Music Trade Review

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SAID AND DONE
By
PETER F. LUX
HE S A M E O L D
OPULAR SONG
Is Changed Occasionally
ern publisher who is simply giving to the public what it
demands and what it is willing to pay for. As the headline
of the newspaper story is designed to give some idea of the
facts of the story itself, so is the title page of the song designed
to conform in some measure with the character of the selec-
tion.
It is admitted that title pages do not sell sheet music to
any great extent, but once a selection has won a fair measure
of popularity, the attractive title page does serve the purpose
or rearousing the interest of a possible purchaser and influ-
encing the sale at the moment. A solemn ballad must have a
serious title page with the name of the song presented in dig-
nified lettering and with a refined picture or two to illustrate
it, while the comic or topical song must have a title page that
reflects its character. This was the rule fifty years ago and
still seems to prevail.
To say that the styles of songs have not changed within
the past half-century is not strictly a fact, for there have been
changes at various intervals, but they have been more in the
nature of cycles. One season a call will be for the old-
fashioned ballad of the gray-haired mother or the wayward
daughter; later on there may be a run on popular songs
about the golden-haired girls, a little lighter in tone but
just as mushy; then the bulk of the demand will be for
straight love songs, yet despite the fact that certain types of
selections vary in vogue, they all find some place in the
public favor year in and year out.
*
The popular song is the music of the masses. The sheet
music business has a sound basis in the better type of selec-
tions, for concert and recital purposes and
for the use of teachers and students of
music. This type of music sells year in
and year out. It may have periods of un-
usual popularity, but when that wanes it
still has the advantage of remaining a con-
stant seller. The popular song, on the
other hand, is here to-day and gone to-
morrow. The percentage of hits and good
sellers is small in comparison with the vast
amount of such music that is published, and
the dealer who handles popular music must
keep on his toes, know what to buy, and
then have the energy to sell it while the
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
M a r c h , 1931
demand is active and the public is most interested.
Sometimes the old songs again come into favor. Charles
K. Harris' "After the Ball" and "My Mother Was a Lady"
came to life again a score of years after those songs had
achieved their first great successes. Ex-Governor Al Smith
was responsible for bringing the "Sidewalks of New York"
back into the running, 'Silver Threads Among the Gold"
appears to be a per-
ennial hit, and "Sweet
Adeline" is one of the
few ballads of the type
that have survived pro-
hibition. Radio is re-
sponsible for bringing
back the "Maine Stein
Song" into the lime-
light after some twenty
years on the publisher's
shelves, and the same
m e d i u m brought a
new, although rather
temporary lease of life,
( Turn to page 38)
A GROUP OF 1931
TITLES