The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-16
POPULAR BALLADS.
HOW THEY ARE COMPOSED, MANU-
FACTURED AND SOLD.
Writers of Rhymes Set to Music and
Some of Their Incomes-HOw Many
of the Ditties Come to Be
Written.
Philadelphia Times.l


sprung into popularity within the pas
fifteen months By a reference to their in
dividual sales would constitute an invidi
Gus com paTisOn, for the sale attending ar
: ordinary song IS ike a leaf, which, tossed
by the gale, futteTs a moment into promi
nence, and then PASSES as quickly away.
The ballad that IS Whistled to-day by the
thousands may be dead and forgotten be-
fore the end of tie year. while another,
not so readily to meet with popular recOg
milton, may endure to an unlimited time,
and even then coptinue.to sell
It is universally conceded that, without
the aid of the itinerant minstrel and the
professional stage singer, very few, If any,
of the popular airs now so familiar to US
would exist A catchy ballad or song
brought out before an audience by com
petent singer seldom fails to create de-
sire to initiate Thus. refrain indiffer-
emily heard is frequently caught up,
hummed, and unconsciously repeated IN
til a further desire to become fully con
Versant with it is realized. Among eX-
ponents of this class of successes none
stand so conspicuously before us as the
actress Lolita, who has possibly done more
to create and dis eminate popular music
than any other professional in the coun-
try It is also worthy of note that out of
a number Of rivals for this distinction
passing all attempts Of others to compete
in this particular, as witness the unparal
lelled repertoire of compositions written
expressly for her, with embellished title
pages, many of unique design and elabor
ately executed.
Very few, if any, of the modern writers
of song music are so fortunate as to be
the recipient of any income on their
works. On the contrary, the song com
poser is a type of the struggler of whom
poets have sung and judges have spoken.
Hence his work is a synonym for his
bread and butter, and the small remunera-
ton for his manuscript is not to be staked
for the alternative of a prospective in
come. Manuscripts are purchased on
royalty, which means that stipulated
fraction shall be paid on each copy sold
after a certain number have been issued;
or they are purchased outright from the
author for a given sum, which debars the
writer from all further claim or interest
In his composition. A good song will
bring SO on an average, though writers
of known repute have received as high as
$500 for single composition.
With the exception, possibly, of two
New York publishing houses, Philadel-
phia embraces the largest and most extern
siVe publishing marts in the Union. More
than one-third of all the cheaper grades
of sheet music, foreign reprints and music
books printed in the United States are
issued in this city In band and orchestra
music one dealer in this city controls,
without exception, the largest and most
varied patronage in the country supply
ing this class of music from Maine to
California Tons of music are sent out
annually from Philadelphia. The late cut
in prices, which brought about the present
market of cheap scent music, has also
opened another channel for competition,
and, as a result, many London houses are
now filling their orders for reprints with
American publishers, whose facilities for
supplying this kind of work at lesser
cost are greater than any publishing house
In the world
Although the songs that find the most
favor with audiences at the present day,
especially patrons of the light opera are
the topical or local ones, very few of them
reach a large sale This is chiefly due to
the fact that
with the theme of the day
The song dies away"
The writer, on a recent visit to different
publishing houses, was surprised to find
how numerous and slight were the themes
for musical creations Any
and almost every subject is utilized for
the text of both vocal and instrumental
no less than half score of
that had been prepared as
prospect dirges on the death of Gen.
Grant, and as many more on the com
pletion of he BarthOldi pedestal
The competition and rivalry in modern
songs aga nst the sales of which innum-
cradle means are employed to thwart their
by those who challenge and
iepreciate it. and others who frequently
CO o1 * tn hnI ipnif of rHd
and music, has succeeded in greatly de-
pleting the profits which woEl6 otherwise
accrue to their copyrighters. In the face of
these adverse circumstances. however,
considerable profit is realized by wide
awake publishers on good song. The
publishers of wait Till the Clouds Roll
By, two enterprising young New York
srs are said to have netted some $18, 900
from its first years sales, and the author
Baby's Gone, who, fortunately, copy
lighted and controlled the interest of
MS song, comfortable total of
81, 5OO-a statement verified by
he testimony of certain dealers, through
whose hands its numerous editions passed.
Frank Howard, author of when the
he Robins Nest Again, made IS. 900 out
Of his song, whereas James G. Stewart,
who wrote the beautiful "Jennie, the
c1OWSI VI huudIe, anu many OlueF
popular songs. died recently in a poor
house
Occasionally writer who has sufficient
confidence in his work will, as in the case
lbove mentioned, copyright and person
lily control his composition and trust to
uck for a good income The chances
or success, however, are invariably so
neagre that such projects nowadays are
considered hazardous, as evinced by the
numerous adventures in this RESPECT and
he few hits made-about 2 per cent. only
# the many songs copyrighted by heir
.uthors realizing what might be termed a
profitable return.
Tabac de Paris