The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-07-30
EASY SONG WRITING.
ANY ONE CAN DC A COMPOSER WITH
OUT KNOWING A NOTE.

written while You Wait-galaried Poets
Are In Attendance 20 Furnish the Words.
Xoar Name Goes ON the Sheet.
Do you want to be known as COM
porer Of musica It il the easiest thing
In the world.
You may not know one note from an
other. but that doesn't matter. A few
days ago representative Of The Exam
liner went to visit local musician of re-
pute. Before the musician stood su.
perb young woman. She was whistling.
Her ripe, red lips had on them most
tempting pucker. She whistled few
notes and stopped. Then the musician,
who was armed with sheet Of music
score paper and lead pencil, made hier.
oglyphics on the lines and spaces on the
aheet. This was repeated several times.
There, " said the girl, "that is all. T"
A sardonic smile glittered for an in
slant on the musician's face and was
gone. He stepped to q piano and played
the melody as it had been whistled to
him, at the same time improvising an
accompaniment.
"Well?" said the girl interrogatively.
She had not the faintest idea Of har.
mony or counterpoint. She could not
sing.
81 must change it some." said the
musician.
"Oh, yes, expected that" said she.
II furnish the musical idea and you do
( the back work.
Once more there was glimmer Of
fun in the musicians eyes. He request
ed the girl to call again in few days.
II will have one Of our poets write
words for it, !" said he, land when you
come again you can see how you like it.
You will see how they 60 together. f"
'Of course my name will go on the
sheet when it is published?"
& Certainly. Do you want to be known
~ the author Of the words?'
The girl blushed rather painfully.
The heightened color made her look
rather more superb. She was tall,
willowy brunette, with glowing black
eyes and a rich olive complexion, on
which her blush played prettily. Her
attire was fashionable and the fit was
perfect Altogether she was what Tite
Barnacle would have called "a we'll
groomed young woman" Her ears and
hands were small and aristocratic. Her
manner, now that she had stopped puck
ering her lips to whistle, was q little
naughty. Evidently she had not previ-
ously thought about the words of the
song. The Mephistophelean suggestion
Of the musician was tempting. His bait
was literary as we'll as musical distinc-
tion She took it all, musical and liter
( ary, bait, hook and line, with little
Egasp 1t has been said that lit is just
a. well to be hung for sheep as for a
lamb. and she adopted that view with
little hesitation. When the music sheet
comes ont, with q sentimental title,
this rosy brunette will be heralded az
both musician and poetess.
This is not an uncommon occurrence
. In San Francisco, 80 it was said by those
who ought to know. A local music pub
Usher put out list Of about 500 San
Francisco compositions last year, and.
according to the head Of the firm, very
few appeared as they were originally
conceived. What appeared to be odd
about the episode first mentioned was
the perfection of the facilities furnished
for taking down a musical composition.
I The musician wrote on his music score
paper with the speed and certainty Of a
stenographer. In fact, be was for the
time musical amanuensis. When the
girl had left him, he became the poor
composer in fact.
George w. Hetzel comes in contact
with many people who have musical
ideas without musical knowledge He
literally takes notes as they reveal their
ideas Being composer, he is versed in
the knowledge necessary to make these
ideas practicable He is compelled to
cast the tune for the range Of voice for
which it is best adapted. People whistle.
sing. play the banjo and thump the
( piano at him. Then he turns the idea
y into musical composition. Hugo v.
Schlam Of the musical publishing firm
OF Byoder q Schlam furnished some
Amusing facts Mr. Schlam says that
only popular songs, which are in the
range of ordinary singers. and dance
tunes are composed on the plan here in
dicated- It is not difficult for any person
with q musical idea to get song. words
auu music, creOlteu 10 MIN. Wnen Jne
composition is ready for publication it
has little resemblance to the idea Of the
reputed author Very likely the origi-
nator has little story that he desires
to have worked up" into a song. but
4 the words are beyond him or her, and a
paid poet has to do this work. Well to
4 do people. in the financial sense, and
often uoorer neOple are willing to as
sumo authorship with very little claim
10 II. Variety singers sometimes adopt
this method of gaining fame.
An odd case was mentioned by Mr.
Hchlam. An elderly bachelor resides in
4 San Francisco, who. early in life, lost
his childish sweetheart. She fell over q
cli6 into the ocean. Her body was never
recovered. He was 90 shocked by the
occurrence which he witnessed, having
{.nek hs>an ulavin0 with the little Qirl