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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
FEBRUARY 22, 1919
Being the Raliocinative Reactions of That Optimistic Philosopher, the Editor
of This Player Section, to Things in General, With Specific Reference to Eco-
nomic Conditions, the Reflexes of War, Supply and Demand, and Jazz Music
equal and opposite. Whence one concludes
confidently that since the war-period made us
entirely full of ballads concerning the various
The war has done one good thing anyway; methods which were being or to be adopted to
it has made us provincials familiar with some get victoriously to Berlin, the time now begin-
new words, and even with some new ideas. We ning may be expected to be equally intense in
are having, it is true, some rather unpleasant its musical productions, but also quite and pre-
reactions from all this high-pressure thinking cisely opposite in the expression thereof. As
we have been doing lately. Some of that think- we consult the bulletins of the various roll manu-
ing is being expressed in the shape of pretty facturers we come to this conclusion the more
considerable nonsense. Some of it again is being rapidly, for it seems fairly evident that the great
expressed in the shape of very dangerous non- American people are turning themselves away
sense. Some of the considerable nonsense talked from the war stuff at a great rate, and are rush-
is the nonsense that we are due for a panic in ing violently down a steep place into the dance
all sorts of industry. Some of the dangerous and the merry, merry ballad. Well, one does
nonsense is in the rumor being bandied about not blame them, does one? The run in music
by newspapers who ought to know better, to rolls is certainly on the frivolous and the light-
the effect that the country is in danger of politi- hearted in every sense of those terms, for not
cal troubles here and abroad which will produce otherwise can we interpret the character of the
some unnamed and unnamable dangers, vague songs which are being turned out by the thou-
but horrible. Most people love to talk about sand just now as song-rolls, word-rolls, etc.
things they understand not at all. Folks love Of course this craze for the dance-song, as it
to take words like "Bolsheviki" and roll them may be called, is an artificial sort of thing, at
on their tongues, without knowing what they best. But while it lasts it should be encouraged.
mean or whether they mean anything. This Not that we want, I hope, to see the folks
country is in precisely no danger at all from forget all about the war inside of six weeks or
anything. Industrial unrest, so far as it exists so, but rather that a little reaction from the
at all, is the result of high prices, profiteering strained feelings of the war-period is commend-
and disorganization of the labor market in the able and for the time to be smiled on, not
unskilled lines through the return of many sol- frowned upon. We have before us some pretty
diers who went away from unskilled labor and hefty problems yet for solution, and the world
are now coming back to it again. The condition is not yet settled by a long shot. We hope, with
of the music business shows that the huge mass some reason, that the actual fighting is over for
of the people in this country are doing well, good; but no man knows what the morrow holds.
making money and uttering no kicks. But a Let us therefore rejoice that young and old,
presidential campaign is coming on and certain civilian and soldier alike, are dancing the feet
men know it to be to their interests to capitalize off them for the time being. They will have to
discontent, if they can. That they can, if they sober down sooner or later. Meanwhile, on
are, as some of them are, newspaper proprietors, with the d. 1. j . b. u. as the poet says.
is fairly self-evident. That some of them are
Whar's Dat Conjur' Man?
quite sufficiently unscrupulous is equally axio-
matic. The Bolshevistic "danger," when we
The light-hearted gentleman who composes
analyze it, is found to consist of the noise of a
few I. W. W.'s, translated into bloodthirsty the weekly Chicago letter of this paper remarked
threats and revolutionary horrors, by unscrup- last week that the piano manufacturers of the
ulous newspaper owners. Why do they do it? Windy City are earnestly looking for a conjurer,
Did I not say there is a presidential election who can make fifty pianos do for five hundred
orders; and that magicians who feel themselves
comingon? And Business? Why, Business may
capable of carrying out the terms of the contract
go to pot any time it interferes with politics.
may apply at once; amount of salary no object,
What about the music business, the player busi-
and no reasonable demand turned down. Well,
ness, the roll business? Candidly, we are quite
that, and a bit worse, is the condition of the
assured that they will not go to pot. The noise
player-piano trade everywhere, so far as can be
makers would like to have them travel that way, judged by the news that reaches The Review.
but the noise makers and the bewhiskered ones The demand, in a word, enormously exceeds the
are due for a disappointment. 1919 will bring supply, and the end is not yet. To know how
us causes for complaint, many of them; but they long this condition of affairs is likely to keep up
won't bring low prices or a cessation of demand. would tax the wisdom of an even wiser man
That may be put in the collective pipe of our than myself; but every indication is that the
collective industry and collectively smoked.
year 1919 will be one of unexampled prosperity
for the music industries. Why there should
"Equal and Opposite"
be such an extraordinary interest in pianos and
Action and reaction, having been taught in player-pianos just now may at first sight seem
school many years ago, are like unto the title hard to say, but is it not the solemn truth
of this paragraph. They are, in a word, both that the war has had everything to do with it?
Bull, Business and Bolsheviki
Plainly enough, the war has put music on the
essential list, as every soldier and sailor will
tell you; and equally plainly the condition then
brought into being has not ceased to exist. The
people are in reality taking a greater interest
in music than they ever did before; and that
is saying something. They are dance-mad, song-
mad, music-mad. Of course they are not mad
on high-brow music, though the hearing of the
same seems to make many of them very mad
indeed; but that is being mad "at" and not mad
"on." Still, it makes not the least difference to
us whether the man who buys a player-piano
buys it because he wants to get good music or
the worst noise conceivable out of it. It does
not matter at the moment^of selling the player-
piano, that is to say. That it does matter finally,
is a statement we have often made amidst the
jeers of the populace, but which we are ready
to make again, for the simple reason that it is
true. Now that we find a public demand for
music greater than ever, should we not do our
utmost to see that everything which can be done
to interest the people in the making of music,
as well as in the hearing of it, in good music as
well as in music which is extremely bad and
"&ff-color" besides, should be done? We don't
mind jazz bands within reasonable limits. We
have the capacity to listen to them with patience,
and sometimes even with interest, but we
shudder to think what kind of mentality it is
which wants nothing else. G. K. Chesterton
once said, apropos of something else, that
everyone should properly want to live in a beau-
tiful house. Everyone should want his house
to be as beautiful as possible, but the man who
for that reason refused to live in any house
save the Parthenon would just be called a
madman. Jazz is all very well; jazz bands
have their place in the economy of society. One
can hear, like and even applaud jazz bands; but
the man who insists that he can hear no music
at all save the music of a jazz band is in bad.
It is this tendency which annoys and even
alarms the writer. We want to see the gentle
people have their gentle amusements like jazz
bands and dancing; but we don't want them to
get into believing that nothing save jazz is eveti
permissible.
Respected readers may complain that the
above starts on one topic and ends on another.
The answer is simple. We needed two more
morals for this page and there you are. ^
BUYS A HALF INTEREST
Miss Mary Jane Lovejoy has purchased a
half interest in the Odon Drug & Music House
at Odon, Ind., for which firm she will act as
active manager.
John Gates has rented a room in the Johnson
Bros. Building, Carthage, Ind., and will put in a
stock of musical instruments.
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