Music Trade Review
Issue: 1910 Vol. 51 N. 25 - Page 48
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE: MUSIC TRADE
of them—is lack of reputation and means to obtain
necessary advertising. Granting a song is at least
fair, there is a chance of making it a good seller
by merely advertising it extensively. The best
means of bringing it to the attention of the public
is to have it sung by a considerable number of per-
formers. Vaudeville headliners are probably the
EDWARD LYMAN BILL < Editor and Proprietor best "boosters" for the ditties, as they face four-
teen or more audiences a week. Some assert it is
J. B. SPILLANE, Mauging Editor
better to have the composition given in a musical
R.W.SIMMONS. Editor Music S«clloa
comedy on the "legitimate" stage, because of the
influence exerted by this, kind of amusement upon
rafclkdw* BTMT Safrfay at 1 MaaH— A w n . Wtw York
the public and the advanced price the publisher
lUIKUPTION, (Includlnf poata*«), United Btmtm and can then command. The services of headliners is
Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada, $1.50; all ether ooon-
trlet, $4.00.
difficult to procure. Acquaintance with them helps
considerably, as songs are often used out of favor
Tclcphoaea-Number* 4077 and 4678 Grunerey
Connecting all Departments
to the composer or publisher. Many times, of
course, the singers are paid to use the song. The
NEW YORK, D E C E M B E R 1 7 , l t l t
canary-voiced entertainers, however, are not averse
to singing a number when it is given for their ex-
clusive use. Unless the performer is of the very
1
All matter o every nature intended
first rank the restriction would be inadvisable, for
for this department should be addressed
better a large number of persons using the song
The Editor Music Section Music Trade
for public hearing than one favored person.
Review, 1 Madison Avenue, New York.
COMMENTS B Y
One of the best expositions of actual details of
song writing and the difficulty as well as the means
of getting a song into the public's favor, together
with the real results likely to accrue therefrom—•
one of the best articles written in years on this sub-
ject was published recently in The Morning Tele-
graph. Usually writers who have attempted to
deal with the matters concerned have made ex-
travagant statements, or have shown that they did
not know the inside workings of the publishing of
popular songs. The writer of the article men-
tioned, Herman Bernard, proves that he knows
whereof he writes, and we cannot refrain from
presenting his article where more of those in-
timately interested may see it, as below:
When the average man sits down to write a pop-
ular song he is working against a big obstacle. The
chances are that his song will never become pop-
ular. There are many mountains to climb before
one can achieve success for one's song, and prom-
inent among them—if not the most important of all
CHAS. DILLINGHAM
PRESENTS
ELSIE JANIS
IN
"THE SLIM
PRINCESS"
BOOK BY HENRY BLOSSOM
MUSIC BY
LESLIE STUART
Many Details to Be Watched.
A man with a reputation may rest on his oars,
but he who has yet to gain the recognition of the
public must get out and work. He must see to it
Various Ways of Advertising.
The rub comes when persons take the popular that his song is used by several performers, and
song seriously. It is merely a composition meant must attend to details that are so numerous and
for a short life, and even the writers themselves tedious that even to tell of them would be a task.
do not expect it to live long. It is true, of course, The publisher doesn't pay much attention to the
that many of our successful compositions in this new man, generally, for he relies for his notable
field do not possess merit. Sometimes they have successes on the writer with a name. You can't
but a single catchy line in the lyrics or music, but blame him, either, for he knows his business and
that, with much publicity, is sufficient to attract is acting according to his intimate experience. The
new writer, however, has a chance of attaining a
popular attention. Aside from the usual means of
advertising there are others that the public does not position in the field of song writing if he has a
generally use. For instance, there was a song good song and works diligently for its advance-
published several months ago that contained this ment. The drawback is that the man hasn't the
line: "She's for me and I'm for she." Those who time to devote to pushing the song to the exclusion
try to claim for the popular song more than it of almost all other business, which the occasion
deserves may be shocked at this solecism and may would demand. First of all there will not be much
venture to assert that the writers of popular songs money in the venture, even if it be a success, for
to-day are ignoramuses; but it is easy to under- the writer is lucky to get a cent a copy for every
stand that the man who penned the above line could song sold.
have twisted it so as to make it good English and
(Note.—The remaining half of this interesting
still maintain a rhyme. The error was intentional article will be published in The Review next week.
and with an eye to the public's eye, for anyone In full, the article will be found to answer in clear,
hearing the faulty line will remember it and prob- terse statements, nearly every point on which the
ably associate it with the title of the song, so that song writing beginner is not posted. We are con-
(he line which at first seemed like a grievous mis- stantly in receipt of letters asking information on
take really turns out to be nothing more than the just such points, and shall be glad to have it
SOME OF OUR REAL HITS
" UNDER T H E Y U M Y U M TREE "
" I ' L L LEND YOU E V E R Y T H I H C I ' V E G O T "
" I LOVE IT "
" M Y SOUTHERN
ROSE"
" K E E P YOUR FOOT ON T H E SOFT P E D A L '
"THE
C U B M O L A GLIDE ' (.^^.St.)
HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUBUSHIN6 COMPANY
*°SK%t l K L o"»& T O
The Most Beautiful Child Song Written
In Years.
"I WANT TO BUY A
LITTLE BIT OF
LOVE"
PUBLISHED BY
By Chas. K. Harris
CHAPPELL (Si CO., Ltd.
CHAS
K HARRIS Columbia Theatre Bldg.
l f I l A » . IV. n A F i n i d , Broadway and 47th Si.
LONDON
NEW YORK
MELBOURNE
perpetration of a scheme which the writer had for"'
commanding the attention of the public. It wa£
an advertising plan; nothing more. What writer'
of ditties will not sacrifice good English for good-
advertisement?
/y
Much material purporting to be the true exposi-
tion of the writing of popular songs has been,
. printed, and only too often it has come from th^'
pen of the press agent, who tells of his employe^,
writing fifteen songs in an hour and having ten
hits out of the bunch. It is true, however, thai,
songs are sometimes produced at marvelous speeds
There is seldom any necessity, however, for a,
writer to turn out a song in less than a day, and
generally this is plenty of time for him to do a
good piece of work. People are wont to remark'
about the ease with which a song writer makes his
money, but the fact is that in writing the composi-
tion, except in the cases of the immensely popular
authors, lies one of the least efforts of the under-
taking.
MEYER COHEN, Mgr.
125 West* 43d Street, New York City
They are all here, from
"Hey, Diddle, Diddle," to
"Here We Go 'Round the
Mulberry Bush I"—And the
quieter, sweeter songs like
Emmett's "Lullaby" have a
place in the book, too.
These songs are the ones
that children the world over
have loved, and the ones that
older people with young
hearts have delighted in, as
well. This collection is the
most complete collection of
children's songs published,—
and yet its price, attractively
bound, is but 50 cents.
HINDS. NOBLE & ELDREDGE, 31-35 West 15th Street, New York
|A
IU
C
SHEET MUSIC
DEPARTMENT
WILL ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR STORE
ANY OTHER MEDIUM YOU COULD EMPLOY THAN
Write for catalogue and particulars as to how to
make a sheet music department a money-maker
Address nearest office
McKINLEY MUSIC CO., 185 Harrison St., Chicago, III.
NO. 80 FIFTH AVENUE, NEV> YORK, N. Y .
THE: MUSIC TRADE
of them—is lack of reputation and means to obtain
necessary advertising. Granting a song is at least
fair, there is a chance of making it a good seller
by merely advertising it extensively. The best
means of bringing it to the attention of the public
is to have it sung by a considerable number of per-
formers. Vaudeville headliners are probably the
EDWARD LYMAN BILL < Editor and Proprietor best "boosters" for the ditties, as they face four-
teen or more audiences a week. Some assert it is
J. B. SPILLANE, Mauging Editor
better to have the composition given in a musical
R.W.SIMMONS. Editor Music S«clloa
comedy on the "legitimate" stage, because of the
influence exerted by this, kind of amusement upon
rafclkdw* BTMT Safrfay at 1 MaaH— A w n . Wtw York
the public and the advanced price the publisher
lUIKUPTION, (Includlnf poata*«), United Btmtm and can then command. The services of headliners is
Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada, $1.50; all ether ooon-
trlet, $4.00.
difficult to procure. Acquaintance with them helps
considerably, as songs are often used out of favor
Tclcphoaea-Number* 4077 and 4678 Grunerey
Connecting all Departments
to the composer or publisher. Many times, of
course, the singers are paid to use the song. The
NEW YORK, D E C E M B E R 1 7 , l t l t
canary-voiced entertainers, however, are not averse
to singing a number when it is given for their ex-
clusive use. Unless the performer is of the very
1
All matter o every nature intended
first rank the restriction would be inadvisable, for
for this department should be addressed
better a large number of persons using the song
The Editor Music Section Music Trade
for public hearing than one favored person.
Review, 1 Madison Avenue, New York.
COMMENTS B Y
One of the best expositions of actual details of
song writing and the difficulty as well as the means
of getting a song into the public's favor, together
with the real results likely to accrue therefrom—•
one of the best articles written in years on this sub-
ject was published recently in The Morning Tele-
graph. Usually writers who have attempted to
deal with the matters concerned have made ex-
travagant statements, or have shown that they did
not know the inside workings of the publishing of
popular songs. The writer of the article men-
tioned, Herman Bernard, proves that he knows
whereof he writes, and we cannot refrain from
presenting his article where more of those in-
timately interested may see it, as below:
When the average man sits down to write a pop-
ular song he is working against a big obstacle. The
chances are that his song will never become pop-
ular. There are many mountains to climb before
one can achieve success for one's song, and prom-
inent among them—if not the most important of all
CHAS. DILLINGHAM
PRESENTS
ELSIE JANIS
IN
"THE SLIM
PRINCESS"
BOOK BY HENRY BLOSSOM
MUSIC BY
LESLIE STUART
Many Details to Be Watched.
A man with a reputation may rest on his oars,
but he who has yet to gain the recognition of the
public must get out and work. He must see to it
Various Ways of Advertising.
The rub comes when persons take the popular that his song is used by several performers, and
song seriously. It is merely a composition meant must attend to details that are so numerous and
for a short life, and even the writers themselves tedious that even to tell of them would be a task.
do not expect it to live long. It is true, of course, The publisher doesn't pay much attention to the
that many of our successful compositions in this new man, generally, for he relies for his notable
field do not possess merit. Sometimes they have successes on the writer with a name. You can't
but a single catchy line in the lyrics or music, but blame him, either, for he knows his business and
that, with much publicity, is sufficient to attract is acting according to his intimate experience. The
new writer, however, has a chance of attaining a
popular attention. Aside from the usual means of
advertising there are others that the public does not position in the field of song writing if he has a
generally use. For instance, there was a song good song and works diligently for its advance-
published several months ago that contained this ment. The drawback is that the man hasn't the
line: "She's for me and I'm for she." Those who time to devote to pushing the song to the exclusion
try to claim for the popular song more than it of almost all other business, which the occasion
deserves may be shocked at this solecism and may would demand. First of all there will not be much
venture to assert that the writers of popular songs money in the venture, even if it be a success, for
to-day are ignoramuses; but it is easy to under- the writer is lucky to get a cent a copy for every
stand that the man who penned the above line could song sold.
have twisted it so as to make it good English and
(Note.—The remaining half of this interesting
still maintain a rhyme. The error was intentional article will be published in The Review next week.
and with an eye to the public's eye, for anyone In full, the article will be found to answer in clear,
hearing the faulty line will remember it and prob- terse statements, nearly every point on which the
ably associate it with the title of the song, so that song writing beginner is not posted. We are con-
(he line which at first seemed like a grievous mis- stantly in receipt of letters asking information on
take really turns out to be nothing more than the just such points, and shall be glad to have it
SOME OF OUR REAL HITS
" UNDER T H E Y U M Y U M TREE "
" I ' L L LEND YOU E V E R Y T H I H C I ' V E G O T "
" I LOVE IT "
" M Y SOUTHERN
ROSE"
" K E E P YOUR FOOT ON T H E SOFT P E D A L '
"THE
C U B M O L A GLIDE ' (.^^.St.)
HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUBUSHIN6 COMPANY
*°SK%t l K L o"»& T O
The Most Beautiful Child Song Written
In Years.
"I WANT TO BUY A
LITTLE BIT OF
LOVE"
PUBLISHED BY
By Chas. K. Harris
CHAPPELL (Si CO., Ltd.
CHAS
K HARRIS Columbia Theatre Bldg.
l f I l A » . IV. n A F i n i d , Broadway and 47th Si.
LONDON
NEW YORK
MELBOURNE
perpetration of a scheme which the writer had for"'
commanding the attention of the public. It wa£
an advertising plan; nothing more. What writer'
of ditties will not sacrifice good English for good-
advertisement?
/y
Much material purporting to be the true exposi-
tion of the writing of popular songs has been,
. printed, and only too often it has come from th^'
pen of the press agent, who tells of his employe^,
writing fifteen songs in an hour and having ten
hits out of the bunch. It is true, however, thai,
songs are sometimes produced at marvelous speeds
There is seldom any necessity, however, for a,
writer to turn out a song in less than a day, and
generally this is plenty of time for him to do a
good piece of work. People are wont to remark'
about the ease with which a song writer makes his
money, but the fact is that in writing the composi-
tion, except in the cases of the immensely popular
authors, lies one of the least efforts of the under-
taking.
MEYER COHEN, Mgr.
125 West* 43d Street, New York City
They are all here, from
"Hey, Diddle, Diddle," to
"Here We Go 'Round the
Mulberry Bush I"—And the
quieter, sweeter songs like
Emmett's "Lullaby" have a
place in the book, too.
These songs are the ones
that children the world over
have loved, and the ones that
older people with young
hearts have delighted in, as
well. This collection is the
most complete collection of
children's songs published,—
and yet its price, attractively
bound, is but 50 cents.
HINDS. NOBLE & ELDREDGE, 31-35 West 15th Street, New York
|A
IU
C
SHEET MUSIC
DEPARTMENT
WILL ATTRACT MORE CUSTOMERS TO YOUR STORE
ANY OTHER MEDIUM YOU COULD EMPLOY THAN
Write for catalogue and particulars as to how to
make a sheet music department a money-maker
Address nearest office
McKINLEY MUSIC CO., 185 Harrison St., Chicago, III.
NO. 80 FIFTH AVENUE, NEV> YORK, N. Y .
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