together was absurd, as
he knew of no one important house that would
meet another to discuss the matter without a pre-
liminary wink of the left eye.
"The Music Master" and "The College AVidow"
waltzes, with exceedingly artistic title pages, arm
fresh from the press of M. Witmark & Sons."
"His Highness the Bey," Jos. E. Howard's new
musical comedy, is now in active rehearsal at the
La Salle Theatre, Chicago, and according to re-
port it will be one of the most elaborate scenic
productions that has ever been produced in th'is
popular house, no expense being spared to make
it of the very best. There are at least a dozen
hits in the show, which will open around Nov.
21. The music will be published by Chas. K.
Harris.
I. Waldman Teschner, business manager in the
Sol Bloom establishment, quietly slipped out of
town Thursday last for a look over the Western
field. He will go as far as Denver, and is espe-
cially intent on closing several contracts of mag-
nitude and importance. On the "fine work" in
transactions of this kind Mr. Teschner has few
equals. In about a week the gentleman will be
answering telephone calls at his home desk in
the same pleasant .surprised way as if he had
been coming down town via the subway without
a break.
Illustrated songs are now a strong feature with
several prominent publishing houses. I t is as-
serted that a string of "ten cent vaudeville the-
atres" have come to the front within a year, and
in which "turns" of this kind are not only wel-
come but big payers. Publishers giving special
attention to furnishing a better grade of slides
are believed to be reaping a harvest.
HITS! HITS! HITS!
VOCAL
Goodbye, Little Girl, Goodbye
50 You're the Flower of My Heart, Sweet
Adeline
50
Goodnight, Beloved, Goodnight
50
50
Girl Who Cares for Me
50 Lucy Lindy Lady
Listen to the Big Brass Band
50
Because You Were an Old Sweetheart of
50
Mine
50 My Little Love-Bird
50
There's Nothing New to Say
50 In Dreamland, In Dreamland
M. WITMARK & SONS, New Yo*k
CHICAGO
LONDON
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Bratton achieved renown, but his charming in-
strumental numbers, such as "In a Cozy Corner,"
"The Roses' Honeymoon," "In a Pagoda" and
"Laces and Graces," have added materially to his
fame as a composer. He is at present working on
the score of "The Pearl and the Pumpkin" in
conjunction with Paul West and Denslow, for
Klaw & Erlanger, who promise to give it an early
and elaborate production.
M. Witmark & Sons, who exclusively publish
all of Mr. Bratton's works, say that "Happy Jappy
Soldier Man," the popular march song, is one of
the best compositions of its kind that Mr. Bratton
has written, and bids fair to become a winner.
JOHN W. BRATTON.
If there is a composer who is the personifica-
tion of versatility and originality that composer
is John W. Bratton, who has been identified with
the progressive house of M. Witmark & Sons for
many years. Mr. Bratton never disappoints, his
object always being to give to his work con-
scientious thought and care. Thus he never turns
out a bad or ill-constructed song or a carelessly
built instrumental composition. He is an artist
whose first impulse is to produce something
worthy of his calling, and he would not be satis-
fied to go below his previous attainments simply
to see how many pieces he could put upon the
market. When a composer has reached the high
standard to which Mr. Bratton has lifted himself
he must needs be very cautious how he proceeds,
for one should never forget his art, if he does
not wish to retrograde. While Mr. Bratton is a
most indefatigable worker and is painstaking and
particular in every detail, he never forces himself
to go beyond a certain limit. His compositions,
therefore, are finished, evenly balanced and logi-
cal throughout.
Mr. Bratton is also a conductor as well as com-
poser, but he devotes the greater part of his time
to song writing and instrumental works. Among
his successful concert songs may be mentioned
"Don't Ask Me to Forget," "That You May Be
Mine," "Such Is My Love for Thee," "Your Own,"
"Not for a Day, But for All Time," "Spring Time
Bells," "When You Are Near" and "In a Garden
of Faded Flowers." It would take considerable
space to enumerate all of Mr. Bratton's successful
ballads and novel songs. A close study of the
following will serve to show how versatile is this
composer in the range of songs alone: "My Little
Kong Kong Baby," "My Little Belle of Japan,"
"Two Little, Blue Little, True Little Eyes," "She
Reads the New York Papers Every Day," "Made-
moiselle New York," "As the Ivy Loves the Oak"
and "A Soldier of Love Am I." These show how
clever he is in fitting appropriate melodies to
verses wherein are depicted the pathetic, the hu-
morous and the heroic.
The songs most recently written by Mr. Brat-
ton, and which have been received with great
favor in this country and in Europe, are the fol-
lowing: "I'm on the Water-Wagon Now," sung
by Frank Daniels in "The Office Boy"; "My Cozy
Corner Girl" and "In Black and White," which
are specially featured in "The School Girl," and
"My Cozy Corner Girl," which is prominent in
"The Earl and the Girl, now being played in
London. Not alone in writing song hits has Mr.
POPULAR SONG and INSTRUMENTAL HITS
FISHING
EGYPT
PLAIN MAMIE O'HOOLEY
P£GGY BRADY
NEW OPERATIC
POLLY PRIM MARCH
SHAME ON YOU
FALL IN LINE
BIG INDIAN CHIEF
PUBLICATIONS
ISLE OF SPICE
SAMBO GIRL
JEWEL OF ASIA
TWO ROSES
MADCAP PRINCESS
RED FEATHER
Published by
JOS. W. STERN 6 CO.,
34 East 21st St., New York
CHICAGO
LONDON
SAN FRANCISCO
POPULARITY OF COLORED SINGERS.
At a recent Sunday concert in one of the New
York theatres two young women came out on the
stage and sang a Spanish waltz song with a lilt-
ing, catchy refrain. They might have been Span-
iards, but a sharp eye detected that they were
Americans and colored, remarks the New York
Sun. In the songs they sang there was not the
slightest trace of the negro accent. Soon one of
the girls disappeared, leaving the audience hum-
ming the refrain. The other sang "Eyes in the
Moon are Peeping at You," or some such popular
melody. Presently the first returned in an
Egyptian costume and sang. Next No. 2 vanished
BREAKING THE ARRANGING RECORD.
for a minute, then joined the other in a similar
It was left to Louis C. Muniz, of Stern & Co.'s costume and both sang. They might have passed
staff, to break the record in making the piano ar- for Egyptians then. The voices were wonderfully
rangement for the publication of Smith & Brown's pure and sweet. The songs were the hit of the
new song, '"Taint the Kind of Grub I've Been evening. It was those particular melodies that
Getting Down Home." The song was taken down the audience hummed as it filed out.
over the long distance telephone and arranged in
"To my mind," one man commented to another
2iy 2 minutes. It was timed, looked over and de- as they departed, "there you see the most remark-
clared perfect by the well-known quartette of able development in popular entertainment in the
arrangers and song writers, consisting of Robert last twenty years. Two decades ago colored
Recker, Frank Saddler, Alfred Solman and John women singers would never have been permitted
Heinzman.
to sing on the same stage on equal terms with
Ludwig Englander has now four operas en- white women. Now the two races share the
joying successful road tours, all of which are laurels and the colored singers have the larger
published by Stern & Co. They comprise "The success. I think that one little act to-night
Two Roses," in which Fritzi Scheff is starring; showed the social progress made by the colored
"The Madcap Princess," in which Miss Lulu race better than anything I ever witnessed."
Glaser has a big success; "The Office Boy," which
is a splendid vehicle for Mr. Frank Daniels' tal-
HOW SURPRISING VALUES ARE GIVEN.
ents, and "The Jewel of Asia," in which the star
is Miss Michelena, supported by an able company.
While many stock company managers are com-
Each of the shows has special big song hits, and plaining that it is impossible to obtain proper
we are told that Mr. Englander has several other material for presentation by their companies, it
big successes up his sleeve.
is significant to note that Mr. Proctor experiences
no difficulty in this direction.
The secret is to be found in the fact that Mr.
WITH THE PROFESSIONALS.
Proctor is willing to pay liberally for novelties
The colored slides to Mr. Harris' new baby for stock use, when under ordinary circumstances
song, "Why Don't They Play With Me?" are it is not found possible to obtain a novelty in
claimed to be the finest of their kind ever thrown plays through the usual channel. The Proctor
upon a canvas . The Harris house makes a spe- management have secured many plays not yet
cialty of descriptive and illustrated songs, and given over to stock, the inducement being a lib-
no pains or expense are spared to obtain the best eral royalty and the knowledge that the piece
possible results.
will be given the best representation in the way
Lew Dockstader has just added to his repertoire of a capable company and staging.
Thus it is that New Yorkers have been enabled
a big new song hit in Furth and Moran's "All I
to
hear this season some of the notable successes
Needed Was the Money."
of the past decade. The audiences at Proctor's
Ethel Robinson, Etta Williams, Kathryn Miley theatres have been most appreciative of the
and Morrisey & Rich are featuring with great suc- values received. The performances without ex-
cess three big song hits from the house of Havi- ception this season have been unsually excellent.
land—'"Oysters and Clams," "What the Brass
Band Played" and "Danuel."
RECENT MUSIC.
Anna Driver, the popular little vaudeville
comedian, has introduced with great success in
her specialty Cole & Johnson's "Save It for Me,"
and Heinzman's Irish character song, "Esmer-
alda McCann." Poole & Burt are singing "When
the Harvest Moon Is Shining on the River" and
"Won't You Wait, Nellie Dear?" with great suc-
cess; which is also applicable to the charateristic
Indian song, "Big Indian Chief," as sung by
West & Van Siclen.
FROM M. WITMARK & SONS.
Vocal—"You and I Alone," by Helena Freder-
ick; "Dolly, My Dolly," by Trevor L. Corwell;
"Back to Boyland," by Florence O'Neill; "No-
body Loves Little Me," by Gus Edwards; "Saucy
Sally," by Theo. H. Northrup; "The Old Time
Waltz," by Lyn Udall; "The Man With the Din-
ner Pail," by Dillon Bros.; "Going to War," by
A. Buzzi-Peccia; "Susan," by A. Baldwin Sloane;
"Jingles, Jokes and Rhymes," by Ben Hapgood
Burt; "Oolong Ti," by Ed. J. Howe, Jr.; "Just
Al. G. Field's Minstrels write they are featuring My Style" (in "Fantana"), by Raymond Hubbell;
with big success "Good-Bye, Little Girl, Good- "In the Shadow of the Pyramid" (in "Mrs. Black
Bye," "The Songs My Mother Used to Sing," '"Tis is Back"), by Ernest R. Ball. Instrumental—
All I Ask," "Sweet Adeline" and "Sweet Rose of "Indian Patrol," two-step, by Howard Whitney;
Yesterday." "If I should," the big song hit of "My Dahomian Queen" (in "In Dahomey"), by
"The Runaways," and still being featured in that J. Leslie Hill; "A Dream of the Dance," by Harry
production, is in big demand with the sketch McLellan.
teams. All are Witmark publications.
Dockstader, whose minstrel company is playing
a prosperous engagement at the Herald Square
Theatre, has put on an illustrated edition of West
& Bratton's latest metropolitan satire, "Seeing
New York in a Rubberneck Hack." Needless to
say this furnishes the genial Lew with endless
opportunities for satire.
FROM F. B. HAVII-AND PUB. CO.
Vocal—"Can't You See My Heart Beats All for
You?" and "What the Brass Band Played," by
Theodore Morse; "In the Poppyfield," by Frank
W. Meacham; "My Faithful Rose," by Theodore
Morse; "Dan, Dan, Dan-u-el," by Ed. Rogers. In-
strumental—"Blue Bell," march song and chorus,
by Theo. F. Morse.
"Game of Love" and "Nancy Clancy," by Mau-
Amelia Somerville says she has never had a
rice Levi, from the Weber & Ziegfeld "Higgledy
Piggledy" company, are now being played by or- song which pleased her audiences more than
chestras throughout the United States. This "Happy Jappy Soldier Man," which she is making
the feature of her turn.
music will undoubtedly be a big success.

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