Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
22
The Music Trade
entury
Review
most effective display of well-known songs. An
introductory order blank has been mailed to the
trade by Leo Feist, Inc., New York, and has
brought large numbers of advance orders.
Prizes Awarded in
Chamber Music Contest
SHEET MUSIC
is the message we are sending to
PHILADELPHIA, PA., October 20.—Prizes totaling
millions of people every day $10,000, offered more than a year ago by the
through the medium of 31 Best Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia for cham-
American Magazines directing the ber music compositions, were awarded here re-
readers to go to their dealers for cently by the board of judges. The winning
copies.
HOOK-UP
Fifteen cents a copy for the
Best existing Edition is the
reason why "CENTURY" is
Best selling Edition.
Century Music Pub. Co.
235 W. 40th St., New York City
E. B. Marks Secures
Two European Successes
composers are as follows: First prize, $6,000, di-
vided between Bela Bartok, Hungarian modern-
ist composer, and Alfredo Casella, one of the
leaders in the modern Italian school of com-
position, Second prize, $4,000, divided between H.
Waldo Warner, of London, and Carlo Jachino,
of Parma, Italy. The society received 643 com-
positions from all over the world and each
manuscript had a careful examination by the
judges, both individually and collectively. The
board of judges consisted of Willem Mengel-
berg, Fritz Reiner, Frederick A. Stock, Thad-
deus Rich, Samuel L. Laciar and Gilbert
Raynolds Combs.
Grass Increases Distribution
PHILADELPHIA, PA., October 22.—Enlarging on
OCTOBER 27, 1928
Of Course Love Is
the Universal Theme
But There Are Exceptions in Popular Song
Writing as Mr. Broun Will Remember if He
Thinks Awhile
Popular song writers are limited in this day
and age to but one theme, if they are to be
successful, and that is the thought,—"1 Love
You," according to Heywood Broun, erstwhile
dramatic critic and now columnist for the New
York Telegram and Scripps-Howard news-
papers. His column on Friday, October 19, was
devoted to a semi-serious discussion of this
subject, his observations being based on recent
conversations with Irving Caesar, Walter
O'Keefe and a score of years visiting musical
shows. He infers that the comedy song, the
geographic ditty, topical numbers, the "blues"
and others are no longer in demand.
Of course, he is not far from the truth, but
it seems to us that this has always been the
case. Furthermore, he might have said that
there are few successful plays, poems, movies
or novels that are without "love interest." There
is a very good reason why songs are written
this way, in view of the fact that the bulk of
sheet music buyers are in their teens and think
of little else.
Hundreds of exceptions come to mind, of
course, from the big songs of the past, and if we
had to fill as long a column as Mr. Broun we
would name some of them. All we can do is
to hope for more and better love songs with
occasionally a hit that old and young alike will
sing. Not so long ago, there was such a song,
that matched any best seller of the love ballad
variety. That number, probably carolled by
Mr. Broun, himself, who admits he is no singer,
was "Yes, We Have No Bananas." Not that
it matters.
its sheet music distribution business the whole-
sale department of M. Grass & Son, 27 South
"Don't Do That to the Poor Puss Cat" and 60th street, is now carrying all the publications
"Sunny Skies," British and Continental Suc- of the popular publishing houses so that the
cesses Issued by Firm
local dealers are able to secure any of these on
immediate delivery service. The sheet music
Among the various deals completed by Ed- department is now combined with the store at
ward B. Marks, head of the Ed. B. Marks the South 60th street address, having been re-
Music Co., New York, on his recent European moved from the old location at 1017 Sansoni
trip were two whereby he secured the American street. There also are being stocked for whole-
rights to the English hits, "Don't Do That to sale distribution a line of record envelopes for
the Poor Puss Cat," and "Sunny Skies." The the trade. A large radio department has been
iormer number was secured from Keith-Prowse developed in the store with the R C A, Atwater
An interesting fact has developed to the
& Co., Ltd., following negotiations in which Kent, Majestic, Zenith and Fada included in the effect that in a recent Movietone recorded by
about a dozen American publishers were stocks.
Van and Schenck, popular entertainers, six of
bidding for the song.
the seven numbers sung were written by Jack
Yellen and Milton Ager of the publishing firm
The British success of "Puss Cat," a comedy
of Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc., New York.
number, has proved well founded, as the song
is now in big demand in this country, and has
Another Sensational Hit
been featured by such big radio performers as
Publication rights to the number, "Dar-
B. A. Rolfe, Clicquot Club Eskimos, Happy
in THE WITMARK
Wonder Bakers, Jack Kaufman, •>. EUa Shields, danella," regarded by some as having been the
Smallc and Macy, Bert Tucker, Wise Shoe Men biggest hit-song commercially in the music
and others. It is a tribute to the number that business, have just been secured by Mills Music,
practically every artist using the song has given Inc., New York. The number, which was com-
it a different comic interpretation. Half a dozen posed by Fred Fisher, has been obtained from
American extra choruses have been inserted in the original publisher. Mills Music, Inc., expect
to reissue the song with up-to-date novelty ar-
the American edition.
"Sunny Skies" is a fox-trot ballad, with a rangements within a short time, and expect a
catchy melody. Mr. Marks heard about this renewed public interest in it in view of the
number in Paris from Noble Sissle of the team recording releases announced by the principal
of Sissle and Blake, who regarded it as his mechanical companies for the Fall.
biggest hit in Europe. Mr. Marks secured it
after making a special trip to London and found
BUY YOUR MUSIC FROM
it to be a popular, success there. He brought
back eight British records of "Sunny Skies" and
Americans who have heard them agree that it
is one of the most "danceable" melodies in
recent vears.
Mills Music, Inc., Secures
"Dardanella" Rights
BLACK & WHITE
SERIES
BOSTON
Oliver Ditson Company
New Feist Dance Folio
to Be Issued Soon
A new Feist dance folio, the first one in
about a year, is in preparation and wilPbe re-
leased on November 10, shortly after the na-
tional elections. The new folio, No. 2-A, will
contain such hits as "Ramona," "Blue Heaven,"
"Ohio Home," "You're a Real Sweetheart,"
"Last Night I Dreamed You Kissed Me," "Baby
Your Mother (Like She Babied You)" and
many more, thirty in all. An attractive title
page in seven colors has been prepared for the
folio and is expected to attract instant atten-
tion on dealers' counters. Reduced reproduc-
tions of the original title pages of the six above
numbers are contained on the cover, making a
BOSTON
NEW YORK
Anticipate and Supply Every Requirement of Music
Dealers
ROBERT TELLER SONS & DORNER
Music Engravers and Printers
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
TITLE FOB ESTIMATE
311 West 43rd Street
New York City
Can be had as follows
SOLO—4 keys, Ab («b to eb) B b - C and D
DUET—2 keyt, Bb and D
OCTAVO—Two Part, Three Part, Fom Part,
Male, Female and Mixed Voicei
Instrumental for Piano
The Dream Melody (Intermezzo) Waltz
Violin and Piano, Cello and Piano, Violin, Cello and
Piano
C-tf/VV PUBLISHER. OUR. REFERENCE
«^o e-s^i WRITE /="O/2 PRICES «*» ~ ~
2 0 5 4 W.LAKE ST. CHICAGO. ILL
VOCAL ORCHESTRA, DANCE ORCHESTRA, Walts,
BAND
M. WITMARK & SONS, NEW YORK