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50
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Hopkins Plans to Stage
Real Jazz Opera Here
choral works, including his Persian cycle, "The
Divan of Haftz," Mr. Harling won an unex-
pected triumph at his Western opera premiere.
The Chicago audience not only cheered the com-
W. Franke Harl!ng and Laurence Stallings Sign poser but followed him into the lobby, where
Contracts With Producer for Serious Opera he was kissed by persons in the excited crowd
Entitled "Deep River"
until he fled to his hotel.
Mr. Harling was born in London and brought
Another step toward America's development as a child to Boston by his parents, Mr. and
of a native opera was taken in an upper room
Mrs. Joseph Harling. He played the piano at
of the Plymouth Theatre last week when W. eight years and at thirteen came to New York
Franke Harling, the musician, and Laurence as a chorister in the Grace Church Choir School.
Stallings, the playwright, signed contracts with At sixteen the boy's voice changed and he
Arthur Hopkins for a serious opera in three acts wished to quit music for business.
to be produced next season in New York.
His family sent him instead to London, where
News of the quiet meeting attracted attention he gained a scholarship in the Royal Academy
on Broadway, in view of Mr. Harling's recent
of Music, and later to Brussels to study har-
success in Chicago with the so-called "jazz" mony and composition with Theophile Ysaye,
opera, "A Light From St. Agnes." The name of
brother of the violinist, Eugene Ysaye. On re-
the new work is to be "Deep River," a title turn to America he was for a year the musical
taken from one of the most famous of Ameri- director at West Point. There he wrote "The
can negro spirituals.
Corps," now the official song of the United
" 'Deep River' will be even more inherently States Military Academy.
an American opera and a 'jazz' opera," Mr.
When the war broke out Harling was back
Harling said after his interview with the play- in Belgium with the brothers Ysaye. He com-
wright and manager. "The scene will be the posed an opera on Hauptmann's play "The
Louisiana of a generation before the Civil War, Sunken Bell," of which all but one act was lost
and from this you may see that some themes during his escape to Switzerland and later to
of the old 'spirituals' will naturally find a place America. On Broadway his reputation was
in the musical score."
chiefly made by the song "Everybody Is Uking
The book of the opera, it was announced, was the Uke."
already under way. Mr. Stallings, who will
supply the text, was the author jointly with
Maxwell Anderson of the war play, "What
Price Glory."
While Mr. Hopkins has hitherto confined his
activities as a producer to the dramatic stage, Worth of Music Prevents Number Becoming
he declared four years ago that when the op-
Common Despite Its Immense Popularity
portunity offered he would do "a strictly Ameri-
Throughout the Country
can opera, staged along entirely new lines." In
Harling and Stallings as collaborators Mr. Hop-
Fortunately for Irving Berlin's ballad love
kins, said yesterday he believed he had found song "Remember," it is of such good musical
the men who could bring to life an American form that the unusual and unsolicited popularity
form of opera which should be a true expression it has received has not in any measure served
of the American genius, and not "an echo from to make it common. The melody is really good
the opera houses of Europe."
music and the lyrics are unusual in their ap-
It was on December 6 that Harling's "A Light peal, and hardly can be cheapened because they
From St. Agnes" was sung for the first time by a.e currently popular.
the Chicago Civic Opera Company at the Audi-
Many weeks before this unusual number re-
torium in Chicago. It is a work in one act and ceived publicity in the daily press it was recog-
in English, and employs such "jazz" instruments nized by the theatrical and music profession as
as the saxophone, xylophone and banjo.
probably the best thing which had ever come
Known as a song writer and composer of
from Berlin's pen. In these earlier days it was
not only recorded as a waltz and as a vocal
selection by the leading talking machine record
companies, but it was scheduled for release in
Salable Copyrights! Best Reprints!
almost as many musical forms as it is possible
to record compositions.
"Remember" Hailed as
Berlin's Best Song
World Famous °
New Jack Mills Fox Trot
McKINLEY
* MUSIC *
"When Spring Comes Peeping Through," a
new fox trot by Al Bernard and Sammy Stept,
has been accepted for publication by Jack Mills,
Inc. The number, which is to be featured by
the Mills organization, should reach the height
of its popularity at an appropriate time when the
Spring season is on.
"Always First With the Beat"
BUY YOUR MUSIC FROM
50 New Numbers for 1926
and New Catalogs Now Ready!
BOSTON Publishers
JANUARY 30, 1926
Marks Music Go. Has
Two Popular Numbers
"Nothing Seems the Same" and "Reaching for
the Moon" to Be Backed by Big Exploitation
Campaign This Year.
The Edward B. Marks Music Co., which in re-
cent years has confined most of its activities to
production numbers and novelty high-class songs
with special emphasis on some selected foreign
compositions, has taken two popular songs and
arranged to exploit them on a wide scale.
These two songs, "Nothing Seems the Same"
(Without You) and "Reaching for the Moon,"
while popular, are said to be among the best
of present-day examples of the ballad. The fact
that the Marks firm is to give the numbers some
unusual publicity stamps them as other than
mediocre works.
The writers of these two numbers are among
the most consistent of present-day contributors
to popular catalogs. Benny Davis is not only
known for a long list of his successes but his
frequent appearances in motion picture and
vaudeville houses have done much to further
the popularity of his offerings. The co-author is
Jesse Greer, a young composer who will be
last remembered as the writer of "Freshie," re-
cently purchased by a large publishing house
and setting a new high mark in price.
"Nothing Seems the Same" and "Reaching
for the Moon" are to be made the plug num-
bers of the Marks catalog for 1926.
Triangle Blues Numbers
The Triangle Music Publishing Co. boasts of
being the world's largest blues publishers. Some
of the big selling blues songs on records pub-
lished by the Triangle are "What-Cha-Call 'Em,
Blues," "Carolina Stomp," "I Ain't Got No-
body," "Go Get ' Em, Caroline," "Florida
Stomp," "Dallas Blues," "South Street Blues"
and "Take It Easy." Other songs in the catalog
are "The Wreck of the Southern Old 97,"
"You're More Than a Pal to Me," "Don't Try
to Cry Your Way Back to Me," "My Hawaiian
Evenin' Star," "When it's Lovetime in Hawaii,"
"Dark Hawaiian Eyes" and "Hawaiian Sweet-
heart of Mine."
Don't Be Without
These Numbers
Brown Eyes,
Blue?
Smile a Little Bit
Normandy
Dream Pal
Tomorrow Mornin'
All the Hits from
"The Vagabond King
—by Rudolf Friml
Oliver Ditson Company
A Complete Stock of MUKIC at Very Low Cost.
1207 Assorted Piano Solos, Piano Duets,
Violin and Piano, Saxophone and Piano
Standard Songs.
EASY SELLING!
BIG PROFITS!
No Better Music,at Any Price.
Free Catalog* with Stock Orders
A complete stock of salable music at very
low cost.
Write for Samples and Terms Today!
McKinley Music Co.
15O1-1S17 East SSIti St.° - Chicago
BOSTON
NEW YORK
Anticipate and •upply Eyery Requirement of Music
Dealers
White-Smith Music Pub. Co.
Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co.
Strand Theatre Bldg.
New York
PuBLiiHtu, PKIHTKM AND EnciAviKi or Music
Vain Oftcei: 40-44 Winchester Sty Boatoo.
Branch Hotuea: New York and Cnicuro.
ROBERT TELLER SONS & DORNER
Music Engravers and Printers
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
311 Weit 43rd Street
New York City
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