Music Trade Review
Issue: 1925 Vol. 81 N. 2 - Page 39
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
39
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JULY 11, 1925
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By. V. D. Walsh
The Modern Viewpoints of an Old-Time
Music Man on Octavo Merchandising
Clifford C. Chapman, of the Oliver Ditson Co. Asks How Can the Dealer Be Pessimistic With
the Last Few Years' Advancement in the Appreciation of Music Generally
LJ OW can the dealer be pessimistic to-day in
sheet music and instrument business with
the advancement in the appreciation of music
in the last few years.
It has been my privilege for the last twelve
years to attend the music supervisors' national
conferences held once a year in different cities
of the Middle West and I have noticed .the
untiring work that this body of busy teachers
has given for the benefit of music in their
schools. Since their inception they have formed
glee clubs for all voices, organized bands, vio-
lin as well as other instrument classes, besides
producing cantatas, oratorios, and operas. A
few years back this was almost unheard of. It
goes to show how we are progressing.
Then we must not forget that the phono-
graph has done no end of good for the ad-
vancement of music and will do far more in
time to come, with no apologies to the radio.
In my over forty years' connection with the
octavo business the growth has been something
marvelous.
There has been a noticeable growth in the or
ganization of choral societies in all voices and
there is no question but the tendency is for
better music. There is not the call for the
class of music that was used fifteen or twenty
years ago with the exception of the standard
numbers.
It has been my experience in former years to
notice the indifference of the dealer in hand-
ling octavo publications and I am pleased to
see that he has at last come to realize the fact
that there is something in it.
Ten or more years ago I took a trip through
New York, Pennsylvania and the Middle West-
ern States calling on colleges, supervisors, and
dealers in the interest of the Oliver Ditson
Company. Wherever I met a choir-leader, chor-
al conductor, and supervisor, they all had the
same story, "our dealers do not carry a line
of octavo music." I then interested myself
more with the dealer and suggested he get in
touch with his customers in this line. When-
ever I meet a certain dealer in one of our
Middle West cities he always thanks me for
getting him aroused in this particular line. If
the dealer had looked after his customers in
this field as he should have done there could
Inspirational Songs to
Be Publisher's Feature
Psychological Publishing Co. Brings Out "If
We Knew," a New Type of Inspirational
Number
Publication of the song, "If We Knew," with
words by J. Edward Dean Smith and music by
Arthur Curran, put out by the Psychological
Publishing Co., 504 Carnegie Hall, New York
City, marks a rather new and specialized ven-
ture in the song world. It is the announced
intention of this company, should the song
prove popular with certain classes, organizations
and groups of people throughout the country, to
bring out additional songs of a distinctly inspi-
rational nature to answer a definite need and
purpose.
In the early part of June Mr. Brandon, presi-
dent of the International Society of Applied
Psychology, took 800 copies of "If We Knew"
to a psychological convention in Detroit, where
the song was introduced, and a good sale of this
introductory number enjoyed.
Mr. Curran, composer of the music, and now
in New York, where he has been engaged in
the cast of several large musical shows, has
sung his song before the New York Psycho-
logical Society and will probably appear before
similar organizations in Buffalo and other large
cities soon. Everywhere the song has been well
received by these specialized classes or what
might be termed "inspirational bodies." The
"Seventeen" Song Selling
"When You and I Were Seventeen" still con-
tinues as one of the most popular numbers in
the Irving Berlin, Inc., catalog. Despite the
advent of the Summer season, its sales have
been steadily mounting and it is one of the
outstanding sellers in the Berlin catalog. Among
the other active Berlin issues are "Yearning,"
which has been exceptionally popular with or-
chestras, and "Oh How I Miss You To-night,"
also a particularly appealing fox-trot.
Johnnie Carroll Dead
Johnnie Carroll, well-known song writer and
singer of twenty years ago, died on Thursday
of last week at his home, 274 Dean street,
Brooklyn, N. Y. He was sixty-three years old.
Among the songs he wrote were "I Loved You
Better Than You Knew," "When We Were
Happy" and "You and I." He won a place
for himself at Koster & Bial's music hall in
1886 and later played with such well-known
stars as George M. Cohan, Weber and Fields,
Maggie Cline and Mclntyre and Heath.
"At Dawning" for the Harp
The universal popularity of Charles Wake-
field Cadman's "At Dawning" has caused its
arrangement as a harp solo by Julie Kellar, the
well-known harpist, and for E flat alto saxo-
phone or C melody saxophone by Jascha Gure-
wich.
., Jl Fox Trot
(Melody With Jl
Great Dance Rhythm
BLUE
A Mighty Blue
Fox Trot Son&L
RAYMOND EGAN
not exist to-day a house that is doing a thriv-
ing business with a comparatively small stock
but no end of material for his customers in
the way of samples, the larger per cent of his
orders being sent direct to the customers from
the publishers.
This business the dealer can get to-day if he
goes after it and all he has to do is to have a
good line of samples such as any salesman in
other lines of business carries with him on the
road to-day.
The dealer wants to remember that the octa-
vo line will keep on increasing as the years
go by and I predict it will double in the next
ten years.
movement behind this song is national in char-
acter and is now being organized to establish
chapters in Canada in the Fall of the year.
It was about a year and a half ago that Mr.
Curran chanced to read the words which in-
spired the music, then printed on a card. He
wrote to Mr. Smith, asking permission to use
the words in a song, which permission was
granted.
On completion of the song, Mr. Curran, who
was also studying voice and harmony in New
York, sang his composition on various occa-
sions where it attracted comment, finally com-
ing to the attention of Mr. Brandon, who was
struck with the possibilities in developing songs
for the use of inspirational groups especially.
Mr. Curran is now at work on other song num-
bers which he hopes to bring out in the near-
future, each one of them created with the idea
of striking a responsive chord in the hearts of
all music lovers who are inclined to the inspi-
rational in thought or study.
*
Marguerite
OWEN MURPHY
AL SHERMAN
mi BEN BEANIE
39
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
JULY 11, 1925
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By. V. D. Walsh
The Modern Viewpoints of an Old-Time
Music Man on Octavo Merchandising
Clifford C. Chapman, of the Oliver Ditson Co. Asks How Can the Dealer Be Pessimistic With
the Last Few Years' Advancement in the Appreciation of Music Generally
LJ OW can the dealer be pessimistic to-day in
sheet music and instrument business with
the advancement in the appreciation of music
in the last few years.
It has been my privilege for the last twelve
years to attend the music supervisors' national
conferences held once a year in different cities
of the Middle West and I have noticed .the
untiring work that this body of busy teachers
has given for the benefit of music in their
schools. Since their inception they have formed
glee clubs for all voices, organized bands, vio-
lin as well as other instrument classes, besides
producing cantatas, oratorios, and operas. A
few years back this was almost unheard of. It
goes to show how we are progressing.
Then we must not forget that the phono-
graph has done no end of good for the ad-
vancement of music and will do far more in
time to come, with no apologies to the radio.
In my over forty years' connection with the
octavo business the growth has been something
marvelous.
There has been a noticeable growth in the or
ganization of choral societies in all voices and
there is no question but the tendency is for
better music. There is not the call for the
class of music that was used fifteen or twenty
years ago with the exception of the standard
numbers.
It has been my experience in former years to
notice the indifference of the dealer in hand-
ling octavo publications and I am pleased to
see that he has at last come to realize the fact
that there is something in it.
Ten or more years ago I took a trip through
New York, Pennsylvania and the Middle West-
ern States calling on colleges, supervisors, and
dealers in the interest of the Oliver Ditson
Company. Wherever I met a choir-leader, chor-
al conductor, and supervisor, they all had the
same story, "our dealers do not carry a line
of octavo music." I then interested myself
more with the dealer and suggested he get in
touch with his customers in this line. When-
ever I meet a certain dealer in one of our
Middle West cities he always thanks me for
getting him aroused in this particular line. If
the dealer had looked after his customers in
this field as he should have done there could
Inspirational Songs to
Be Publisher's Feature
Psychological Publishing Co. Brings Out "If
We Knew," a New Type of Inspirational
Number
Publication of the song, "If We Knew," with
words by J. Edward Dean Smith and music by
Arthur Curran, put out by the Psychological
Publishing Co., 504 Carnegie Hall, New York
City, marks a rather new and specialized ven-
ture in the song world. It is the announced
intention of this company, should the song
prove popular with certain classes, organizations
and groups of people throughout the country, to
bring out additional songs of a distinctly inspi-
rational nature to answer a definite need and
purpose.
In the early part of June Mr. Brandon, presi-
dent of the International Society of Applied
Psychology, took 800 copies of "If We Knew"
to a psychological convention in Detroit, where
the song was introduced, and a good sale of this
introductory number enjoyed.
Mr. Curran, composer of the music, and now
in New York, where he has been engaged in
the cast of several large musical shows, has
sung his song before the New York Psycho-
logical Society and will probably appear before
similar organizations in Buffalo and other large
cities soon. Everywhere the song has been well
received by these specialized classes or what
might be termed "inspirational bodies." The
"Seventeen" Song Selling
"When You and I Were Seventeen" still con-
tinues as one of the most popular numbers in
the Irving Berlin, Inc., catalog. Despite the
advent of the Summer season, its sales have
been steadily mounting and it is one of the
outstanding sellers in the Berlin catalog. Among
the other active Berlin issues are "Yearning,"
which has been exceptionally popular with or-
chestras, and "Oh How I Miss You To-night,"
also a particularly appealing fox-trot.
Johnnie Carroll Dead
Johnnie Carroll, well-known song writer and
singer of twenty years ago, died on Thursday
of last week at his home, 274 Dean street,
Brooklyn, N. Y. He was sixty-three years old.
Among the songs he wrote were "I Loved You
Better Than You Knew," "When We Were
Happy" and "You and I." He won a place
for himself at Koster & Bial's music hall in
1886 and later played with such well-known
stars as George M. Cohan, Weber and Fields,
Maggie Cline and Mclntyre and Heath.
"At Dawning" for the Harp
The universal popularity of Charles Wake-
field Cadman's "At Dawning" has caused its
arrangement as a harp solo by Julie Kellar, the
well-known harpist, and for E flat alto saxo-
phone or C melody saxophone by Jascha Gure-
wich.
., Jl Fox Trot
(Melody With Jl
Great Dance Rhythm
BLUE
A Mighty Blue
Fox Trot Son&L
RAYMOND EGAN
not exist to-day a house that is doing a thriv-
ing business with a comparatively small stock
but no end of material for his customers in
the way of samples, the larger per cent of his
orders being sent direct to the customers from
the publishers.
This business the dealer can get to-day if he
goes after it and all he has to do is to have a
good line of samples such as any salesman in
other lines of business carries with him on the
road to-day.
The dealer wants to remember that the octa-
vo line will keep on increasing as the years
go by and I predict it will double in the next
ten years.
movement behind this song is national in char-
acter and is now being organized to establish
chapters in Canada in the Fall of the year.
It was about a year and a half ago that Mr.
Curran chanced to read the words which in-
spired the music, then printed on a card. He
wrote to Mr. Smith, asking permission to use
the words in a song, which permission was
granted.
On completion of the song, Mr. Curran, who
was also studying voice and harmony in New
York, sang his composition on various occa-
sions where it attracted comment, finally com-
ing to the attention of Mr. Brandon, who was
struck with the possibilities in developing songs
for the use of inspirational groups especially.
Mr. Curran is now at work on other song num-
bers which he hopes to bring out in the near-
future, each one of them created with the idea
of striking a responsive chord in the hearts of
all music lovers who are inclined to the inspi-
rational in thought or study.
*
Marguerite
OWEN MURPHY
AL SHERMAN
mi BEN BEANIE
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