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THE
40
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
JANUARY 16, 1926
S Parade Of
*YOU CAJSrfr GO WRONG
WITH ANY FEIST'SONG
"Castles in the Air"
Proves Hit in Chicago
Music by Percy Wenrich Makes Strong Im-
pression on Audiences and Critics of Windy
City
"Castles in the Air," the new American oper-
etta now playing so successfully at the Olympic
Theatre in Chicago, has certainly won for itself
an unusual amount of space in the Chicago
press. The show, which has been running for
several weeks, has already reached the stage
of permanency and probably will continue to en-
tertain Windy City audiences for many months.
The music of the show is by Percy Wenrich
and the lyrics are by Raymond W. Peck, who is
also responsible for the book. It carries several
hits, the most important of which undoubtedly
is "Lantern of Love," closely followed by "Land
of Romance," "I Would Like to Fondle You,"
"Baby" and "First Kiss of Love," published by
Leo Feist, Inc.
A sample of the enthusiasm shown for this
new American operetta is reproduced below,
the work of Edward Moore in the Chicago
Daily Tribune, which appears under the caption
"Where Popular Music Scores."
"It may have been that an intensive period of
opera and concert left me more than commonly
sensitive to the delights of popular music, but
a visit to 'Castles in the Air,' at the Olympic
Theatre, the other night came near convincing
me that American popular music is the best
in the world. For the popular music of the
United States has done what the loftier browed
music is still in the process of doing. It has
crystallized into a definite manner, and in be-
coming characteristic it has also become good.
"Part of my pilgrimage abroad last Summer
was devoted to finding out what composers are
doing in their lighter moments, and it was
pretty nearly the most hopeless part of the
quest. If you want to know how dreary an
evening of bad popular music can be, try sitting
through one of the Follies Bergere shows in
Paris. Once, only once, there was a tune that
refreshed like a breeze on a Summer day. It was
'All Alone,' by Irving Berlin, translated into
French. But one good tune to an evening is
hardly enough. At the end of the first act I
was sunk without trace.
"Berlin was even worse. That city stands out
in memory as offering the most devastating light
opera score in the whole history of light opera
scores. If they want a good show there, they
revive an old one, preferably one by Johann
Strauss, which, of course, could not be improved
upon, but belongs to a past age.
"Italy does not seem to have much of any
popular music at all. It has Neapolitan street
songs, many of them, but in general the Italian
idea of a popular concert is a band that plays
the last act of 'La Gioconda,' and follows it with
the third act of 'La Boheme,' fine enough, some-
times extraordinarily well played, but not enter-
ing into this classification. Vienna, I presume,
will continue to turn out waltzes as long as
there is a city left there, and that is about all.
"Wherefore, by comparison as well as abso-
lutely, American popular music, with 'Castles
in the Air' as an uncommonly good specimen of
the type, is a delight. It is not that it is jazzy:
'Castles in the Air' uses about as little jazz as
any of the later pieces. I was also able to re-
main fairly calm during the folk dances of the
second act, which would seem to belong to the
correspondence school of folk dancing. Most
of the rest was charming, even stimulating to
one who has always believed that by far the
most important part of music is the melody up-
on which it is based."
"Tiny Town" Proves Strong
Feature for the Holidays
Edward B. Marks Music Co. Reports Great
Popularity of Song Among Juvenile Element
The Edward B. Marks Music Co. has found that
the Christmas season was a great help in putting
over their new feature number, "Tiny Town."
As its title indicates, this is a novel tune, with
a particularly strong juvenile appeal, although it
does not come in the category of "kid" songs
in the regular sense of the word.
It is from the German "Liliput," by Frederick
Hollander, with the American adaptation and
orchestration by Phil Boutelje. The lyrics are
the work of Herbert Fields, one of that trium-
virate of Hart, Rodgers & Fields, and, inci-
dentally, a son of the well-known actor, Lew
Fields.
The Marks concern was fortunate in tying up
"Tiny Town" in a good many Christmas presen-
tations in department stores, theatres, community
centers and other organizations that find its
novel rhythm and lyric particularly appropriate
for such affairs. Wherever children or midgets
are utilized in this connection it is particularly
suitable, as was that earlier Marks number,
"Parade of the Wooden Soldiers."
Aside from this, "Tiny Town" has shown most
unusual appeal as a dance number and is being
broadcast very frequently from every radio
station.
C. E. Summers Bitten
by the Florida Fever
Summers & Son, the well-known music deal-
ers operating several stores in Ohio and Ken-
tucky, including Jackson, Portsmouth, Chilli-
cothe, Wellston, McArthur, O., and Ashland,
Ky., are the publishers of a new popular num-
ber called "Florida, Here I Am," the words and
music of which are by C. E. Summers, a mem-
ber of the firm. This is not the first offering
by this writer, but it seemingly is the most
timely. It is quite melodious and inasmuch as
Florida is in the limelight at the present time
the lyrics should have a widespread appeal.
Studying North Carolina
Folk Songs and Ballads
Robert W. Gordon, of Harvard University, Mak-
ing Extended Investigation in This Field
ASHEVILLE, N. C, January 9.—Robert W. Gordon,
of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., and a
native of Massachusetts, is in western North
Carolina making a special study of native bal-
lads and folk songs of this section. While here
Mr. Gordon is the guest of the Rev. Clarence
Stuart McClellan, Jr., at the Old Calvary rec-
tory, Fletcher.
Mr. Gordon is on a tour of the United States,
the Boston Globe says, and is collecting for Har-
vard much valuable data about the native songs
and hymns of the United States. Articles per-
taining to ballads and folk songs by Mr. Gordon
have appeared in print. He is an author well
known in this particular field of research.
Many of the leading American magazines and
newspapers will this coming year bring out ar-
ticles by Mr. Gordon, and it is expected that in
the near future, with the Rev. Mr. McClellan,
who has much valuable material on "Dixie,"
given him by the administrator of the Emmett
estate, Mr. Gordon will bring out in book form
the real story of the origin of the South's most
famous song.
Mr. Gordon has recently been in California
and the West, there collecting American songs
and ballads. He will tour the entire South, and
will gather many of the negro spirituals.
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.
School, Lodge and
Assembly Marches
March Victorious
(Habol M«tEr«>r-Wrlrht)
Pacific Patrol
(Hab«l M«t«»er-Wrlrht)
Reliance March
(Clifford)
Victorious Eagle
(Rose?)
American Beauty March
(Williams)
Knights of Columbus March
(Clifford)
Valiant Volunteers
(Hahol M«tir«>r-Wrlrht)
Ordmr Through Jobber or Direct
Hinds, Hayden & Eldredge, Inc.
Publithmr*
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