Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-14
MUSIC THAT MAKES FUN.
Mr.. Hub Smith Discourses Upon the
Art of Writing Comic Songs.

Art or Writing Comic Songs.
a SES, the writing of comic songs is
w purely spasmodic art" said Mr..
~ Hub Smith, author of the deathless
"Tale Of Vice." to STAR reporter
- the other day. Il never think of
sitting down to write song The spirit just
comes upon me and dash it off, On an aver
age it takes me about fifteen minutes to pro-
duce comic song, if / am in the humor for it.
Take the Song That Breaks My Heart for in
stance. The way came to write that was this:
81 had been made exceedingly tired by peo-
pie who asked me if it was really true that
sold the Tale of Woe for SIS; there was hardly
an hour in the day for months that new &C.
quaintances did not put this query to me.
Now, it happened that my friend Morsell, the
tenor, and 1 were both to sing at a dinner
party of the Gridiron Club on a certain night.
1 could think Of nothing new to give the boys
and told Morsell that 1 thought l should have
to fall back upon some chestnut. He said that
he was going to sing pathetic ballad entitled
The Song hat Touches My Heart. l left Morsell
and on my way home met man who asked me
the old question as to whether l had really
fatigued this oft-iterated inquiry made me and
he replied that he should think such a sacri-
fee would break my heart Going along to-
ward Paradise Flats this phrase hung in my
mind in connection with the name of the song
Morsell had spoken Of singing. An idea struck
me and by the time 1 had reached nv house
had the air in my mind which is now that of
the Song That Breaks My Heart
Upon reaching my room with the jingle
in my head / sat down at the piano for
moment, ran it off on the keys, and then,
standing up by the side of the piano, l wrote the
whole song on a scrap Of paper placed upon
the instrument including both words and music.
That night sang the thing at the Gridron
Club and sold the song to Morsell for SIS be-
fore left the dining room. L asked Francis
not, because he said it reflected upon the
Tale Of VICE. which was the best comic song
he ever had. So took it to Russell of the City
Directory, and he made great hit with it.
HOW 1T Is DONE.
'My way Of writing comic song is this:
have little vase, into which l put all the
scraps of good humorous rhyme that can find
in the newspapers and clip out. Never do
think of going at the thing as if had SO much
work to do. On the contrary, wait until a fit
seizes me. I get home in the afternoon after
my days work, let Us say, and happen to have
nothing on my mind to bother me. The
humor catches me and pitch into the vase
at random, taking out the scraps of rhyme one
by one and trying if l can find anything
that jingle will set itself to in my head. May
be / will try a dozen before / strike a tune
that l like. Once having caught one l sit
down at the piano and play it. After
have written it out it may turn to be a good
thing or a bad one. If it is good l send it
to music publisher and offer it to him
for so much money and a royalty. When
l began TO write songs l was very will
ing to receive from the publisher whatever
he thought the merchandise was worth,
i
what have to sell. A really good comic song
l ask $50 and a royalty for. The royalty usual
is 10 per cent on all copies sold. Suppose the
song is retailed at 40 cents. l get cents a copy
which may mount up to good deal if the thing
proves popular success. The first 800 copies
printed are sent around complimentary to
the newspapers and to the publishing houses
which latter returns favors Of that sort in kind
SO that there is among them sort of exchange
system. To introduce song to popular
notice, the most desirable thing is that it
should be sung on the stage by min
strel or opera comedian. Therefore the song
writer does his best to induce some such per-
former to take up his production. No very
great musical skill Is essential to success in the
field of comic song writing. There are men
who produce successful songs by whis-
ting the tunes for some one who knows how to
write down. 1 often sit down at the piano and
improvise jingles by the hour, and that sort OF
music is always running through my head
and that is that it sells much better than music
of a more classical order.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN J1EaLEs AND MUSIC
"1his interesting fact is not at all relished
by musicians of the higher grade. They send
their MSS. to the publishers and in almost
every case it is returned with a polite note
saying that not one song in 1000 pays for the
cost of publication, and that respectful de-
ciination is unavoidable. we recognize the
merit of your production says the publisher,
but we cannot issue il unless YOU
will pay the cost Of publication The
successful writer Of comic songs has no
difficulty in vending his wares, and the
chances are that he gets royalty even on the
first three hundred copies, which is not ordi-
narily the case with published music Of other
sorts. / met a swell musician at a dinner once
and he got quite excited in discussing the
trouble of selling good music. 'How in blank
he said to ME, do you get money for your
blank jingles when we musicians are actu-
ally obliged to pay, by CAD! for having our
work printed? I replied that SO long as
things were as they were l was very well
satisfied to stick to comic song writing and leave
the work of classical composition to more dis
tinguished composers. By the way am go
ing to New York in the fall, with q view to my
contemplated debut upon the stage, and Para
disc Flats on street, which have been for
three years past the happy home Of several
jolly bachelors, will break up. don't know
what the fellows will do; but dare say they will
go and get married or something"