Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-14
MUSIC on TAP.
Bands Supplied at 5Toments's No.
tice---The Wages Which Prafes-
siOnai Musicians Get.

BANDS Supplied aG q M0mentS's 40
tice--The Wages Which Prafes-
siOnai Musicians Get.
Philadelphia Times.
Among the reputable musicians the head
quarters of the Musical society form sort of
an exchange for the employment Of talent.
There the managers Of balls and of theatres
and those who desire to employ sweet music
in diverting and enhvening their guests can
engage performers of all grades from the
maestro who can play first fiddle or first cor
net to the youth who intelligently jingles the
the cymbals or the genius who bsIabors the
big drum. Wages are fixed by schedule in
which first violins are allowed s. a day on
ordinary occasions and 81 for concerts. A
good first cornet-player gets s. a. day and is
always in demand. If he attains to reputation
as q soloist he can command as high as 80 or
SIS a dav on great occasions; generally, how
ever he cannot expect to make more than
$50 week.
The men who engineer the trombone and
the tuba, notwithstanding the lung power
that those instruments demand, are not quite
| SO well paid, and no matter how sliilful they
| may be, there is a general prejudice that bars
| them out as soloists. Hence, If they are
steadily engaged, as generally happens in the
| summer season, their wages seldom exceed
$40 week For manipulating the big drum,
which involves considerable muscular eXer-
| ton and is sometimes combined with the
| operation of the cynbals, the pay IS from 8 to
| 81 Gay, according to merit and extent Of ex-
! perience Adrumner is always determined
! and energetic man, the trouble being with
many leaders to control his exuberance and
| to prevent him from literally overwhelming
| the other instruments. The same care must
| be taken to mitigate the energy of the tuba
| ana trombone operators who are given at
| moments of excitement TO blasts Of harmony
that are calculated to throw the treble instru-
ments altogether out Of the harmony. These
| performers get about 50 a day, as do the
| lower grades Of violinists who play second
| fiddle.
| There are about dozen musical leaders in
| the city who stand ready at q moments
| notice to supply music for any occasion, from
| ball or a concert to q funeral They keep
| their force Of performers well in hand and
are always ready TO organize band or an
| orchestra Of any desired SIZE They make
| their own terms with performers Subject, Of
| course, to the society1s schedule, which IS
! always strictly adhered to- and generally
| manage TO have good balance over for
themselves. A1OSU CT Ile professional Iui.Sl-
| clans in this city are Germans, but there are
some Frenchmen and few Italians and now
and then, but rarely, an American or an
| English professional. Some Of them are
musicians Of the first class and always COM
mand engagements at good salaries but the
| great majority are dependent upon the lead
eEs and do not set very steady work. The
! orchestra performers in theatres have steady
and generally well-paid positions, but those
| professionals who depend upon transient en-
! gagements sometimes fall short 50 far as
| their incomes are concerned, III the early part
| Of the winter season, when the bah season
! has not fairly opened.