Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-16


had a popular run as long as they were
sung here nightly III the theatres. The
boys whistled them on the streets and the
ambitious amateurs and musical young
ladies all rushed to buy the songs that had
caught the popular fancy. II is the same
with every topical song, very few live long
after the operas in which they were sunR
have been taken offthe boards. But there
are songs composed by Sullivan, Iostl,
and others, that have a popularity that
time cannot entirely destroy. Whenever
1osti or Sullivan compose the music Of a
song naturally it has a greater sale than
some Of their previous oilorts. The
Lost Chord still has fair sa!e, and
The Earl King is to-day n popular
concert AMI parior song. Some songs
that have been forgotten for years sud
denly come into favor. Rock-a-By
Baby for instance. has been revived
simply on account Of its being sung
every night at the odd Homestead
play. Stephen c. Foster composed some
songs along in the sixties that still strike
the popular chord, such ~ 'Old Black
joe My Old Kentucky Home, and
Others. The music in them Is melody
and the tunes can DO carried by singers
who cannot read music
ado you have many songs offered to
you?"
" Yes. scores Of them are brought in
and reach me by mail every day. About
one in twenty-five is accepted. The
number of young aud ambitious song
writers and composers IN America Is far
greater than any outsider would suppose.
/ have a skilled professor and teacher
who has devoted forty years to passing
upon the merits OF musical com
positions. and as vet | have no
cause to complain of his judgment
He IS conscientious. unpreludiced,
and knows the value Of popular music.
AS soon AS / receive a song set TO music
! give it to him TO try and always abide
bv his decision. ] am no tyro In music
myself and there are hundreds OF manu-
scripts sent IN that | can see ut glance
have no merit. because tue author does
not understand how 10 write music.
Without bars and time mGrked we can
not tell much about a COMPOSITION.
| cannot recall single instance
where song has been rejected
that was afterwards published and
proved . success Errors OF Judgment,
though. can be made, for even III music
there are no infallible standards If a
musical examiner does nothing else ho is
apt 10 fall into ruts. and become a fana
tic on the subject of style IL music. II
be teaches and goes among the people
he is bound TO know what is acceptable
to them. Ii is his duty to 60 to comic
and grand operas and concerts. and IN
deed, to keep thoroughly abreast OF the
popular taste.
Do You have many ladies in your
daily list Of aspiring authors
a great many and most Of them
young. They write r song and set them
to sad. plaintlye music, that would
answer Just as well for funeral dirge or
q Laplander's dance. The songs have n
sad theme of love running through
them, and a 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 wall, but write farcIca
or topical song, and gradually work up
TO pure. healthy sentiment. Where a
young lady has talent for song-muslc 1t
Is generally Of a higher order. The best
song-writers, though, are men, and |
think that is owing to the fact that they
as a rule are not 50 ultra sentimental
Recently a pale young man, scarcely
twenty. came in, gave me manuscript,
and contidentially 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 SOngwrters and COM
posers should remember 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
tive-tinger exercises Is usually given this
grade. Songs have to be composed for
the beginners, the Young people that
are being taught 10 sing and play, and
those who compose should remember
this and not be too waiting in their am
billions. We want song compOsers who
are modest enough 10 do something easy,
with a sweet, simple strain for basis.
AS II rule, 1t is an easy, melodious song
that takes better IN a comic opera than
heavy, difficult arias and bsrocalles.
What would the Woman Of the Guard
have been without the Little Madri
gal and the ballad Were | Thy
Bride ? Dixey's farce play Adonis re-
ceived immense aid from his topical
song, 1T is English, You Know, and
the Black Hussar was made moro spark
ling by the Interpolation OF Oh, hey.
Mama. The style OF the latter song Is
popular still, and Were Thy Bride
is not called for often. 1t is English,
You Know has not been published.
and of course has no sale. IL would
have been more popular If Dlxey had
permitted it to be published He made
a mistake, think, by refusing"
"Of all the songs, topical or other
wise, which hold their own the best -
"The Mulligan series OF songs that
Harrigan and Hart used to sing. They
have popular air and the fact that Har-
rigsn is still before the public singing
new songs each season has a good deal
to do, no doubt with the popularity OF
these old favorites Topical songs come
and go. but the Mulligan series seem to
90 on forever. The secret of song is
not in the pathetic words, but in
the sweet music that carries the
song. Soon after the earthquake IN