The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-02

be wondered that people generally do not
realize that American musicians suffer i'm
measuralAy from piracy in this sense, that
that piracy Is wholly limited TO our own
publishers, and ethics aside, they are not to
be blai for she course they take.
Z The situation involves so much injustice
that { caunog fail to be understood even by
the few who are not lovers of music. Inc
brutal fact is that the American composer
has no market. That songs issuing from
native talent do succeed and make fortunes
is no disproof of this assertion. The means
taken TO bring them before the public ana
TO make them succeed are unique and have
no place in the consideration Of the problem
that interests the international Copy1ght
| League. In the case of literary WORKS the
author goes with bis manuscript from one
publisher to another seeking for one VINO
will consent to take the risk upon ms pro
duction, and having found one he gets ms
price good or bad as the case may be, ana
only suffers from two causes; one, the piracy
of his book by English publishers, which
is n small matter, and the second, the mJu-
rious competition 10 which he IS subjected
by the piracy Of English books 10y
American publishers. Now, in mulc,
this piracy Of English works
is so great that it is useless FOR an
American composer TO go before a pub
lSllHE WIN Ms itlINIt. II ~ II nplls Va
instrumental piece that he wishes TO have
put in print, it is necessary for him 20 Sc
cure the cooperation of a performer, ana
the history, dare say, of all popular songs
that originate in America could be written
upolf this model The composer had
friend who was a singer-probably he was
| singer in a minstrel or variety show. The
singer liking the song, seeing IN 1t
! great merits that would interest the
| at pppeanta1 n sing
! it in his performances. That being done,
the composer either published the song at
his own expense or paid publishing house
| TO put its imprint upon the work, or in rare
cases, persuaded them to publish it with the
idea that the popularity of the singer
would be sufficient to make success Of the
song.
In the Ease of instrumental compositions,
the composer must be either teacher or
have some exceptionally warm friend
who il a teacher. If he can show
the publisher that he will secure
limited sale for the composition by making
his pupils buy 1T, or making some other
mans pupils buy it, he then has fair
chance of getting his composition into print,
otherwise he has none. The reason for this
can be stated very simply: all that the
American publisher has to do to secure COM
positions that are popular is to go into the
London or Paris market, find there compo-
sitiOns that have been sung or played
ana proven their popularity, and steal
them. He takes no risk; that
which is popular in London or
Paris in nine cases out of ten will be popular
here. With the new composition Of an
American everything is i'll doubt, and in
the incredible quantity of works constantly
before the public, that of obscure or even
comparatively well known writer's will be
lost sight Of In the case of every compost
tion that is published issuing from an
American pen, there has TO be a special in
ducement beyond its merits as a musical
work in order to secure its publication.
| am not here giving voice to any COM
plant, however just it might be, that works
of genuine merit are discarded in favor of
trivial efforts. 1t is the disadvantageous
circumstances surrounding the fate of even
trivial efforts that am explaining In all
other fields of productive activity it is the
light and superficial that finds the first mar
ket, but in this even that which has in it
the other elements of success has to stand
aside in favor of works of the same order
that have proved a success abroad. 1t was
no less an authority than Oliver Ditson, the
most prominent publisher in this country,
who told me on the occasion of reading two
or three manuscripts:
For their having any chance at all, you
must get your compositions performed
Have them placed in the repertoire of some
well-known artist; then, if the public seems
to like them, we will consider the matter of
publishing them"
The result of this is that public perform
ers, either vocalists or instrumentalistS, are
deuged with manuscripts from known and
unknown composers, and in the event of
their accepting one which is rare, the pub
Usher may then make an offer to the com
poser to publish the composition on such a
basis that the composer Shall bear half the
expenses of the first edition. If an inter
national copyright law were in force, il
would not by any means remove the diff
culties that beset the American composer,
but would allev late them and thus give to
the most popular of his works fighting
chance. +. r. BURTON.