The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1889-12-12
SHEET MUSIC.
Something About the Manner b
Which it is Made.
Every Page Printed by Hand-A Wall
Through Big Publishing House-The KinC
of Presses Used-The Engraving Process
An Interesting story.

Ii Inc pusllc Will be as much surprised
to learn how sheet music is printed as
was the writer, this article will be read
with interest. A walk Though the
printing rooms of the largeetfnusic pub.
fishing house in Boston. under the tutel.
age Of its courteous foreman, is full OF
interesting instruction.
1t was into one Of the many ''lofts" il I
which the establishment abounds that
the reporter was taken. One door was
filed with veritabe lacework Of long
poles, placed horizontally, which weres
loaded out of sight with sheet musics
hung upon them to dry. The wh0les
place had the air Of washing dav ats
home, and the reporter involuntarilys
glanced around if perchance he might
get glance Of cold dinner lying about.
GAS fast as the Sheets are printed wes
hang them here over night" said thes
foreman, land then place them betweens
pasteboards and press them flat. Them
they are ready for market. Come upi
inlo the press rooms.
The press rooms are very unlike theiTS
newspaper prototypes. Not a sounds
AOtSb NAi''4Sii W IilEi itiG WIN CDnNt'TStt- Z
ton is heard in them, for sheet music isl
printed all by hand.
Two kinds of presses are used; the oIds
style plank press and the improved on !
% Hress. The latter consists Of a slid
ing table several feet square, on whicbs
are two raised blocks just the size of al
sl.eet Of music, on which are placed thes
plates from which the printing is done.
The plates having been linked and thes
paper laid on them, the printer gives al
turn to an immense wheel, 81 feet ina
diameter, the sliding table slides under al
large roller covered with belt, and the:
paper is forced against the plate tllua3
giving the impressions; and another revo-E
luton of the " heel brings the apparatus
back to It's origina! position. The plank Il
press is like the OtlAer, except that inH
using it the pl3tes are linked on a bcnchE
and laid Oh The blocks every time an i'm
preston is taken, while with the "D's
press the pl1tes are not removed fromE
the blocks until the edition is run off.
Now, here is q man printing tltles
pages, said the foreman. I'VE prinis
only one sheet at a time, and a man cam
Jake from 1900 to 800 impressions 81
day. This plate, which looks exactly /
like silver, is composed of zinc lead and
britannia, and is made almost exclusively
in New York Every publishing house
manufactures its own ink. 1t can't bel
bought. Ii is very particular stuff ands
must be made just SO. and it is vcryi
delicate matter to make ana take care oil
it, This title page has been engraved bys
hand. The design is sunlen you see.t
When engraved the plate is put on a hoti
block, and beeswaX is melted into theI
design. That, too, is ticklish matter
Ii we wipe it off too soon, we spoil it !
and if we let it get too hard it crumbles.
and won't hold the ink. Once beest
waved, plate can be used for printing;
for years.
Engraving the music plates is a diff
ferent process, however, from that used.
in making the title page. The engraved
has to have separate tool for every kind;
Of note--half, whole, quarter, rests, etc.I
Ills outfit costs $500. He does not carve.
into the plate as wood engravers do, but;
stamps out each note separately with al
hammer. You can imagine what nice
work it is to adjust the tools lust right
and how hard it is to engrave sheet OF.
music"
The reporter watched the process oil
printing, and saw something like this
After the plate had been fastened to itsss
block on the press the printer inks i'll
with hood roller, just as other printers
ink their type in taking proofs. He thenE
wipes the plate carefully with cloth /
the ink sticks TO the beeswax, whicl
covers the design or the notes. and the
rest Of the plate is comparatively clean
A second wiping with another rag leaves
all but the design shiningly clean, the |
paper is laid on, and the great wheel, re-
volving soon takes the impression ands
returns the printed pages to the printers
hand. The plate is then wiped again
reinked, rewiped twice, and, in fact, un
dergOes the same process between eacl
impression.
at is a curious fact" continued the /
foreman, that although this work is al
done by hand the printers never touchs
the paper, A piece Of pasteboard i'll
folded double and used as holder, andE
with that the printer handles all hisE
sheets, ard never lets his inky hands,
come in contact with them.
Isn't music printed from type some
times?' asked the reporter.
Yes. When we want to run off al
large edition Of some cheap stuff, books
or something Of that sort, we set thtI
music up in type, stereotype the pag(s
and print from it, just as YOU newspaper
fellows do. But the work isn't as hand
some. and, besides, there is some music
written hat can't be set up with type"
All music plates after being used aress
stored in iircpgoof vaults and indexed forE
possible future use. The foreman statesEs
the curious fact that in the great collec-s
ton Of which lie has charge there arei
more pieces OF music whose names beginss
with than OF any other letter, while4
the M'sare a close second.-BostonG lobe.s