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THE: MUSIC TRADE
48
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. I . SPILLANE, Managing Editor
R . W . S I M M O N S , Editor M u s i c S e c t i o n
rabllahcd Every Saturday at 1 Madlwn Avenue. New Y*rk
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NEW YORK, JUNE 18, 1910
All matter of every nature intended
for this department should be addressed
The Editor Music Section Music Trade
Review, 1 Madison Avenue, New York.
COMMENTS B Y
REIVIEIW
among American composers is in need of any
stimulation, especially as concerns writers of
popular songs. There is even ground for sus-
picion that in the regular employ of several local
music publishers are composers who could pro-
vide the song wanted, and Miss Harcourt would
not be charged a cent for it. As for the condi-
tions imposed, these are what the regularly em-
ployed composers, xir even the regular "con-
tributors," are accustomed to observing as part
of the day's work. The conditions are that both
the lyrics and the melody must have the "proper
swing and cleverness" to make the song popular.
It is also imperative that the verses be humorous
without being offensive. As upsteen novelty
songs of a humorous nature are being ground out
of the publishing factories every week this is
like prescribing that a rubber ball be a round
one that will bounce. We do not doubt that Miss
Daisy will get her song. We assume that the
offer is sincere, for sincerity should have no less
reward than insincerity in the fruits of the press
agent's work. And if the singer possesses $500—
to spend on a song, we mean—we rejoice for the
composer when he gets it. The song, of course,
will be restricted to Miss Harcourt.
Recent Instance of a Prize Contest.
Not long preceding Miss Harcourt's offer came
one from Daniel V. Arthur, supposedly, whereby
$500 was offered for a song for Louise Dresser
in "A Matinee Idol." The business manager of
Two or three contests held lately, in which this company personally has told us that Edward
cash prizes were offered for the best song sub- Clark won the prize with "Just Look at Me Now."
mitted in each case, have doubtless been followed So much the better for Edward Clark, for any
closely by would-be but unsuccessful composers one of his songs, now in the possession of the
of this and other cities with great and guileless Harry Von Tilzer Publishing Co., for instance,
interest. The market is bare of song offerings, might have been chosen for Miss Dresser, and
it must seem to them, and little wonder is to be no charge would have been made to Mr. Arthur
felt that they turn from reading of the prizes or his business manager. And Edward would
offered to grasp pen firmly in hand to compose have received only the royalties accruing from
words or melody that will bring the great finan- possible sales, and not even those if he had pre-
cial rewards that are more often read about viously sold the song for a lump sum that would
have been somewhat less than $500. Just why a
than seen.
Now comes another announcement of a prize prize was needed for a song for Miss Dresser is
competition. This time it is Daisy Harcourt, not clear. Shapiro, who publishes the music
vaudeville and burlesque singer of near-naughty written for "A Matinee Idol" by Silvio Hein, is
songs. The English comedienne, who has been another publisher who could have offered Mr.
appearing at the Plaza Music Hall this week, in- Arthur a box full of songs free of charge.
Three Men Needed to Write One Song.
genuously states that in order to stimulate com-
Still another contest was that instituted by
petition among American composers she offers
$500 to the one who can furnish her with a song the Music House of Laemmle, the prize in this
written around a new and grotesque gown and
hat. It will be news to many that competition
case being the sum of $150 and a royalty con-,!
tract. Something like 336 manuscripts were
submitted as the music for words written and
accepted for the song before the contest waa
started. As this publishing house has able com-
posers on its staff, the contest served properly as
a business venture. The point is as to whether
such contests are necessary or even productive of
good results, when the large and "regular" out-
put of the music publishing houses is considered.
If they are not necessary then it is obvious that
hopeful composers throughout the country are
misled as to the real wants of the publishing 1 \
houses and in consequence flood the offices witfi
the results of work which they would better
have spared themselves. In the case last re-
ferred to the $150 was won by two composers,
the verse of one man's song and the chorus of
another's being put together to constitute the
music for the words that had been supplied.
Thus out of 336 competitors the successful ones
received $75 each and three men will divide the
royalties—the two composers and the author of
the words. Under such circumstances we have
examined the song in the actual hope of finding
something of unusual excellence. The successful
song, "I'll Change the Thorns to Roses," being
thus the work of three men, and its music being
chosen from 335 other offerings, it ought, as the
saying is, to be a "wonder." But as an illustra-
tion of the value of the contest idea it does not
serve. The song is, in fact, disappointing. The
three or four music publishers who make a
practice of the "$50" proposition, which probably
appeals to such composers as enter song con-
tests, receive, daily, songs of which "I'll Change
the Thorns to Roses" is a fair example. These
publishers charge the composers a given sum for
publishing the songs. The trouble seems to be,
as a leading New York publisher recently said,
"the day of the 'mush' ballad is gone forever
and straight love songs must be the classical
chansons or the accepted high-grade composi-
tions."
Some other Daisy Harcourt or Daniel V.
Arthur may soon offer a cash prize for a song
from competing composers, but in the meantime
they might weigh the suggestion that they look
around at what the music publishers have to
offer them, especially if the song be wanted for a
musical production.
SOME OF OUR REAL HITS
MESSRS. CHAPPELL & CO., L t d .
" T H E
• fit
are the publishers of
D I R D N A l D ft I I n P "
liUDHKULH
ULIUE
( Son ° a n d \
Vinstrumental'
" M Y
SOUTHERN
ROSE"
song)
" K E E P YOUR FOOT ON T H E SOFT P E D A L " song
THE REIGNING MUSICAL SUCCESS
<< T
i n M C F
THE ARCADIANS
V
n i U l I K o H
T I i U
n D
M
p A
K
H r,»
b
( Instrumental^
Song and \
V
"HIP-HIP-HYPNOTIZE
M E " son 0 >
" G I V E M Y R E G A R D S T O M A B E L " (Song)
Music by Talbot and Monckton
(Produced by Mr. Charles Frohman)
HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY
FRANZ LEHAR"S NEW OPERA
TBE MAN WITH THREE WIVES
AD D R
N E wYORli L o^F.c ETO
125 West 4 3 d Street, New York City
(To be produced shortly by Messrs. Shubert)
IVAN CARYLL AND LIONEL MONCKTON'S
SUCCESSFUL MUSICAL PLAY
OUR MISS GIBBS
(To be produced shortly by Mr. Charles Frohman)
LONDONTS LATEST CRAZE
THE BALKAN PRINCESS
A Musical Play by Paul A. Rubens
(To be produced by Mr. W. A. Brady)
CHAPPELL & CO., Ltd.
37 W. 17th St.
-
-
NEW YORK
THE MOST POPULAR PIANO DANCE FOLIO
THEODORE MORSE'S NEW HITS !
"MOLLY LEE"
"KITTY CRAY"
"HE'S A COLLEGE BOY"
"RED
"BLUE
C L O V E R " (Song and Intermezzo)
F E A T H E R " (Song and Intermezzo)
You could have had these once for 5 cents. Take
our new issues and you'll get better ones.
SJI^C- PHONOCRAPH RECORDS ARE - a 9HK$
SrW
MADE FOR ALL OUR SONGS ^ ^ &
Theodore Morse Music Co.
1 3 6 7 Broadway, New York
c SHEET MUSIC
DEPARTMENT
This collection will fill
a niche quite of its own
in musical literature as
being the only folio of
standard dance m u s i c
which can lay claim to
being complete. An even
casual glance at the con-
tents cannot fail to con-
vince the lover of piano
music in the lighter vein,
that it is the ideal collec-
tion of piano dance music,
including every known
style of dance, in each
case represented by a
composition from the pen
of some past master of
dance music composition.
Price 75 cents.
Published by
HINDS. NOBLE & ELDREDGE. 31-35 West 15th Street, New York
WILL ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR STORE THAN
ANY OTHER MEDIUM YOU COULD EMPLOY
Write for catalogue and particulars as to how to
make a sheet music department a money-maker
Address nearest office
McKINLEY MUSIC CO., 185 Harrison St., Chicago, III.
NO. 80 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y.