The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-17
A WEEPING STRAIN.
A SONG PUBLISHER TELLS WHY so
MANY FAIL AS WRITER'S.

They Sing IN Sad Weeping Willow
Strains of Lost Hope, OF Disappointed
Love, and Darksome Future = A
Poor Outlook for Composers-Songs
Plentiful, and Only Worth S25 Each
of Best.
(Copyrighted.)
NEW YORK, June 15.-"n a song hap
pens to touch the popular heart there is a
fortune in it."
So spoke Pond, the big Broadway music
publisher, the other day. Then he went on
to philosophizs, and added: 'The majority
of unsuccessful song writers and composers
sing in the sad and weeping willow strain.
Instead Of composing a paean of joy that
celebrates and arouses hope within the
human breast, they sing of disappointed
love, of blasted hope and darksome future.
There are more embryo Manfreds in the
country than anybody outside Of the bust
ness can imagine. But unlike Manfred ex-
istence is sweet to them and they are ire
pressible
"There are two kinds Of pessimistic song
writer's: The Mark Topley type, that COM
pose such songs as "Mother Bury Me Deep
Beneath the Daisies" and who are so san
not daunt them; and the hypochOndriacs,
who cannot be suppressed, but devote a
large amount of time to bewailing the
degeneracy of the age in not approaching
true genius. They forget that the era of
trashy sentimental songs has passed and
that optimism is the key TO success of some
of the most noted song writer's and COM
posers. More depends upon the music of a
song than its words to make it success.
hu eaf 10
frequently catch the popular fancy simply
through the inspiration of the composer and
not the poetaster."
"What special style of song writers and
composers are popularW
Topical songs certainly are the most
popular, and bring in more money than
serious works. The life of even the most
popular topical song though is ephemeral,
and after three or four months it loses
favor, not because the public is tickle, but
for the very good reason that the opera or
farcical play where the song is nightly given
has gone to some other city or been taken
off the boards for another play. 'Razzle
Dazzle The Dotlet on the Eye,' and Read
the Answer in the Stars all had popular
run as long as they were sung here nightly
in the theaters The boys whistled
them on the streets, and the ambi-
tious amateurs and musical young
ladies all rushed to buy the songs that had
caught the popular fancy. 1t is the same
with every topical song, very few live long
after the operas in which they were sung
have been taken off the boards. But there
are songs composed by Sullivan, Tosti and
others that have popularity that time
cannot entirely destroy. Whenever Tosti
or Sullivan compose the music of a song
naturally it has greater sale than some Of
their previous efforts. The Lost Chord
still has great sale, and The Earl King
is to-day a popular concert and parlor
song. Some songs that have been for
gotten for years suddenly come into favor.
'Rock-a-Bye Baby for instance has been re-
vived simply on account of its being sung
every night at the odd Homestead play.
Stephen e. Foster composed some songs
along in the sixties that still strike the pop
ular chord, such as old Black Joe,' my
Old Kentucky Home and others. The
music in them is melody and the tunes can
be carried by singers who cannot read
music"
"Do you have many songs offered to
youg"
Eyes, scores of them are brought in and
reach me by mail every day About one
in twenty-five is accepted. The number of
young and ambitious song writers and
composers in America is far greater than
any outsider would suppose l have a
skilled professor and teacher who has de-
voted forty years to passing upon the
merits of musical compositions and as vet
/ have no cause to complain of his judg-
ment. He is conscientious, unprecedented
and knows the value Of popular music.
AS soon as | receive song set to music
give it to him to try and always abide by
his decision. l am no tyro in music myself
and there are hundreds of manuscripts
sent in that | can see at a glance have no
merit, because the author does not under
stand how to write music. Without bars
and time marked, we cannot tell much
about a composition. | cannot recall a
single instance where a song has been re-
jecte6 that was afterward published and
proved a success. Errors of Judgment,
though, can be made, for even in music
there are no infalhble standards. If a
musical examiner does nothing else he is
apt to fall into ruts, and become fanatic
on the subject of style in music. If he
teaches and goes among the people, he is
bound to know what is acceptable to them.
1t is his duty to go to comic and grand
operas and concerts, and, indeed, to keep
thoroughly abreast of the popular taste.n
do you have many ladies in your daily
list of aspiring authorsF'
"a great many, and most of them young
They write song and set them to sad
plaintive music, that would answer just as
well for funeral dirge or Laplander's
dance. These songs have sad theme of
love running through them, and majority
belong to the class of sentimental songs we
call walters If / were asked to give
advice to the young lady song writers /
would first ask them not to vail, but write
a farcical or topical song, and gradually
work up to pure, healthy sentiment. Where
q young lady has talent for song music it is
generally of higher order. The best song
writers, though, are men, and / think that
is owing to the fact that they, as a rule, are
not SO ultra sentimental
Recently pale young man, scarcely 30,
came in, gave me manuscript and conf
dentially informed me that he had been
called by many friends another beethoven.
His composition did not merit any praise
whatever, and was not even accepted
Song writers and composers should remem-
Der that song music, as well as instrumental
music, is graded from number one to num-
Der seven. Number one is the easiest to
play, and the beginner doing five finger
exercises is usually given this grade. Songs
have to be composed for the beginners, the
young people that are being taught to sing
and play, aud those who compose
should remember this and not be too
vaulting in their ambitions. We
want song composers who are modest
enough to do something easy, with sweet,
simple strain for basis. AS rule it is
an easy, melodious song that takes better in
a comic opera, than heavy, difficult arias
and barocalles. What would tbs 'Yeoman