Music Trade Review

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V O L . LIII. N o . 22. Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Ave., New York, Dec. 2, 1911
ROYALTY ON FRENCH SONGS.
The Attitude of the Society of French Authors
a Rather Peculiar One, as It Tends to Re-
tard Rather Than Advance the Sale and
Knowledge of Their Publications.
In this country, where singers are frequently
paid more or less generously by publishers or
composers for singing certain songs, the attitude
of the French Societe des Auteurs Dramatiques in
demanding royalties from singers on each occasion
when they use a composition of a member of the
society seems a trifle peculiar. The general idea
may be all right but it seems to work out con-
trary to the best interests of the composer him-
self, for the singers can readily secure numbers
that are composed by those not members of the
Societe and without paying royalty and the mem-
ber of the Societe sees his compositions lying un-
sung and to all intents and purposes, dead.
Not long ago Maud Powell, the American
violinist, withdrew from the announced program
of her concert in the Lyceum Theater a com-
position by a French composer with the explana-
tion that the Societe des Auteurs Dramatiques had
through its local representative demanded the pay-
ment of royalty for the use of the number. As it
did not seem to the artist of sufficient importance
to pay a special royalty for the music it was with-
drawn from the program and a number which
suited the audience equally well was substituted.
Miss Powell's action was the result of the in-
tention of the society to claim a royalty for the
performance of any works" by French composers
who are members of the Societe des Auteurs
Dramatiques of France. There is a local repre-
sentative here who is alert to see that the rights
of his society are protected. French opinion that
concerts in this country are always attended by
such crowds that the artists can easily pay a royalty
seems to have led the society to the action which
has aroused so much opposition from the artists.
Now Blair Fairchild, the American composer liv-
ing in Paris, has written the following letter to the
president of tne society, who is Charles Widor:
"Several singers having sung a certain number
of my songs during their concert tours in America
and England have found themselves bound to pay
to your agent author's rights because I am a
member of your society. Now as the Germans,
Italians, Americans and others do not demand such
payments the singers in question have decided to
exclude in future from their programs all the
names of composers causing such demands or any
other claims to be made upon them. Not wishing
to be so excluded nor to have my compositions
boycotted in the greater part of the world I ask
you with great regret to accept my resignation."
The result of this action on the part of the
French society has been to exclude the music of
many French composers from the concert programs
of artists, says a writer the New York Sun. This
has proved a particular hardship in the case of
singers like C. W. Clarke, an American living in
Paris, who makes up his programs largely of the
songs of contemporaneous French masters. With
the necessity of paying royalties on every number
he is naturally at a disadvantage compared with
the singer who sings the songs of those countries
that demand no royalty.
"Such a course is incomprehensible to the pub-
lishers of music in the United States," one of
them said this week, "for it prevents just what
every composer is anxious to have happen. They,
usually want their songs sung and their reward
comes in the sales of the publishers, who pay them
a certain sum for every song that is sold.
"The more their songs are performed by well
known artists the greater is the sale of the pub-
lishers. It is not unusual for some popular singers
like Mme. Sembrich, for instance, to put a new or
an unknown songs on a recital program, and by
noon the next day every copy of that song in New
York will be sold out. There is much more reward
in this sort of royalty for the composers than in
trying to make the artists pay for the use of the
song. It is often the making of a composer to
have his songs sung or his works performed by a
famous artist. So the sooner the Societe des
Auteurs Dramatiques decides to drop this matter
of the royalties for works the better. It happens
that Mr. Fairchild is an American and under-
stands what harm the insistence of royalties is
doing him. Other composers who know nothing
of the situation would probably resign also if they
knew the real situation here."
RECENT DITSON PUBLICATIONS.
Dealers Will Find It Worth While to Look Up
the Various Volumes to Which Reference Is
Made Below and Which as Usual Are Pro-
duced with That Attention to Detail in
Both Editing and Printing Which Is Char-
acteristic of the Ditson House.
The Oliver Ditson Co., of Boston, Mass., have
recently issued a number of important publications
which should prove of interest to the musical pub-
lic—and which can be emphasized to splendid ad-
vantage through the enterprise of dealers in mak-
ing known these works locally. Of exceeding
timeliness, in view of the recent centenary celebra-
tion, is "Thirty Songs by Franz Liszt," carefully
edited by Carl Armbruster. In this volume some
of the most beautiful of Liszt's highly individual
songs are presented with new English translations
and appreciative notes. It is admirably gotten up
and printed, with a handsome frontispiece of
Liszt from a photograph taken in 1858.
Then we have an "Album of Songs' by that
clever composer, Chas. Wakefield Cadman, for both
medium and high voices. There are eleven of his
best songs in this collection and they will form a
very valuable addition to the library of any singer.
Another publication of importance is a musical
setting of Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem, "The
Raven," by Arthur Bergh, and which was intro-
duced by David Bispham, to whom it is dedicated,
with the composer at the piano at the Hall of
Fame, New York University, Jan. 19, 1909. The
scoring is most effective, the melodramatic effect of
the words being kept in mind by the composer
with most satisfactory results. It is a valuable ad-
dition to the many well known poems which have
been set to music and which are now so popular
with the musical public.
Two other publications from the Ditson press
S1NG E C
^ 00 PER E Y'E 1 AR ENTS
are "Foundation Exercises for the Violin," by
Eugene Gruenberg. The object of this volume is
to aid the student in solving all the difficult tasks
of the finger technique. Mr. Gruenberg has se-
lected for practicing material just such subjects as
are of value to the student; hence as a preparatory
work this book should become standard.
Teachers of the piano and musical schools gen-
erally will find Thomas Tapper's "First Piano
Book," which has just been issued by Ditson's,
worthy of consideration. This volume is an intro-
ductory to the course of graded studies and graded
pieces, each in seven grades. As might be ex-
pected from its author, the book is admirably pre-
pared and carefully edited and should prove a dis-
tinct aid to teachers and students.
TELL TAYLOR IN NEW YORK.
The Chicago Publisher's Local Offices Are in the
Regal Building, 37th Street and Broadway—
Will Spend Several Weeks in the Metropolis.
(Special to The Review.)
Chicago, 111., Nov. 25, 1911.
Tell Taylor, the well-known Chicago music pub-
lisher, proprietor of the House of Ballads, left
this week for New York, stopping at Buffalo. He
will spend some weeks in and around the Eastern
metropolis, supervising a special campaign on
"Down by the Old Millstream" and many other
successful Taylor publications, and will in fact do
a good deal of personal boosting through the
medium of his delightful tenor voice. The Chi-
cago composer has a New York office in the Regal
Building, at Thirty-seventh and Broadway. In the
meantime, the Chicago headquarters will be in
competent charge of Charles Hudson, Mr. Taylor's
business manager, and Earl K. Smith, in charge of
the professional department.
STRONG PRODUCTION NUMBER.
"Mammy Jinny's Cabin Door" Highly Praised
by New York American—A Feist Success.
"Mammy Jinny's Cabin Door" is a song that
seems to have caught Broadway. Everybody is
whistling it. It was merely one of many songs
in "The Wife Hunters," thath delightfully refresh-
ing musical comedy at the Herald Square, but like
other musical shows, this one has developed one
song that pleases more than any of the others.
There may be a reason aside from the beauty
of the melody itself. The song is sung in a
special stage setting comprising a cotton field and
log cabin, the scenery for which is lowered from
the flies while the song is being delivered by Emma
Carus and chorus. This is entirely original and
novel, and there is no denying its effectiveness.
The song gets as many as a dozen encores on oc-
casions, says the New York American of Sunday
last. The number looks like another Feist
winner.
The editor of the Music Edition acknowledges
receipt of copies of "Frolics of the Imps," by Harry
J. Lincoln, and "Dance of the Dragons," by W. C
Powell, both grand galops de concert, for piano,
and published by the Vandersloot Music Co.,
Williamsport, Pa,