The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-04-27
SONGS OF TIE DAY.
Ballads That Become Popular with Com
mon Folk---Pro6 S Derived By Auth
ors and Publishers from Recent
Favorite Songs.

1a'OliVo DOuSo'
"What constitutes popular songP"
was asked by n Star reporter of q music
dealer.
Il can answer your question best by
telling you n little story. Some years
ago when Rollin Howard composed q
song and dance, he took his production,
of which he felt very proud, to Pond d
Co., and offered to sell it to them. They
looked it over and returned it with the
remark: I'VE do not publish such stuff
as that Mr.. Howard poc>etcd his dis
comliture in silence and sadly wendell
his way homeward. short time after
this Howard went to Boston, where he
was engaged to sing in minstrel COM
pany. One night Mr.. G. A. White, the
composer and publisher, heard Howard
and offered to publish his discarded
song. This is how 'Shoo Fly, Don't
Bodder Me- came TO see the light. 1t
soon became popular all over the land.
The publisher sold over 100000 copies.
and with the profits established the well
known firm of White, Smith q Co. A
song is popular when it catches the
public fancy, and the best songs seldom
become popular.
''liow do you account for this?n
''Well, the popular mind is not edu-
Gated enough for them. Many persons
have what they call an ear for musn,. -
They have no special training in order
to appreciate the general beauties OF a
frst-class song, or the fine, delicate
shades of expression that are the very
soul Of the piece. The ballad. or comic
ditty, IS about the extent OF popular APP
probation. In these you viii find u
simple melodic period, such as Wait
Till the Clouds Roll By. JENNY and
Tommy Dodd.' There is no effort of
the mind to glide, rs it were, through
these"
Tell me some of the popular songs"
''Just now, wait Till the Clouds Roll
BY Jenny, by II. j. Fulmer, has cap
tured the popular fancy, and will con-
tinue TO sell for some time. Close on
the heels of this piece comes an answer
TO 1.-THE Clouds Are Rolling BY, Jen-
n.y. by Maylath, much superior song
in every way and likely to be rs popular.
Then we have In the Morning by the
Bright Light, by James A. Bland, the
colored song writer, and the best OF his
kind. All his pieces have become popu-
lar, and include. "Keep Dem Gates
Wide Open, Won't We Have u Jolly
Time, oh, Dem Golden Slippers, and
DE Angels Am a-Coming.' Another
piece that is likely to become popular
il Peek a-boo, sung during the week in
Friend and Foe at the Windsor Thea
ire by William Seaman. In the popu-
lar list is when the Leaves Begin TO
Turn by G.. A. White of Boston. 1t is
n beautiful waltz song. There is fund
of popular songs sung by Harrigan and
Hart | need only mention Babies in
Our Block, The Skids Are Out To-day,
whist, the Bogic Man, Little Widow
Dunn, Never Take the Horseshoe from
the Door.
''In trade we call song popular
when il reaches the sale of 10000 copies.
Many editions only reach 5000, and
some do not run beyond 500 copies. -
There may not appear to be any value
to song until it goes before the public.
If they catch on then the real value of the
song is assured. Many good pieces-real
gems of song4have been published by
Pond, which do not 90 beyond the art
lists studio. Among this class is sweet
thing called: Say Not My Love Will
Change With Time, written by Albert
Rowso. When Harrigan and Hart sold
'Mulligan Guards for $50 they did not
expect that il would march TO the tune
of 100000 copies. The Hildebrand,
Montrose song they sold for S25.0O
and the publishers worked off 100000
copics.'
.'Who are the leading composers?"
"You mean of this class of muster
Well many of our most popular songs
have been written by authors on the
other side of the water. Our homt
names are Harrison Willard, .Will S.
Hays. S. G.. Foster, j. II. Thomas, ii.
j. banks, Henry Tucker, w. III. Brock
way, G.. "A. White, j. L. Ordway, +.
Root, j. A. Bland, G. Opcrti, Harry
Birch, b. +. Baker, and others. These
men do not all write their own words
most of them buy the poem. There are
n few good poets. the best. perhaps, be-
ing MIR. George Cooper. His remunera-
ton is poor, being from So to $40 for q
song outright. Many of them possess
genuine merit. When the composers
sell n sou0 they receive from $50 to