The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-05-13
Spring Styles in Hand-Organ Tunes.

"The popular taste just now seems to
run more to light and comic than to Sc
rious and sentimental music,'' said Mr..
Taylor, Americas only hand-organ
maker, pressing down the ashes in his
pipe bowl and meditatively giving a
twist to the nearest crank, which brought
forth protesting yowl from the instru-
ment. ''But, of course" he continued,
''when they get their musical cargoes by
the hand-organ line, they have to take
them mixed. We put up the tunes in
assorted lots, as you may say. For
spring styles just now, the principal
choices seem to be selections from the
Pirates of Penzance,' Ed. Harrigan's
airs, The Pitcher of Beer and THE
Jumping jack airs from 'Fatinitza,'
and variety of jigs, reels and values.
What are we doing from the 'PiratesP'
Well, the opening chorus, the second
chorus from the policemen, and the aria
of the Generals daughter Publishedp
Well, believe some of the Pirates
music is published, but I'm not certain.
1t isn't necessary for us to wait until
music is printed to get it on our eylin-
ders. can listen to piece of music
once and write it out afterward correctly,
without it is terribly complicated. But
the Pirates is weak, viewed from the
hand-organ standpoint. 1t lacks taking
airs, melodies such as 'Pinafore' was
rich in, things that everybody gets to
know and that the children sing. We
had great rush on .Pinafore' airs last
season, but now they are never called
for. l only make organ barrels, or
cylinders, to order, and the person or
dering picks out for himself the tunes he
wants put on; so there is no regularity
about the arrangement, and no
two are alike. As [ said, the demand
this year is for lively music more than
ever before, but still there are some seri-
Gus tunes that hang on well. Silver
Threads Among the Gold is one of them,
and the Sweet By and By will always
be good in the West and through Con-
necticut. Some of Moody and Sankey's
tunes are good to have in working the
rural districts, particularly the sort of
lively ones, such as Where is NY Boy
To-night?' and Hold the Fort is
good, steady standby. An operate air,
one from some old, good, standard opera
=" Negro minstrel airs are very seldom
called for now. That sort Of music seems
to have in great measure died out, and
it's pity, for some of the sweetest pure
~ American music was written for the
burnt-cork brethren. Ihave good deal |
to do putting in old country songs, Ger
man and Italian, generally, that people |
come and whistle or sing to me for the
purpose OF getting them set up. But the |
popular favorites, you may say, for the |
coming season, those which you will hear |
on more organs than any others, will be |
the Jumping jack and Pitcher of |
Beer
mo, 1 don't make a great many in
struments. can turn out about two q
week, if | want to, but the demand is
limited, and most of my work is in re-
pairing and making new cylinders. A
cylinder with eight or nine tunes for
hand organs costs from $32 to $40, and
for parlor and side-show organs from
&3S to 800, according to size. The score
Of instruments you see about you all be-
long to individual owners who are hay
ing something done to them. The large
ones come from the carousels at Jones'
Wood, Coney Island and some other
places of summer resort. don't hire
put any organs, but there is an Italian on
Baxter street who rents out dozen or
more during the season. / never tried
hat, but | did try once selling hand or
yans on the installment plan. It didn't
pay. Organs are too light and handy to
ret away with. o--Neao York San.