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IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
The Work of the American Standard
Publisher for the American Composer
This Must Be Considered in the Light of Music Advancement Campaigns—Industry
Going Through Temporary Period That Will Require Re-adjustments
\ I 7 A L T E R DAMROSCH recently stated
over the radio, in a moment of enthusiasm,
that with full control over musical broadcasting
programs for a period of three years he would
be able to have the housewife humming
Beethoven with her work and see the tired
business man enjoying Debussy with his cigar
in the evening.
No doubt Mr. Damrosch is overly optimistic.
One would think that there was a dearth of
good radio musical programs. Such is not
the case. Not only are there classical pro-
grams on the radio, but such musical programs
are available from many other sources. Par-
ticularly is this true of the thousands of
photoplay houses throughout the country cater-
ing to millions of people each week. Jazz
certainly does not predominate, either on the
radio or in the musical programs of motion
picture houses, and even in the popular pro-
grams only a portion of this musical material
can be termed of a jazzy variety.
One who is familiar with all of these musical
programs, which through radio and the motion
picture houses are heard by the bulk of the
nation, must concede that what are termed
better type of musical programs are being as-
similated by the nation in as large potions as
can be considered healthy. Any more drastic
programs of pushing forward the desire for
higher type music would undoubtedly produce
a reaction that would set such development
back for a lengthy period.
Furthermore, with such a program as Mr.
Damrosch evidently had in mind, what is to
become of the poor American composer? All
of these enthusiasts for the higher type mu-
sical programs seemingly are chiefly interested
in foreign compositions, with the greater stress
laid upon the old masters. All of this has its
place, but that place should not be so wide
in scope as to eliminate modern composers,
particularly modern American ones. Any such
widespread exclusive type of program as was
indicated by Mr. Damrosch's remarks certainly
allows no room for the encouragement or de-
velopment of either the present or the rising
generation of American musicians.
The American standard publishers are spend-
ing thousands of dollars each year in the
development of the American composer. In
the aggregate a wealth of material is issued
annually at heavy expense, making possible a
place for the oncoming generation of Ameri-
cans having gifts and 'inspiration for com-
position. This is a set program by all of the
leading American publishing houses and will
hardly be discarded.
With all of what is said to be the wide-
spread musical development of this nation, the
standard music publishers are making no real
gains in the development of their catalogs, and
this applies to their extensive catalogs of old
masters and other foreign compositions and
the more modern American compositions.
Neither do the standard music publishers' rec-
ords show any great gains in teaching pieces
of all descriptions, most of which are now
issued with modern characteristics. These are
musical arrangements which have been devised
for the purpose of materially aiding teacher
and student in the development of study.
While records do not show any great loss
in the sales of this type of standard music,
the fact that there has been no great gain in
the consumption of such works is a loss in
itself. Each year, if there were a more healthy
situation, the oncoming generation of new
students should swell the total of those mas-
tering the piano and other instruments. But
with the exception of the music issued for
modern instruments, the appeal of which is
The Convention of the
National Association
of Sheet M.usic Dealers
will be held at the
Hotel Stevens, Chicago
June 6, 7 and 8
chiefly based upon popular music, there arc
no great gains in music consumption.
The sales-promotion campaign of the Na-
tional Piano Manufacturers' Association, which,
as at present arranged, involves the expendi-
ture of $200,000 each year for a three-year
period, is so far the only recent constructive
move made to develop the dormant desire to
master the piano, and which, after all, is the
only method of measurably adding to the sale
of standard music publications. This latter
campaign and its relation to the music pub-
lisher and music publication dealer, as well as
the best method of co-operating in this pro-
gram, will be covered in these columns next
week.
As stated in these columns before, the only
real development in this country musically
that is producing an increase in sales of music
publications is that in conjunction with the
present vogue of the saxophone and other small
instruments. This vogue, to a large extent,
is based upon the appeal of popular music.
While there are considerable publications of
an instructive character that are published in
f
he interest of these instruments, the sales
other than these instruction books are generally
popular or semi-popular in appeal.
The records of popular publishers show that,
despite this new and large field of usefulness
ior their type of musical material, they are
making no gains in point of sales. The reason
for this is that the enthusiasm for small in-
struments has temporarily reduced the appeal
of the piano. Sales of piano copies of popular
music are well under 50 per cent of what was
at one time considered normal. There has
been a decided increase in orchestration sales,
which in a measure has helped the popular
publisher to bear his present burden, and this,
together with popular music material for small
39
instruments, has developed a business of con-
siderable volume.
Both the standard publisher and the popular
publisher are evidently going through a period
which, while it is hardly of a permanent
character, will be of sufficient length to require
substantial readjustments. These problems hit
the sources of supply more so than they do
the merchant and his consumer clientele. The
volume of the merchants' business should be,
as far as the amount of business done, about
the same as heretofore, probably with slight
increases. The merchant, however, must realize
this and make his own adjustments to care
for the trend in current taste. Most of this
he will also find is related to the music for
small instruments, such as saxophones, banjos,
ukuleles, etc., and most of it will be popular or
semi-popular in character.
Despite the fact that the old-time music mer-
chant's greatest love was for the piano, the
present situation has its compensations because
with present taste it means a large sale of
musical instruments, some of which run into
good sales figures and which is being developed
profitably by the alert merchant.
"Lady Do" Makes Hit
at New York Premiere
New Musical Comedy, Featuring Karyl Norman,
Is Published by Leo Feist, Inc.
"Lady Do," a new musical comedy, after suc-
cessful appearances in some nearby cities, had
iis New York premiere on Monday night of this
week. Karyl Norman, the female impersonator,
is the feature of this show and in fact the whole
production was written for his special type of
performance. The book is by Jack McClellan
;«nd Albert Cowles, the lyrics by Joe Lewis and
Sam Young and music by Abel Baer. Frank L.
Teller is the produoer.
Karyl Norman for years was a feature in
vaudeville. In more recent years his perfor-
mances were given in full stage with special
settings and well arranged musical programs.
Adapting himself to the more elaborate per-
formances of productions was, therefore, an
easy step.
"Lady Do" is in two acts and, aside from its
novelty as a musical piece, it has unusual merits.
Doubtless Norman will be hailed as the succes-
sor of Julian Eltinge who was quite famous in
his day. He is accompanied with a talented and
well-drilled chorus which halted the entertain-
ment on several occasions on the opening night.
The show was not only well received by the
audience but the morning papers showed that
the dramatic critics not only favored it but pre-
dicted a healthy run for the piece. The music
which is published by Leo Feist, Inc. includes
four outstanding songs namely "Lady Do,"
"Dreamy Montmartre," "Double Fifth Avenue'"
and "Blah! But Not Too Blue."
New Bloom Solos
Rube Bloom, popular pianist, has just placed
with the Triangle Music Publishing Co., two
piano solos, entitled ' "Sapphire" and "Silhou-
ette," Joe Davis, head of the Triangle Music Co.,
states that these two numbers have unusuai
possibilities, and are great follows-ups for the
previous novelties by the same writer, called
"Spring Fever" and "Soliloquy."
Consult the Universal Want Directory of
The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
free of charge for men who desire positions.