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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
OCTOBER 26, 1918
Some Pertinent Observations on Men, Things and Events Are Herein Set
Forth By the Editor of This Player Section, Whose Self-Confessed Optimism
Renders Said Observations Free From the Taint of Captious Criticism
described as "going over the top." But when a
great city just manages to meet its quota on a
war loan campaign it is rather absurd to ap-
Newspapers are great institutions, but one ply to it a term which suggests brilliant attacks
.sometimes may be pardoned for wishing they and dashing charges. The truth is that some
were less so, or at least not so thoroughly per- of our communities did not in the least "go
vasive. They are great little leaders when they over the top" in the true sense of that term.
are right and know they are right, but when They rather painfully climbed out of the trench.
they don't quite know what it is all about they Chicago had some experiences of the sort a
wabble painfully. The contrast between the week and more ago, with the result that many
editorial and the news pages then begins to sug- of our wise prophets felt it their duty to re-
gest poor team work. Within the last few mark solemnly that American morale is being
weeks the Common Enemy has begun his latest undermined and that Americans cannot stand
and most elaborate attempt to gain a breathing the prosperity of victory as they withstand the
space. He timed it right in the middle of the il! fortune of defeat. The truth is we are an
greatest war loan campaign. He wants just one eleventh-hour people, and we have a way of
thing, temporary cessation of hostilities and time rushing out violently in wild excitement at the
to talk. Give him six months of talk and he very last moment, just barely catching the train,
is confident of two results; a complete reorgan- or subscribing the loan. The music trades are
ization of his beaten arm}' and the appearance not vastly different. We organized the Cham-
of dissension among the Allies. What should ber of Commerce at the eleventh hour. At the
be the answer of all the Allies, including our- last moment we put up our case to the Govern-
selves? It should manifestly be that before any ment. At the fifty-ninth minute of the eleventh
armistice is granted the armed forces of the hour we learned that we are not to be subjected
enemy shall be disarmed, her surface navy and to the well-known kibosh; just yet. And so on.
submarines be turned over to Allied keeping, her But there is one satisfaction, while that very
munition works like Essen and Mannheim, her town of Chicago was going into what are ele-
fortresses of Metz, Strassburg and Cologne, her gantly termed "conniption fits" over the slow
naval bases of Kiel, Pola and Cattaro be occu- response to the Fourth Loan, the local music
pied by Allied troops. Then, and then only, trade division was well ahead all the way
an armistice can be granted safely and a confer- through; and filled its quota and registered 105
ence safely held as to the terms we shall exact per cent, twenty-four hours before the closing
for granting peace. It is all very sad for Ger- time. My well-known reputation for veracity
many and her co-partner; but the fact is we prevents me from calling it a case of triumphant-
cannot trust her. When you cannot trust your ly going over the top. But I am willing to ad-
enemy and yet have the drop on him, do you mit we slid over.
ask him to put up his hands or not? That is
our game! U. S. means Unconditional Sur-
Some Fads That Are Passing
render! It also means Confession, Reparation,
Guarantee! The war will not be over till we
Many of his good friends have made it their
have these; newspaper "news" from Amsterdam business from time to time to condole with the
to the contrary notwithstanding.
writer on the possession of an untamable dis-
like for the merely vulgar in music. There
was a time, just a year or two ago, when we
On "Going Over the Top"
were all certain that the more stupid, the more
The person—we believe his name is Empey— vulgar and the more thoroughly inane a popular
who first popularized the singularly irritating song might be in its words or a dance in its
.phrase "over the top" did more than he per- tune the more popular it was sure to be. But
haps thought he was going to do. When the we all of us learn in due time that, whatsoever
troops climb out of a trench position for an at- may be the fluctuations of taste, the progress
tack it is conceivable that they are intelligibly of education is continuous and dooms the mere-
Arms, Armistice and Common Sense
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ly stupid inevitably. The jazz band had its
amusing features, but a little of it went a long
way. When the alcoholic irrigation is discon-
tinued jazz is seen to be a plant"of uncertain
vitality. Take away the booze, in a word, and
you leave very little taste for jazz music. By
the same token you soon find that the jazz music
roll has its limitations in its appeal to public
taste. For a time all is well, and it goes like
hot cakes. Then comes the reaction. Mean-
while the really clever music roll man is the
gentleman who, though he makes hay while the
sun shines by publishing whatever sells best, is
all the time carefully and quietly building up a
standard library of standard music, knowing that
the time is coming when he will need all he
can get of this. Such a policy has for several
years distinguished the Universal Music Co. as
well as some others 1 might mention. The Im-
perial Player Roll Co., who have been foremost
in every latest up-to-the-minute stunt, are also
working up a solid and well-chosen foundation
of classic and semi-classic music, especially in
the hand-played editions. It is a wise move,
and those who are making it will some day be
very glad they had foresight and wisdom.
Public Music and Public Needs
In an article to be found elsewhere in this is-
sue there is set forth some discussion of the
evolutionary process now working itself out in
the line of musical instruments for public places
of resort. A great deal of attention has been
given to the larger instruments of this kind, but
the idea of a reproducing piano for the smaller
cafe, restaurant, ice cream parlor, hotel lobby,
etc., is comparatively new. That is, it is new
in connection with popular prices and coin-con-
trol. Yet one can certainly see for it a great
future. The fact is that public taste, say what
you will, is steadily changing for the better.
The sort of music which the war is developing
is really healthy. It is the catchy tune of "Over
There," and not its rather inane words, which
takes the public fancy. The popular ballads are
steadily becoming more grammatical and their
tunes less raggy. The community singing, the
song work in the army and navy camps, the
general growth in musical interests everywhere,
all point to that rise of the healthy taste which
is always the concomitant of the more serious
thinking of wartimes. You cannot get away
from it. When people are fighting and dying
abroad, their folks at home begin to think a
little less of the cabaret. This change for the
better is coming now; let us be ready to make
the most of it!
FEATURE NEW ROLL EFFECTIVELY
On the back of a recent weekly bulletin the
Standard Music Roll Co., Orange, N. J., car-
ried an imposing announcement of their new
roll of "Beautiful Ohio." a new waltz song suc-
cess with music by Mary Earl, and lyric by
I'allard Macdonald. The title page of the song
was reproduced in actual colors by the Standard
Co. printing plant.
A NATURAL PART OF EVECV PIANO DEALERS TPADE
AUTOMATIC
OPGANS
IM THE AUTOMATIC
P. 5 E E B U H G
PIANO COMPANY - , .CHICAGO ILLINOIS —