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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
56
DEATH OF JTTO MATTEL
FORTY YEARS AGO—AND NOW.
Italian Composer Who Was Musical Prodigy
at Age of 5—Professor of Music at Eleven.
Old Song, Written by Jerry J. Cohan Not So
Different from Many of Those Offered To-day.
Tito Mattei, Italian composer and conductor
and pianist to the King of Italy, died in London
this week, where he made his home. As a writer
of popular songs he was best known in his native
country, where his melodies are sung in every
household.
Mattei was born at Campobasso, near Naples,
May 24, 1841. Five years later he gave his first
concert, and a little later made tours through
Italy. At eleven years of age he was named a
professor of the Santa Cecelia Academy in Rome,
a member of the Philharmonic Society and many
other musical organizations.
On his return from concert tours through
France and England in 1853 he played before Pope
Pius IX. and received a gold medal from the
Pope. After many successful tours over the Con-
tinent Mattei went to. London in 1863, and since
that time made his home there. He organized and
conducted a season of Italian opera at the Lyceum
Theater, London, in 1870.
Some of his pianoforte pieces and songs, of
which he wrote hundreds, are: "Non e ver, Non
torno," "Oh, oh, Hear the Wild Wind Blow,"
"Dear Heart," Mattei's valse. He wrote several
operas, of which two are "Maria di Gand," which
was performed at Her Majesty's theater, and "La
Prima Donna."
George M. comes by it naturally, as will be seen
in the following song written by Jerry J. Cohan
for Harper and Stansill—the once famous one-
legged song and dance artists—nearly forty years
ago, says the Morning Telegraph. It was called
"The Girl That Took My Eye."
BOOTH TO SUE FOR DE KOVEN PRIZE
Winner of Contest for Best Libretto Claims He
Never Received Prize Offered by the De
Koven Opera Co. for the Work.
As I was walking down the street the other afternoon,
Lit my cigar, put my kids on in front of a saloon,
A vision floated past my sight which caused the dust to fly.
"I"was the prettiest girl I ever saw, was the girl that took
my eye.
CHORUS.
She is so fair (break),
I do declare (break),
1 feel so queer whenever I am near
That pretty little girl that took my eye.
I watched her as she crossed the street; my heart was all
aflame.
She quickly waved her handkerchief; of course I did the
same,
in a moment I was at her side. "Your pardon, miss,"
said I.
"If I am bold, pray tell me so; hut then you took my eye."
(Chorus.)
I asked her if she would be mine as we stood by the door;
She said she'd no objections, but her parents, they were
poor,
lint trifles like that I must never mind; to win her 1 must
try;
And if 1 do I'll introduce to you the girl that took my eye.
(Chorus.)
To judge by some of the songs offered to the
public at the present time, Jerry Cohan was forty
years ahead of his time or a number of the present
sn.ng writers are forty years behind time.
BIG DEMAND FOR EASTER MUSIC.
(Special to The Review.)
BOSTON, MASS., March 30.—The Oliver Ditson
Charles Stewart Davison, a lawyer of GO Wall
street, said recently that he has been retained to
bring suit against the De Koven Opera Co. in
behalf of Hillard Booth to recover $1,000 as the
prize offered by the opera company for a libretto
in a contest which was won by Booth. Mrs. Dc
Koven expects to go abroad within a week and the
papers will be served before that time.
?>ooth, whose libretto was chosen out of 300, is
seriously ill at Mount Pisgah, N. C, and is in need
of the award. Tn behalf of the opera company it
was said that the money has not been paid to
Booth because he failed to keep his promise to
make certain changes in the libretto.
LATEST BOOSEY PUBLICATIONS.
Boosey & Co., New York, have just issued a most
interesting budget of new music, many numbers of
which are destined to meet with a large measure
of favor. They are: "O, Dream Divine," words by
G. R. Sims and C. H. Bovill, music by Wilfrid San-
derson; "Love's Journey," words by G. R. Sims
and C. H. Bovill, music by Wilfrid Sanderson;
"Only a Rose," words by Frederick John Fraser,
music by Amy Woodforde-Finden; "Only Friends,"
words by Fannie Stearns Davis, music by Charles
Willeby; "Have You Seen the Fairies?" words by
Edward Teschemacher, music by Reginald Barni-
cott; "A Bushman's Song," words by A. B. Pater-
son, music by Hon. Mrs. Tennant; "The Pilgrims,"
words by Adelaide Procter, music by Frederic H
Cowen; "I Know My Love," traditional, from
"Iris'h Country Songs," by Herbert Hughes;
"Pierrette's Song," words by Fred E. Weatherly,
music by Eric Coates.
We Are the Publishers o the Waltz Song
Success
"Just Because It's You"
From Ivan Caryll's New Musical Comedy
Success
"The Little Cafe"
C H A P P E L L & CO., L t d .
41 East 34th St., - NEW YORK
347 Yonge St.,
TORONTO
Co. has had a big demand for its Easter publica-
tions, and its school issues likewise have been called
for most generously. All the company's traveling
men arc out, principally in the West and Middle
West, and several of them have found some diffi-
culty in getting about because of the heavy snows
in some quarters. The Ditson company had a
happy party at the annual dinner of the Boston
Music Trade Association a week ago, and the Bos-
ton men. headed by C. A. Woodman, were glad
to welcome in their midst L. R. Dressier, of the C.
H. Ditson Co., of New York.
DIPPEL GETSJHJCCINI OPERA.
Has Producing Rights for "The Swallow" and
Also Music Publishing Rights for America.
Andreas Dippel announced last week that he
had secured for his opera comique company the
producing rights for the United States and Cana-
da of an operetta called "The Swallow," which
Giacomo Puccini is now writing. The librettist
is Dr. Wilner, who wrote the book of "The Dol-
lar Princess," "Gypsy Love" and other operettas.
According to Mr. Dippel, the work will be pro-
duced first at the Carl theater, Vienna, and will
be given here shortly after its European premiere.
The manager states that he has also purchased
the music publishing rights for America, which
will enable him to publish all the operettas he pro-
duces or control their publication, a practice which
is much in vogue in Europe, but not customary
in this country.
WHITE-SMITH EASTER MUSIC.
BOSTON, MASS., March 30.—"Triumphant Morn,"
by Charles P. Scott, is one of the Easter gems that
the White-Smith Music Publishing Co. is finding
most popular, and ever since it was put on the
market church choirs as well as solo singers have
been calling for it. Another of the company's
popular successes has been a song cycle for so-
prano, entitled "First Love." It is by L. M. Genet,
and those who have tried it are loud in its praises.
Meanwhile the Cadman songs are holding their
own in great shape, and "I Hear a Thrush at Eve,"
referred to in previous letters, is everywhere meet-
ing with marked success. The White-Smith com-
pany has several new things on the way, of which
more extended mention will be made next month.
A PROMISINGJSEW BALLAD.
"Alice of Old Vincennes" a Pleasing Addi-
tion to the Catalog of the McKinley Music
Co., Has Excellent Lyric and Melody.
"Alice of Old Vincennes" is the title of an at-
tractive new ballad by E. Clinton Keithley and
Floyd Thompson and published by the McKinley
Music Co., Chicago, and which is meeting with a
large measure of success. The number is a love
ballad of the better type with an effective lyric
and pleasing melody and is being featured strong-
ly by the McKinley Co.
RALPH CLARKE, ORGANIST, DEAD.
"The Irish Tango" has proved to be one of the
Ralph Clarke, retired composer of .sacred music Witmark's most popular new publications and is
and organist of Calvary Episcopal Church in Man- being used with signal success by numerous
singers.
hattan for twenty-five years, died Friday night at
his home, 196 Hall street, Brooklyn. Mr. Clarke
was born in Macclesfield, England, in 1829, and
The Beautiful Novelty Song Sensation
had been a resident of Brooklyn for forty years.
He was a member of Reliance Lodge, F. and A. M.,
of the Year
for sixty years, and of the Episcopal Church of St.
James. Two daughters survive him.
"THE MUSICIAN^ FOR APRIL.
(Special to The Review.)
"IN THE CANDLE-
LIGHT"
BOSTON, MASS., March 31.—The April issue of
The Musician, published by the Oliver Ditson Co.,
contains a number of good articles, as usual. Ray
G. Edwards writes of "Composers' Day"; Freder-
ick W. Martens discusses "Making the Music Room
Attractive"; W. F. Gates contributes an article on
"Bachaus Advises Bach"; there is a valuable sym-
posium on "Is Summer Music Study Worth
While?" and other contributors are Charles Ban-
croft, E. C. Krohn, Jr., Edwin Hughes, Egerton
Lowe, Walter Spry, Helena Maguire, H. C. Mac-
dougall and Blanche Fingley Mathews. The music
supplement, which so many subscribers eagerly look
forward to each month, is particularly good.
By Fleta Jan Brown
Baltimore is preparing to celebrate next Septem-
ber the writing of the national anthem, "The Star
Spangled Banner." Among other things in way of
celebrating that centennial, it is proposed to re-
enact the bombardment of Fort McHenry, with a
view to moving picture reproduction, and the sing-
ing of the anthem by a vast assemblage of trained
singers will also be a feature of the celebration.
STOCK UP
Already being
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is sure to cre-
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for you.
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M. WITMARK & SONS
Witmark Bldg., 144-146 W « t 37th St.
NEW YORK CITY
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