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THE:
A REMINDER OF OTHER DAYS.
Old Music Publishing House on Park Row
Where Many Old Familiar Songs First Saw
Light—Some of the Favorite Selections of
Three and Four Decades Ago—When Harlem
Was the Goat for Song Writers.
Thousands of persons sitting in Third avenue
trains at the bridge have noticed in a dirt-smeared
window on the third floor of a Park Row build-
ing a sign which reads, "Oldest Music Publishing
House in New York." The lettering is crudely
drawn with a blue pencil on the side of a shoe
box. There is another sign which says, "Old
Songs Here."
Probably few of the multitude that have read
the signs have ever given them a thought. The
place looks more like a vacant, dilapidated store-
room, the home-made signs having been left be-
hind when the business moved out.
However, according to William J. A. Lieder,
the proprietor, business is still done there, al-
though it is confined to publishing little five-cent
song albums. Time was, however, when this pub-
lishing house stood at the top and its history if
interesting.
The music house was established in 1849 by
John Andrews and its home was in a gable-roofed
structure in Tryon Row, where the new Municipal
Building now stands. Andrews sold out to Henry
de Marsden, who conducted the place for several
years and is credited with having made a fortune
during the civil war. De Marsden it was who
started publishing the penny ballads. These were
limited to the words of the song.
During the civil war a new song followed every
battle and De Marsden displayed his lyrical gems
on the iron fence that encircled City Hall. Any
sort of a song was a hit in war times, De Marsden
often said, providing, of course, there was plenty
of fighting and patriotic sentiment contained
therein.
Present Owner Goes in Business.
In 1878 De Marsden sold out to Mrs. Pauline
Lieder. She took her son into business with her
and it is the same William J. A. Lieder, known to
thousands of the old-time stage people, who is still
in the business. The house stood for years at
what was then 60 Chatham street, but which was
later changed to 133 Park Row.
While Lieder hasn't been identified with the
publishers of the so-called modern hits he still
WORLD WIDE HIT
Down By The Old Millstream
Every dealer should have it; also,
"DAVY JONES AND HIS MONOPLANE"
"WHEN WE WERE SWEETHEARTS' 1
"BUCKWHEAT CAKES 11
"FARE-THEE-WELL"
Order from your Jobber, or,
TELL TAYLOR, MUSIC PUBLISHER
Grand Opera House Bldg., CHICAGO, ILL.
Victor Kremer Cos, CHICAGO
Publishers of
11
LITTLE PUFF OF SM0KE,G00D NIGHT"
"HONEY SAL"
"SING ME AN IRISH COME-ALL-YE"
"RAGGED EDGES"
"MOTHER"
"WHY DON'T THE BAND PLAY DIXIE"
Victor Kremer Co • |
732 SHERMAN ST
CHICAGO
ROBERT TELLER SONS & DORNER
Music Engravers and Primers
SBND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF TITLR
FOR ESTIMATE
IIIWlfT llth STtUI, N1W YOU CI1Y
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
gets out his little songster, but even that isn't as might interest many when it is known that this
effective as formerly, as song writers are enforc- song was "originally sung by Mabelle Gilman and
Miss Gilman, who married W.
ing the copyright law, which also restricts the use Frank Doane."
E. Corey when he was president of the United
of the words.
"The modern songs may be all right," said Lie- States Steel Corporation, is said to have thought
der to the writer, "but they're too short-lived. A well of it.
song is a success for a few months only, when it
There is another, published as late as 1895 an
becomes old. When I started in this business, dedicated to "Hon. Theodore Roosevelt,' when he
stage people sang the same songs for years and was Police Commissioner. This dedication was
timely, for it was named "The Policeman on Our
the audiences welcomed them like old friends.
"A man was in here the other day who wanted Block." There are piles of others, including "Mc-
me to get out some of the old Harrigan and Hart Carthy's Boarding House," which left the press in
numbers. He was willing to spend $10 for a 1878, and " T i s a Blossom From Our Littlt
bunch of them. How many of the present songs Willie's Breast."
will be heard of twenty or thirty years from now?"
In the two dingy rooms at the top of two flights
CAMPAIGN SONGS OF 1858.
of shaky stairs Lieder keeps his "stock." There
are thousands and thousands of songs, somewhat How the Denunciation of Political Opponents
Through Medium of Songs Was Popular.
faded and all covered with dust. A person twenty-
five years old hasn't heard half a dozen of them,
Colonel J. W. Stokes, of Craig, Mo., who was
probably. There are songs reeking with sentiment
and comics that would be a hit on amateur night leader of the Meredocia (111.) Democratic Glee
at one of the burlesque houses. Of course, there Club, wfilch toured the State in behalf of Douglas
are a few of the old stand-bys that are still sung, in 1858, when the "Little Giant" was seeking elec-
like "The Vacant Chair" and "Silver Threads tion to the United States Senate over Abraham
Among the Gold," but for the most part the others Lincoln, is 75 years old, looks 50, and his recollec-
will be recalled only by gray-haired men of to- tions of the campaign which produced the seven
day, who might have heard them when they were joint debates between Lincoln and Douglas are as
clear as if the bitter fight had been waged yes-
listed with New York's young bloods.
terday.
An Old Minstrel Favorite.
"There never was a campaign like that," he said,
The songs were marked 50 cents then, the
dummy prices having been as prevalent in the "and I don't suppose that there ever was a worse
80's as in the present. One of the popular suc- crop of campaign songs. The campaign ballads of
cesses, according to Lieder, was one he published to-day are tame beside them. Lincoln was in
in 1880 called "You're False, But I'll Forgive Congress during the Mexican war and was op-
You." No minstrel first part was complete with- posed to the war. It was charged that he had
out it, while as for a parlor baritone it was his voted against the army bill, the vote being in-
life-saver. It must have been the melody, for tended to cut off the supplies of the army in the
here are the words that brought tears to many a field. This naturally aroused bitter feeling among
the Democrats, who were the war party, and the
New York audience:
song I was humming a moment since referred to
Oh, true love is ever constant,
Not one spark e'er fades away;
that supposed vote of the Emancipator. The words
You are false, but I'll forgive you,
of the song will make it clear to you that Lincoln
But forget you I never may.
got his full share of political denunciation:
William Warren Bentley, who later gained
"A word to all you boys that went
greater fame as a singing evangelist, and is be-
To fight in Mexico,
lieved to be living now in Atlantic City, wrote the
You cannot vote for Lincoln,
music for this song, as he did for many others.
As you very well know.
His partner in many compositions was Dr. Theo-
He voted on the army bill
dore D. C. Miller of Harlem, who furnished the
To give you no supplies.
words.
Big
pig, little pig,
Harlem seems to have been the "goat" of the
Root hog, or die!
song writers of the past. Every other song had
"There was much more of the same sort, and the
some reference to it. There is the old Harrigan
and Hart favorite, "Sunday, When the Parlor's song is a pretty good sample of the kind of cam-
Full," which started with "My Johanna Lives in paign ballads we had in those days."
Harlem," and many others. Many will recall that
IVe propose to give five dollars a week for a
popular classic "High-Water Pants," which began
"My name is O'Brien of Harlem, an Irishman as short, chatty expression of views upon interesting
you can see." And here's the chorus which set topics. Consult our special announcement else-
where.
the whole city giggling:
They tell me to go over to England,
And pay a short visit to France;
'
And there to bring out my new fashions,
And call them the High-Water Pants.
The comic ditties were confined for the most
part to Irish and "coon" selections, such as "The
Sup of Good Whisky at Garrity's Wake" and
"Old Pompey's Getting Barefoot on de Top of
His Head."
A Song with a Story.
Harry Kennedy, a famous ventriloquist of the
period, who was well known in Brooklyn, where
he conducted a cafe, was one of the most versatile
contributors. His greatest success, however, was
not published until after his death. This song was
"Sau Au Revoir, but Not Good-by." It was sung
for the first time at his funeral by professional
friends, who used the writer's own manuscript.
Another writer and singer of the time was J. P.
Skelly, who furnished "My Pretty Red Rose,"
which was used also by J. K. Emmett and William
Scanlon, two of the most popular singers in the
country a quarter of a century ago.
One of the serio-comics that pleased, and which
would bring a laugh to-day, was "She Smiled As
We Crossed on the Hoboken Ferry"; and "TRe
Tailor Alone Makes Me Just What I am" was a
ready seller.
Probably the most modern effort in the Lieder
collection is "The Sunflower and the Sun." This
BUY YOUR rVUJSIC FROM
BOSTON
Publisher>
WHITE-SMITH MUSIC PUB. CO.
PUBLISHERS, PRINTERS & ENGRAVERS OF MUSIC
Main Offices: 62-64 Stanhope St.. Boston
Branch Houses: New York and Chicago
WALTER JACOBS
167 Tremont St.,
BOSTON, MASS.
Publisher of
'Kiss of Spring." "Some Day When Dreams Come Trut."
And Some Others World Famous
B. F. WOOD MUSIC CO.
"EDITION WOOD"
BOSTON
NEW YORK
846 Summer S t
88 East 80th St.
Also at London and Leipzig
JOS.
M . DALY
Gaiety Theatre Bldg., 665 Washington St., Boston, Mass.
Publisher of
"CHICKEN REEL." "SCENTED ROSES" WALTZES,
And Many Others
OLIVER
DITSON
COMPANY
BOSTON
NEW YORK
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