Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1923 1909

23
PRESTO
February 24, 1923
THE SONG FACTORY
SHEET MUSIC TRADE
TO PUBLISHERS
reckoning up their fees and commissions. It will be
one of those occasions described in the best literary
circles as felicitous and auspicious, and a good time
will be had by all."
Philadelphia has nearly a million of song-singers
and not a few "poicks" and melody makers. All other
big cities are similarly and proportionately equipped.
Here, then, is a tip to fortune, for the song-writers
and publishers. Or perhaps one song printed in spe-
cial editions, with changes only in the name of the
town, might do.
Tin Pan Alley Plant, Where Syncopated Mel-
odies Are Concocted, Described by News-
paper Writer, With Particulars of Methods
of "Plugging" for Popularity.
Just off the bright lights of Broadway is a side
street where the passerby hears an incessant chorus
THE COMBINED CIRCULATION
of melodies, some by minstrel shouters, ballad sing-
OF PRESTO (EST. 1884), AND MUS-
ers, quartets and deep bass soloists. This is Tin Pan
Alley, where they manufacture popular songs, says
ICAL TIMES (EST. 1881), IS BY FAR
the New York Times, which follows the processes
THE LARGEST IN THE FIELD OF
in the making of syncopated melodies and fitting or
THE MUSIC TRADE. COMBINA-
misfitting them with lyrics.
The article gives a glimpse of the inside of a song
TION RATES OF SPECIAL AT-
factory, where ragtime pianists are pounding jingles
TRACTIVENESS FOR ADVERTIS-
into song hits. All around the spacious floor are
ING SPACE IN BOTH PAPERS
piano rooms, from which a musical hodge-podge
WILL BE MADE TO MUSIC PUB- Remick's "Carolina in the Morning" Continues to Be winds its way. Men and women are passing in and
out of these compartments, some going to the pro-
LISHERS.
the Biggest Seller There.
fessional department for copies and orchestrations oi
the numbers selected, others stopping to chat with
I.
E.
Sklare,
manager
of
the
Remick
Song
&
Gift
This department is designed to advance the sales
men who appear to be floor-walkers but who, in real-
of sheet music, and give any current information in Shop, Portland, Ore., says there is no let-up in the ity, are the watching and waiting song writers, ever
demand
for
"Carolina
in
the
Morning,"
and
it
is
still
the Sheet Music Trade.
ready to talk up the merits of their songs to per-
This publication believes that Sheet Music will their big seller, although they have a number of pop- formers.
ular
new
hits
that
are
going
well,
among
them
"In
pay the dealer, just as any other commodity pays
The professional song writer still clings to that
Fair Hawaii," "I Can't Forget and Forgive," "No-
those who merchandise it properly.
"public be blasted" policy, because experience has
body
Knows
but
Me
and
My
Pillow,"
and
"Missis-
The conductor of this department will review
taught him that, if enough performers will din his
any numbers that are sent in for the purpose. It is sippi Choo Oioo," which have recently appeared.
song into the ears of his countrymen, they will sing
The
Forster
Music
Co.,
Chicago,
was
represented
not the intent to criticise, but to review these offer-
it over the hills and far away to popularity, says the
last
week
in
Portland,
Ore.,
by
Sid
Bosley,
who
ings, giving particular information of the theme and
writer in the Times, who continues:
called
on
all
the
sheet
music
dealers
there.
Mr.
Bos-
a description of the musical setting of the number
Over on one side is June Rose, vaudeville head-
ley
says
that
"Thru
the
Night"
is
receiving
big
orders
discussed.
liner, talking to a staff writer. She is saying, "I'm
everywhere.
"Fuzzy,
Wuzzy
Bird,"
by
Harold
Address all communications to Conductor Sheet
going to use one of your songs, Ed, but I want a few
Music Dept, Presto, 407 S. Dearborn, Chicago, 111. Weeks, is well received in Portland as are all of minutes' rapid-fire talk leading up to it." Ed knows
Weeks' numbers. Another number that has im-
pressed the dealers is "Broken Hearted Melody" and
big orders were given for it in anticipation of its
being a big hit.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiimi
SONGS PORTLAND, ORE., LIKES
DEAF COMPOSER RELEASED
C. Leroy Henderson's Release Brought About by
Cyrena Van Gordon.
C. Leroy Henderson, 28 years old, deaf song writer
of Chicago, under a six months' sentence for peddling
songs on the streets without a license, was released
from St. Clair county jail in Belleville, 111., Feb. 17.
Henderson's release was brought about by Cyrena
Van Gordon, member of the Chicago Grand Opera
company, who sings ballads written by him and who
is visiting in St. Louis. She engaged an attorney,
who effected his release. The lawyer declared Hen-
derson apparently was tried and convicted without
being advised that he was on trial. He had been in
jail about a week.
It was said that Henderson enjoys the singing of
operatic, artists by finger contact with the neck tissue
surrounding their vocal cords and can identify songs
which he has "Ireard" previously.
SUBJECT FOR POP SONG
Philadelphia Newspaper Suggests Theme for Woo-
ing Quaker City Politicians to Rest.
Won't some obliging song writer sit him down at
the old music box and thump out a lively tune for
the brain-fagged politicians, whose thoughts sweetly
turn to Florida at this time of year? asks the Phila-
delphia Daily Leader. We have a lot of "I-wanna-be"
melodies praising "old Kentuck' " and "Tennessee"
and "California," and any old State for which you
can find a rhyme. So let's have a "I wanna-be—in
St. Lucie—where the great big tarpon rise—beneath
those Southern skies-^a bootleg paradise," etc., etc.,
ad lib., with a patter chorus.
"Some of our very busiest preservers of the Repub-
lic," continues the Leader, "are even now preparing
to escort their weary brains, fatigued with the multi-
plicities of public business, on a personally conducted
tour to the home of the 'Last Man Club' at St. Lucie.
Councilman Hall will cease from troubling over
transit and the Mayor, his pet antipathies, for ten
days or so, while Register Campbell and Treasurer
Watson will be at rest from their arduous duties of
BUYS EILERS SPOKANE MUSIC.
Following the account of the purchase of the sheet
music stock of the Oregon Eilers Music House by
Louis Mack, of Portland, Ore., comes the news of the
purchase of the sheet music of the defunct Spokane
Eilers Music House by Bailey's, Inc., 818 Sprague
avenue, Spokane, Wash. The purchase was made by
W. E. Bailey at the first day of the receiver's sale
conducted by a manager of the Spokane & Eastern
Trust Co. The stock, valued at $15,000, contains a
lot of classical music.
"GOOD-BY, BABE."
While George Herman Ruth, a gentleman of some
little baseball prominence, kissed Baby Dorothy and
Mrs. Ruth good-by as he left Chicago for Hot
Springs to start training, this week, an admirer
among the crowd at the station slid a copy of "Babe
Ruth" under the strap of the baseball star's suitcase.
"Babe Ruth" is one of the latest hits of Herbert J.
Gott, music publisher, 177 N. State street, Chicago.
7 FOREMOST SELLERS
RAYNEB, DALIjEIM 6 Ca
Including "JONAH"
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
A WHALE OF
A SONG
"I'd Give It All for You"
"Honey" (An Alabama Lullaby)
"If It Makes Any Difference to You"
"Dear Heart, Tell Me Why"
"In Candy Land with You"
"My Days Remember"
"Sweet Norah Daly"
"Tea Rose" (Japanese Romance)
"Stop Looking At Me"
"Dance Me On Your Knee"
"Alanna Macree"
"Misty Moon"
"Jonah"
ELIZA DOYLE SMITH
Music Publishers
59 East Van Buren St.
CHICAGO
BABE RUTH
Just Foolin' With You
That Wonderful Sweetie of Mine
You're the One Little Girl for Me
Love of the Ages
Dreaming of Love's Old Dream
When I Dream That Auld Erin Is Free
HERBERT J. GOTT
Music Publisher
1 7 7 No. Stafe 6 t .
CHICAGO
9est
ANY PUBLISHER x
OUR REFERENCE
13-Our Lucky-13
- WORK DONE BY
ALL PROCESSES
2054-2060 W.Lake St., Chicago, 111.
REMICK SONG HITS
Nobody Lied
Sweet Indiana Home
My Buddy
California
Tomorrow Will Be Brighter
Than Today
Carolina in the Morning
Silver Swanee
Childhood Days
When Shall We Meet Again
Lovable Eyes
Out of the Shadows
Your Eyes Have Told Me So
Dixie Highway
Just a Little Blue
Polly
J. H. REMICK & CO.
New York
Chicago
Detroit
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
24
PRESTO
every well-known act by heart, so he writes a line of
chatter for June Rose—gratis, of course. Another
performer enters and offers to use a song if the writer
will switch the scenery. "You see," he explains, "I
work with a drop showing a Main Street scene, and
your sono: is written around an apple orchard in
Maine." The obliging song waiter shifts the scenery
so that his song can win another adherent.
Many-Sided Activities.
The requirements of a pair doing a sister act in
vaudeville, the wants of the manager of a burlesque
show, are met by the song factory. Teaching the
burlesque "ponies" to sing the accepted number is
usually in the contract. '"This is one of a few of the
odd jobs a writer must do for the sake of his songs.
Writing ragtime ditties is the easiest part of the har-
mony business. Successful song writers put in longer
hours in song factories than plumbers or bricklayers
devote to their tasks," is the statement. How a song
is accepted is told:
Do you see those two excitable fellows talking to
the professional manager? They are a couple of free-
lance writers pleading for a new song they have just
invented. There they go into one of the piano rooms
to demonstrate the number, If the professional man-
ager likes it, he will cull in song pluggers, stenog-
raphers, officials of the company, performers, the
porter, anybody, just so long as he can get a diversi-
fication of opinion. Every song "plugged" for a hit
costs more than $5,000, so a music publisher cannot
accept everything that rhymes. But if that song
those writers are demonstrating- is accepted, it will
be tried out in an act, the professional manager will
go to hear it, and if it "knocks them off their seats,"
those boys have a chance at a hit because their song
will be "plugged." And "plugged" is Tin Pan Alley
terminology for "advertised."
Many songs are accepted because the first demon-
stration by song-writers skilled in the art enthuses
the publisher to such an extent that he calls for a
music arranger to take down the melody, gets a sten-
ographer to make out contracts and a substantial
check as advance money against royalties that never
accrue. In fact, some song manufacturers now rec-
ognize the opportunity to beguile them with a skillful
demonstration. Therefore they make it a rule to
have all numbers played by an uninterested person
before acceptance. I know one, in particular, who
insists on this.
Hard for Amateurs.
And just as the literary rhymesters worry weary
editors, so do amateur song-writers plague Tin Pan
Alley manufacturers with song-poems. But the syn-
copated art requires more than the acquisition of a
sheet of foolscap, a penny pencil and State Hospital
mentality. Probably the best way to sustain this
contention is to compare popular song writing with
advertising. A song hit is just a clever ad. set to
music.
The aspiring ad. man is compelled to live in the
atmosphere of an advertising agency; he has to min-
gle with the makers of publicity; he must study mar-
kets and watch competitors; likewise, must a white
hope song writer study theatrical performers, their
methods, their ragtime desires. He needs the good-
will of performers so that he can assist in "plug-
ging" his compositions, which, by the way, is some-
thing every music publisher expects when he accepts
a song. The more performer friends a song writer
has, the more songs he lands in Tin Pan Alley.
Then again, the amateur must learn the most effec-
tive method of stage presentation for popular songs;
he must help the performer pull down the house with
every line; he should know what words sing easily
on high notes and what combination of syllables to
avoid so that an actor does not tie his tongue into
knots when syncopating over the footlights.
Plugging for Popularity.
This, and similar knowledge, can only be acquired
by serving an apprenticeship in Tin Pan Alley. Song-
writers are recruited from the ranks so it is useless
for an amateur to mail song poems to music pub-
lishers. Most of the recognized song writers were
song "pluggers" or piano players for publishers be-
fore arriving at their goal and it is more than likely
February 24, 1923
that Tin Pan Alley will always pick her masters in
that way
Many people criticize the popular songs o[ today
and sometimes rightly so, but beautiful poetry, if set A Few Items Interesting to People in Sheet Music
to popular music, would sound like a Babylonian jar-
Department Are Printed.
gon. The masses have only a musical voice range
of eight notes, so what can a ragtime king do but
The Shuck Music Co., Glendale, Cal., carries a fine
pass out musical baby food to his subjects? Many
successful Tin Pan Alley writers have exceptional stock of classical and popular music. Particular at-
musical ability and could, without a doubt, produce tention is given to the professional and teacher busi-
creditable musical compositions, but if you should ask ness in music and books.
them why they do not strive for the better, they xv'-U F. G. Council, "The Music Man," conducts the.
inform you that: "Wagner died broke. Irving
Berl'n
music department of the Brook Mays Piano
has a million dollars." What do they care i f poster- sheet
ity fails to applaud their musical labors. They are Co., Dallas, Tex.
A biographical course dealing with the lives of
eating three square meals now.
great composers has been latm'ched by the University
of California.
CARL FISCHER DIES.
F. C. Mills, chairman of the executive board of
Carl Fischer, founder and head of the music pub- the Music Publishers' Protective Association, is en-
lishing and musical instrument business bearing his joying a vacation in Cuba.
' • i
name at 48 Cooper Square, New York, died Feb. 14,
Schmoller & Mueller Piano Co., Lincoln, 1 -NebJj fe?
at his home in the Althorpe Apartments, 2211 Broad- installing a sheet music department.
- ^/; , * '
way. He had suffered from diabetes for over a year.
The annual meeting of the American Society of
Mr. Fischer was born in Germany and came to this Composers, Authors and Publishers will be held
country when a young man. He established his March 1 at Keene's Chop House, New York.
business in 1872 and up to about a month ago took
an active part in its management. He leaves three
daughters and a son, Walter, who succeeds to the
JAZZES JAZZ.
business in which he has been a partner of his father
Another blow has been dealt to jazz. Dr. Ruby
for several years. Mr. Fischer was a sterling charac- Cunningham of the hygiene department of the Uni-
ter in the mystic industry and trade, and he leaves a versity of California, Berkeley, Cal., wields the ham-
name high among New York's business men.
mer this time, against it. "Jazz," she says, "is in-
jurious. It addle's one's best senses and disturbs
F. F. Lapham, of Grosvenor & Lapham, Chicago, poise." Dr. Cunningham declared that a high type of
has been re-elected vice chairman of the Illinois Re- emotional expression is beneficial. Jazz, she says,
lations Committee of the Chicago Chamber of Com- appeals to the primitive instinct and is a low type of
merce.
expression.
SHEET MUSIC TRADE NOTES
THE KOHLERINDUST
of NEW YORK
AFFILIATED
COMPANIES
an ufactoring for the trade
Upright and Grand Pianos
Player Pianos
Reproducing Pianos
Auto De Luxe Player Actions
Standard Player Actions
Art De Luxe Reproducing Actions
Parts and Accessories
Wholesale Chicago Office and Service
San Francisco Office
462 Thelan building
Departments
KOHLER INDUSTRIES
1222 KIMBALL B U I L D I N G
CHICAGO
THE BOOK THAT SELLS PIANOS
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
Contains Complete Lists with Concise Classification and Description of a
American Pianos, Players and Reproducing Pianos, with Sketches of theif
Makers. Edition for 1923 now ready. Price 50 cents, post paid.
NO PIANO DEALER OR PROSPECT CAN AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT IT.
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.,
407 S. Dearborn St., CHICAGO
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/

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