Presto

24
PRESTO
MUSIC IN CHAIN STORES
The S. S. Kresge Co. Asks Price Reductions Which
the Publishers Firmly Refuse.
you a tumble, and after you've spent a whole day
fruitlessly, sit down and" write the lyrics. By that
time you'll be unconscious, which is how most suc-
cessful song writers pen their ditties.
RECALLING PATTI.
Not many in the audience which listened to the
The S. S. Kresge Co. sells sheet music in 120 of its opera of "Madame Butterfly" in the Auditorium,
string of stores which extends across the country and Chicago, last Saturday night, December 9, were pres-
now it is possible the sheet music department may be ent on the same date thirty-three years ago when
discontinued in all the stores. If the company so de- the theater was opened and dedicated. It is safe
cides it will be because the sheet music publishers to say that few in the house who enjoyed Edith Ma-
persist in refusing to grant a cut in the wholesale son in the title roll of the opera had a similar pleas-
prices.
ure in listening to Adelina Patti on the memorial
. The music problem in the 5 and 10 cent stores and night thirty-three years ago. On that night there
the 25 cent stores has always been an aggravating one were gathered on the stage the President of the
for the publishers of music and the jobbers, too. United States, the Vice-President, governors of four-
They have been considered a source of demoralization teen states, officials of Canada, including the Premier,
in the retail sheet music business and dissatisfaction at a portion of the President's cabinet and Madame
conditions has frequently been expressed by promi- Patti, who sang "Home Sweet Home." It is the only
nent dealers at the conventions of the sheet music time in the history of the United States, as far as is
trade. The stores of the S. S. Kresge Co. had been known, where the President left Washington to dedi-
selling the popular 30 cent numbers at 25 cents until cate a private enterprise.
recently, when, owing to the exigencies of a price
war, the price of the music has been cut to 20 cents.
PAY TRIBUTE TO DRESSER.
A feature of the Indiana Society's banquet in Chi-
cago, last Sunday night, was a tribute to Paul Dres-
ser, author of "On the Banks of the Wabash." While
moving pictures of the dedication of Dresser's grave
So Says Daily Newspaper Humorist, Who Tells Just were exhibited, Tsianina, a real Cherokee-Creek In-
dian princess, who has made Cadman's songs popu-
How to Do It.
lar, sang the solo, while the entire assemblage joined
How easy it is to write a song of the popular kind in the chorus. Dresser's grave is marked by a stone,
is told by a supposedly funny man in the Chicago which for centuries was washed by the waters of
Evening American. "Anybody can write a popular the Wabash and which was removed from the bed
song, but it takes a genius to sell it," he says as a of the river by Harry R. Kurrie, president of the
Monon railroad.
preface to telling just how to do it:
All you need to write a song is some writing paper,
COLLECTING COPYRIGHT FEES.
a pencil, a map of the United States and a lot of nerve.
The Globe theater in Brooklyn, N. Y., was seized
The
more
nerve
you
have
the
greater
are
your
r
chances for success. Place the map on a table, close last week by U. S. Marshal William Mobus on two
your eyes and blindly pick a state to rhyme about. judgments amounting to $700 procured by the Amer-
If you've picked an easy state like Iowa, Alabama or ican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
Carolina, you're in luck.
The judgments were returned on complaints by the
If- you've stumbled on New York, Utah, Texas or society that the Fifteenth Street Amusement Com-
New Jersey, you're out of luck. It's as hard to find a pany, owners of the theater, had ignored the de-
rhyme for these latter states as it is to buy anything mand for performing right fees on copyrighted com-
for a ruble. However, do not be discouraged. Close
"your eyes again and repeat the process until you hit positions. The box-office receipts were seized and
enough collected to pay the judgments.
the state you'd like to write about and then do it.
In writing the lyrics be sure to make them as
SPECIALIZES IN SHEET MUSIC.
senseless as you can. If you try to indite an intelli-
The sheet music department is a prominent one
gent message in your song you'll fail just as grand
juries do which try to indict profiteers. Never try in the store of the Ferguson Music House, San
to uplift humanity in your songs. Let 'em be there. Jose, Calif., and the firm has a large clientele through-
A good way to get a running start on a theme is out the Santa Clara Valley. It is really an old busi-
to enter a telephone booth, try to get Central to give ness with a new name. The Ferguson Music House,
a few years ago succeeded the Christy Music House
which dated back thirty years in the music trade
history of the city. Pianos, Starr phonographs, and
musical merchandise are included in the stock of the
Ferguson Music House.
POPULAR SONG=WRITING EASY
DON CLARK'S SAXOPHONE SOLOS.
Don Clark, famous saxophone player with Paul
Whiteman's Orchestra, has completed a set of saxo-
phone solos for Richmond-Robbins, Inc. The solos
are of unusual quality, and bid fair to be very popular
with saxophone players throughout the country.
OPENS SHEET MUSIC STORE.
The Song Shoppe is the name of a new firm opened
recently at 1726 Third avenue North, Birmingham,
Ala. E. Tunkle, a prominent young musician, is
owner of the shop, which will specialize in sheet
music and standard music books.
In Three Parts:
1. Instruments of Established
Names and Character.
2. Instruments that bear Spe-
cial Names or Trade Marks.
3. Manufacturers of Pianos
and Player-Pianos with Chap-
ters on Piano Building and Buy-
ing designed for the guidance
of prospective purchasers.
A NEW CORPORATION.
Tom Brown Music Company, 17 W. Lake street,
Chicago, has been incorporated, with $100,000 capital,
to manufacture and deal in musical merchandise.
The incorporators are George M. Bundy, William H.
Lyons and Howard J. Wallace.
Facsimile Fall'
board Names of Leading Pianos
and Player-Pianos in Colors
Revised Annually
A FEW NOTES.
Attractive window displays help sell the popular
sheet music for The Charles E. Wells Music Co.,
Denver, Colo.
Miss Viola Cox is the new manager of the Taylor
Music Co., Columbia, Mo.
The I. Wolfe Gilbert Music Company was recently
incorporated in Dover, Dela., with a capital of $1,-
000,000 to publish sheet music.
NO PIANO DEALER OR SALESMAN
CAN AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT HPT
TF YOU DON'T CONSULT "PRESTO
BUYERS' GUIDE" YOU ARE MISSING
OPPORTUNITIES. GET IT NOW.
Give a copy to each of your salesmen.,
Price 50 cents per copy.
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.
A NEW YORK FAILURE.
Judge A. N. Hand, in New York City, on Monday,
appointed Mark Hymen and E. C. Mills receivers for
the Broadway Music Corporation of 723 Seventh ave-
nue, under $10,000 bond. Liabilities and assets not
stated.
St
The Heine. Piano Co., San Francisco, will open a
branch in Oakland this month.
December 16, 1922.
NEW YORK PLANS TO
LICENSE MUSIC TEACHERS
Mayor Hylan Appoints Committee to Consider
Best Way by Which to Regulate Pro-
fession and Lessen Incompetence.
Any important movement designed to regulate
music, in a broad sense, must be of direct concern to
the musical instrument industries and trades. And
the innovation by which New York City proposes to
license music teaching is of great importance to every
department of the business. Last week Mayor
Hylan, of New York, appointed an advisory commit-
tee which is considering a plan to register or license
teachers of vocal and instrumental music. The Chair-
man of the new committee is Dr. William C. Carl,
the famous organist, and the Vice Chairman is Dr.
Frank Damrosch.
Other members of the committee are George H.
Gartlan, Herbert Witherspoon, George F. Chea,
Gardner Lamson, Oscar Saenger, Dr. T. Tertius
Noble, Edwin Franko Goldman, Karl Schoiing,
Gustav L. Becker, and Allan Robinson. The com-
mittee is authorized to appoint from twelve to twenty
other members.
Willis Holly, secretary of the Park Board, is the
secretary of the advisory committee, with headquar-
ters at Room 1007 Municipal Building, and Catherine
Bolger of Room 863 Municipal Building is assistant
secretary. The Mayor's reception room will be used
for meetings.
The purpose of the appointment of the advisory
committee, according to the Chamberlain's statement,
is "to further the inquiry, ordered by the Mayor, into
the advisability of adopting any plan to license, reg-
ister or examine music teachers, whether vocal or in-
strumental." "It is also," says the statement, "to
consider and report upon any method or methods to
protect those who wish to cultivate their musical tal-
ent from being defrauded by humbugs, who pretend
to teach singing or the playing of musical instruments
and make all sorts of promises, even holding out
expectations of speedy proficiency and of prompt en-
gagement on the stage."
The Mayor's committee will make the report of
the advisory committee a part of its own report to
the Mayor. Efforts will be made to have a subcom-
mittee's work concluded by January, so that the
report may be ready "for any action on the part of
the Legislature that may be found to be desirable."
Several of the persons appointed on the advisory
committee were among the persons who protested
against the suggestion to license the teachers during
a public hearing on Nov. 16. Mr. Gartlan, who is
director of music for the Board of Education, took
the position that any reformation must come from
within the ranks of the teachers themselves rather
than from without. Mr. Robinson, who is of the
Mendelssohn Glee Club, declared that if teacherj of
music were compelled to be licensed it would show
discrimination against teachers of other arts. Dr.
Saenger took issue with the Chamberlain for his in-
timation that music teachers were not on as high a
plane as physicians and lawyers. Dr. Noble, who is
the organist of St. Thomas's Church, spoke against
the licensing plan and declared that the National As-
sociation of Organists had voiced its disapproval.
PLAY BY RADIO.
For the first time in theatrical history, a play was
broadcasted to radio fans throughout the country,
with the applause of the audience a part of the show,
when the Westinghouse Electric Company this week
recorded a performance of "The Fool" in the Times
Square Theater in New York. Announcement of the
radio innovation was made by Walter S. Duggan, in
the Chicago office of the Selwyns. Invitations to
"listen in" were extended Chicago drama critics. The
broadcasting started at 7:45 Chicago time, with intro-
ductory remarks by Channing Pollock, author.
AIR RIGHTS TO MUSIC.
Whether copyrighted music, including grand opera,
can be transmitted by radio without payment of fees
to owners of the copyright, will be one of the ques-
tions discussed
at the meeting of the National Broad-
casters 7 League in Chicago, January 16, it was an-
nounced this week. This meeting will be the first
gathering of the members of the league since its or-
ganization in October. Several sessions will be held
during the second National Radio Show, which is to
be held in Chicago the week of January 13.
OUTLOOK ABROAD BRIGHTER.
Department of Commerce officials in Washington
expressed optimistic views regarding world business
conditions, as a result of reports showing increased
domestic production and distribution and ah "im-
provement in the general outlook abroad."
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