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52
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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WOULD-BE REFORMERS SPREADING ERRONEOUS IDEAS
NEW POST FOR SHEFFIELD
Propaganda Ostensibly Intended to Raise the Character of American Music Often Fails to Do
Any Constructive Good Because of the False Ideas Upon Which It Is Based
Becomes Manager of Mechanical Reproduction
Department of E. B. Marks Music Co.
chestra combinations appearing on the vaude-
ville stage these aggregations are following in
the footsteps of Paul Whiteman, Vincent Lopez
and Paul Specht, who long ago departed from
the rendition of jazz. It is true that they play
lively music as well as much of the better class,
but there are invariably no jazz numbers on
their programs. They, themselves, term their
organizations "Symphonic Syncopators" and
they are capable of playing, and do play, the
very best music with a popular appeal.
In another part of this department is an item
covering the Fall activities of Paul Whiteman
and his orchestra and the various combinations
under his direction. It shows that Whiteman
alone has eleven bands working in New York,
seventeen on the road and forty throughout the
country. Vincent Lopez also has a number of
orchestras under his direction and Paul Specht
not only directs a great number of orchestras
in this country, but has booked five or six com-
binations to appear in European centers during
the coming season.
The point is that these, and other orchestra
leaders of like calibre, set the pace for the entire
country and the orchestras, even in the very
smallest centers, try to conform to the stand-
ards of these combinations. This is easily done
by following the modern orchestra arrange-
ments issued by the popular music publishers
and by paying close attention to the leading
talking machine records made by Whiteman and
others.
Some two years ago there may have been
some need for a concerted movement to bring
about the elimination of jazz. Now there is
little or no foundation for any such movement.
It might be well for one of the publishers' or-
ganizations to ask these propagandists to be a
little more specific. If this is done we think
the reformers will look elsewhere for their
newspaper publicity.
George Sheffield, formerly manager of the
recording department for the Vocalion Division
of the Aeolian Co., has been appointed manager
of the mechanical reproduction department of
the Edward B. Marks Music Co.
Mr. Sheffield is well known in music publish-
ing and recording circles as well as in the concert
and vaudeville fields. He is an excellent mu-
sician and concert singer and spent many years
in the music centers of Europe. He is well
equipped for his new post and his experience
as a recording expert as well as his familiarity
with music trade conditions should stand him in
good stead.
The Edward B. Marks Music Co. announces
the reorganization of its standard publishing
department and greater stress is to be laid upon
the needs of the concert star and better class
singers generally as well as the teaching pro-
fession. This will not in any sense reduce the
activities of the popular field. It rather means
an expansion of the departments of what is
sometimes termed better class music.
Those who have taken upon themselves the
burden of purifying American music and purging
it of what they term jazz and other forms of
degrading music continue to be active in putting
forth propaganda that is calculated to reflect
upon American music as a whole, although per-
haps the reformers are more or less sincere in
their attitude from their own viewpoint.
The latest piece of propaganda is found in a
dispatch from Atlantic City which reads:
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., Oct. 13.—Jazz
is threatened by a musical counter-revo-
lution, led by Professor Peter W. Dykema
of the University of Wisconsin, famous musi-
cal authority of the United States, who this
week startled the country by his declaration
that the majority of Americans are no better
than African savages in their use of musical
instruments.
Delegates attending the Ninth Recreation
Congress under the auspices of the Play-
ground and Recreation Association of
America and Community Service today
passed a resolution declaring "it is vital
that immediate stimulus be given to creation
of a song literature embodying the finer
ideals of American life." The resolution
appealed to the "poets and composers of
the United States to devote themselves to
creating more worthy songs of the people."
"We are musically undernourished," de-
clared Professor Dykema. "America needs
good music as badly as Austria needs good
food. What better proof of this fact could
one ask than the haste with which the public
turns quickly from one bad popular song to
another in unconscious search for the songs
which will lastingly satisfy their musical
hunger? Good popular songs are those
which stress some fine and desirable aspect
of American life and by both music and
words awaken a sincere response in the
hearts of the people.
"I do not mean that good songs need
necessarily be 'high brow' songs. Let us
have lots of songs in lighter vein, songs of
humor, sport, friendship, love; songs that
express any ideal of American life, not only
its loftier moments."
A committee of five was chosen to direct
the campaign, including Professor Dykema,
C. M. Tremaine, Director of the National
Bureau for the Advancement of Music; Sig-
mund Spaeth, Mrs. Fred W. Abbott, Manag-
ing Director of the Philadelphia Music
League, and Kenneth S. Clark of the Bureau
of Community Music of the Community
Service.
The report reproduced is only one of similar
character that has appeared in daily papers the
past couple of years. Everyone appreciates the
desirability of the development and greater ap-
preciation for high-class music, but that is not
to say that all the so-called popular music of
the day is fit only for the trash basket. As
a matter of fact there is no real necessity for
any reform movement in American music, for
there is little or no jazz music being published
at the present time, 95 per cent of all current
songs being either melody numbers or popular
novelties.
While it is said that there are over 500 or-
JACK MILLS IN NEW ENGLAND
Jack Mills, of Jack Mills, Inc., left late last
week for a ten days' trade trip through New
England territory. He will feature the standard
seller, "Kitten on the Keys," and the fox-trot
novelty, "Deedle Deedle Dum," as well as in-
troduce some of the newer publications from
his catalog.
BECK WITH STARK & COWAN
Mort H. Beck, who for some months back
had been a member of the publishing firm of
Joe Mittenthal, Inc., has severed his connections
with that company and has joined the staff of
Stark & Cowan in the capacity of sales man-
ager. Mr. Beck is now making a trade trip
visiting dealers on the Pacific Coast and in
intervening territory.
A DIFFICULTY LOOMS UP
Litigation May Be the Result of Conflicting
"Homestead" Songs
The revival of the drama, "The Old Home-
stead," in motion picture form by the Famous
Players-Lasky Corp. has unearthed a conflict of
titles of songs written to be exploited in con-
junction with the exhibition of that motion pic-
ture. Phil Ponce, president of Phil Ponce Pub-
lications, alleges that he is the sole and exclusive
publisher of the waltz song, "The Old Home-
stead," written by Milt Hagen and authorized
to be used as the official musical theme of the
photoplay of the same name, which authoriza-
tion he claims was given him by the Famous
Players-Lasky Corp. There is at least one
other "The Old Homestead" song which may
involve the various publishers in litigation.
"IN A LITTLE TOWN NEAR BY" SCORES
One of the latest additions to the famous
Black & White Series of M. Witmark & Sons
is a song entitled "In a Little Town Near By,"
by Florence Turner Maley and Amy Ashmore
Clark. It was sung last week at the Strand
Theatre as the feature prologue and the music
theme to the showing of the photoplay "The
Bond Boy," in which Richard Barthelmess is
starred. The music, seemingly, fitted the pic-
ture perfectly. The prologue was staged and
sung in the usual artistic manner.
Eddie Lewis, prominent in musical and the-
atrical circles in Chicago, has been appointed
manager of the Chicago office of Jack Mills,
Inc.