Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-25
INTRODUCED SONGS.
MISS R0sINA v0KEs DEFINES THEIR
VALUE TO A PLAY.
Melody Sauce for Momus-The Custom
is Not of Modern Origin-A Song
That Prevented a Fire Panic.

is to be highly theoretical dissertation on
songs.
Oh, no. leave the theory to more
erudite beings. My interest is only with
the practice. And it is practice as gen.
eral as eating and sleeping and any other
| of the functions that are pleasurable neces-
sites of human existence.
"Songs! All the popular songs Two
for dimep' / heard man shouting the
other day, and it Immediately placed me
in philosophizing mood.
Is there any limit to them? Children
of all ages yell them with fiendish glee,
and though the noise may shock the nerves
| for the moment, we cannot help feeling a
thrill of nature at the innocent outburst
Old women Groom them at their daily
toll; even roysterers pause in their rough
| mirth to chant the praises of "Annie
Rooney" or the woes of that now histori-
cal hero, "McGinty."
And, in the theater, nothing "fetchesn
the audience like song, SO why shouldn't
they be introduced?
ne Ouiy qucotioh iS3 ~" anu WHICH W
| introduce them.
| play is by no means of modern origin, for
| in every one of the very old plays the cast
| of characters shows some one part thus:
| "Timothy Wilkins with song), Mr.. -"
| At times there were members of the COM
pany distinctly engaged for such "lines of
business" as singing Juveniles" singing
chambermaids," etc., etc. Where are the
''lines of business" now? Alas! it would
be hard to prove what an actor or actress
is nowadays engaged for, unless it be for
some special part.
But in the days whereof l speak, the
song was invariably part and parcel of
the play, written by the dramatist him
! self, and strengthening the dramatic stu
alton.
| At present introduced songs more often
destroy the dramatic situation, or, at any
rate, materially retard the action. But 1
| do not profess to have any very strong
| views as to whether the introduction of a
song is beneficial or injurious to play.
That depends rather upon the play or the
song itself.
For instance "After Dark" and pieces
of that caliber, have concert hall scene
or something of that kind, wherein it is
not only proper, but absolutely necessary,
| to introduce songs or specialties of all
kinds. In fact, should hardly call these
! "introductions," because, being demanded
by the situation, they become actual COM
ponents of the play, and the comedians
warbling is as necessary as the lovers
| frenzy or the knavery of the villain.
| But where the interpolated song be-
comes an ill-advised vehicle is where it is
| introduced simply because the actress is
also good singer or that the singer is
only mediocre actress, yet of sufficient
| drawing power to compel the manager to
| ''fatten" her part with song.
| Oh those mournful ballads that the
heroine sometimes indulges in, when the
orchestra interrupts the sentiment and the
actress steps out of the frame and spoils
the picture. Strange to say, this song is
generally thrown in when the audience is
most interested in the dialogue. The
auditors are settled down to the conviction
that ''the plays the thing" when the ac-
tress suddenly insists that "the song must
60" 1t becomes pitched battle between
the two, and of course the audience get
| the best of it. If they don't shuttle, they
l
show that the song may be very pretty,
but it's out of place, and they didn't come
to hear it; and it's harder to force any
thing upon the ears of an audience than
to force food into the mouth of baby.
Then the actress wonders why good
song, well sung, never gets an encore.
In an opera, an introduced song quite
foreign to the composers score is perfectly
admissible, because the reigning deity is
vocal and not dramatic; but in play, if
the song is not brought in with some show
treason or appropriateness, have an idea
that it had better not be introduced at ALL
introduced songs may be happy thoughts
to the artist, and they may become I'M
happy Affections to the audience; in fact,
these happy-thought selection may be-
come numerous to monotony, until every
character in the piece has celebrated the
most thrilling deed of valor or the most
ludicrous display of humor with a song.
And the trouble is that very few dra-
matte artists really sing well. The voice
may be powerful, may be sweet, may be
fine, but it becomes "set" with continuous
| talking, and has not the peculiar fexibil-
ity that good singing requires.
| That is why the introduced "comic"
song is most available, and / must say that
it is taken full advantage of. and fire.
quently dragged in at the most inoppor-
| tune moments A whole dramatic house
hold may be surcharged with grief over
the sudden death of the master or the
cruel murder of the son, and not particle
| of sorrow infects the soubrette slavey. She
! tells the audience all the household woes,
and then does a morgue-like song and
dance to cap the horrible climax.
Or, an actor returns Tin character, of
course) to the home that he has wandered
away from many years ago, and is met
with relation of misfortunes that would
stun any ordinary man out of all sensibil-
ity. But no. as his friends leave him
friends (stage friends) always leave you
directly after they have told bad news
he places his hand to his head and deliv-
ers himself something after this wise:
'Gone! gone! all gone! The old folks
who tended me- the little children that
helped me while away the happy hours;
the friends who shook me by the hand
and praised my budding manhood: the
money that should have been mine, but
now is his-his, the hateful villain who has
$40, 900 while have not penny. Well,
it's no use crying over split milk. There's
no one about, so Pll relieve my feelings
with little song and dance"
Upon which he proceeds to sing of some
girl that's call the world to me-" adding
emphasis to his delight by few acrobatic
steps at intervals, and giving ewing
dance" as an encore to his misery.
Merry Momus is merrier still with
musical sauce to season his dramatic dish !;
but Merry Momus is very hard to manacle.
He takes liberties that would be tolerated
from no one else. Suffice it he is funny :;
how he becomes so is a matter apparently
Of no consequence.
| l must say that hardly grasp the in
simulated depth Of the much-quoted phrase,
Legitimate comedy" Comedy is humor.
humor is fun, fun is anything that creates
a smile; but it is perversity of human
nature that people smile at Others misfor
tunes. Troubles take on a ludicrous
| light, and woe often provokes laughter.
Perhaps that is why most uncomic song
is accepted as funny.
| The true secret of introduced songs. it
| appears to me, lies in the fact that the
song depends upon the singer. Some
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