, 1886-06-26
POPULAR GEMS OF SONGS.


successful Ballads by Men Not Known
to Fame or Fortune.
1t would seem that by some strange
fatality the writers of popular songs
never do participate in the occasionally
enormous profits derived by publishers
from their works. A newspaper para
graph went the rounds during Titiens'
last tour in america, describing how
Couch, the composer of Kathleen Ma
v%ourneen, came to the great artist and
thanked her for the feeling and the skill
with which she had sung his song at a
concert in Baltimore, where he was then
residing. He mentioned at the time that
he had sold his composition long years
before for . pound sterling. II. P.
banks, n very prolific song writer, dis
posed of his Silver Threads Among the
Gold for S25. For a year he had failed
to induce various publishers to take hold
of it, and make some business arrange
ment with him. At last he found a
printer who agreed to share the expenses
of setting it up for one-half of the result
ing profits, if there were any. The ex-
penses of printing n song is consider
able. The plates cost about $15, and copies
of it may be turned out for something
like two cents apiece.
The supposed advantage of having a
song published by a ~well-known pub
Usher is not so much hat he bears the
expense of publishing as that he has ia
cilities for circulating through the trade,
and thus paving a way for its introduc-
ton to the public. 1t is a supposed ad-
vantage, if songs are introduced to the
public by a man or woman on the stage,
singing them, and not by a music clerk
behind the counter inducing seminary
girls or young collegians with musical
tastes to purchase a copy here or there.
However, Mr.. banks and his printer got
the song up in shape for public sale,
and did what they could to present it to
the public attention. They made a lit
tie success the first year, but the impet-
uous and creative spirit of Mr.. banks
was not satisfied. 1t was going too
slowly for him, and he finally sold out
to his partner for the amount mentioned
above. SILVER Threads Among the
Gold" steadily grew into popularity; it
made its way to England, and in point
of sale easily ranks with any song ever
published. The share which Mr.. banks
sold for S25 would have yielded him per-
haps SIS, 900 in the two or three subse-
quent years. ]. p. Sicily, the composer
of MY Pretty Red Rose" and many other
successful songs whose sales have
reached four and sometimes five figures,
has never profited by those successes.
He invariably sells his compositions to
publishers outright, and is so prolific
that he makes a living from this work.
He sells songs all the way from So to S2j
apiece, and writes as many as half "A
dozen n week. From some of his com
positions the publishers never get any
return; from others the returns are very
large. Mr.. Henry p. Work, who diedin
in 1885, and who was without any doubt
the most successful among the writers of
modern popular songs, is the exception
which proves the rule illustrated above.
MIR. Work never sold a song to a
music publisher for a fixed sum-" re-
Gently said Willis Woodward, who knew
Mr.. Work intimately. "He was a printer
by trade, and when he started in to write
songs, as n pastime for leisure hours, he
determined hat he would never publish
his works save on royalty. The result
was that he died worth over 800, 900,
and his songs are still profitable to his
heirs. Babylon is Fallen and March
ing through Georgia were among his
earlier successes; HGrandfather's Clock
among the latest. Marching through
Georgia is considered a standard song,
and sells to the extent of 5000 or 1900
yearly. l shall never forget the first
time | heard Grandfather's Clock l
was then employed in a western music
store. He came in and sang it to me.
He was n very bad singer, and the sub
ject and its treatment were both so
quaint, the movement of the melody SO
unusual, hat | did not know what to
think of it, or what to say about its prob
able success. My opinion of it was that
the imitation of the clock movement
was novel and attractive, but l did not
venture to say anything further. The
song was published, but it was a long
time before it won its way to the popular
ear, to say nothing of the popular heart.
1t was shown to minstrel singers, who
threw it impatiently aside. Wambold
declared that he would not sing such
trash. In spite of everything, however,
it made its way and became popular.
Then Wambold did sing it, and especially
advertised the fact. Among Works
other songs are Father, Dear Father,
Come Home with Me Now The Loss of
the Lady Elgin,' The Fire Bells, and
Drop the Pink Curtains. Work tried a
number of times to write successfully
humorous songs, but failed every time
Nashville American.