New-York tribune., 1896-05-25
TIE PRINTING OF MUSIC.
A DIFFICULT CRAFT IN WHICH WOMEN
EXCEL MEN.
From The Chicago Record.


Millions sing popular songs but few know what a
page of music represents Just 70 give an idea OF
The %GjeG may hn ae%m Se m srSg tnG Dgset sey fo
10 cents Involves the use OF more than oVH separate
chicago Is one OF the great musical publishing
centres of the country and It's daily output ranges
through az ne grades OF VOCAL ana nStrumenta
literature from the symphony Tor full orchestra
reproduced for the first time from the manuscrpt
OF the Chicago composer 10 the cheapest reprint
OF the newest thing In concert-haIl music.
Woman is on an equality with man In this depart
II OF thc most delicate and annoying kind her
patience and dexterity usually give her an easy
superiority over The men of the guild.
\ composer with piece Of music 10 publish has
rich he may have the score engraved on copper and
printed n II expensive picture or he may
have IL stamped In zane. or a. may be autographed
But Il he Is bent on money making and celebrity
Miss r r. Stewart. one Of the foremost music
compos tors In Chicago. thus describes the art Of
translliing composers copy FOR the printing
when We receive the copy We read It TO how
must be- and how many Of them ought TO be set
one stan to give the piece its best and most con-
rcadcr' counts All the notes. rests. sharps dots,
naturnls grace notes appoggaiuras. slurs runs and
signs and estimates just the number OF ems each
viii require Tho copy Is marked with correspond
ing directions and Is given to the compositor.
boxes. ono for each character. ana the composi,or
must have learned her case perfectly or she will
De- abe 70 make poor hc'dway Win her work.
First she sets the character for the cef and the
erd OF thc stan Then she Inserts The sharps or
ilats Of the sgr ature ana spaces out the stan with
short pieces Of brass rule Next she pieces together
figure. and stan rules to indicate the time
Suppose tho FIRST note of the piece OF music is 4
guarter-note In the second space. with sharp be-
nlls up the space with bits rule to continue
the stan: then she inserts the body Of the quarter
the two types necessary 10 mako the stem OF tho
note and TO keep the stan unbroken. II the Is
dotted. five more separate types must be inserted.
four ,imc onI tenor cef nJlcaed snem 10 coe
IA N f,n Al "A maft off foctit Z
seventy eight at the very least, and more II the
Even the bank spaces between notes represent i've
separate pieces OF type but when the music has long
In paderewskis Minuct the composition is made
extremely difficult. for all the added lines above and
below the staff have to be embedded in a mass Of
'quads' and spaces 50 that the notes may not he
displaced in handling the form or in taking proofs
Is complicated to set in type type. be@aae 'n"S,
all the surs and marks OF expression have to be
htted in between the notes just bricklayer nts
bricks into cornee, only the compositor cannot
chop his type In to make 1t fit as mason can divide
ut takes four or Ave years for an apprentice to
In the business. Women successful at this
They get Just much page for composition as
men are paid, and they make faster compositors be-
cause tner nnggrs are more delicate and their nat
1T is asked often whether have to be musi-
clans to set this type. No. not exactly though II js
essential FOR us to know enough Of theory to avoid
mistakes r ds 10 % ea5sess or ndIstinct copy Com
Influence OF inspiration. just poets do and some
times they put their notes where they should not
he. Correcting proofs Is not pleasant where ths
types are jumbled together ours are so we trv
TO know enough music to avoid errors" "
Music type is made only in PhiladelphIa on tho
side OF the Atlantic and It's il so great thar n
never Is put Il the wear and of actual use on
the press AS soon AZ the proof has been corrected
by the composer the form is sent the cectrotyper
who makes a matrix in wax and returns the form
to the compostor. After that comes the tedions
process OF distributing 5000 types OF 700 different
kinds: This work Is laborious because the electra
typers wax gets into the spaces and sticks all the
types together ~ Wv
Although the first cost OF the Typographical nroc-
ess Is several times great any other n IL tho
cheapest IN the end for when the form has hem
electrotyped II may be reproduced Inrennitev Tor
use on all kinds Of presses and on any kind OF
paper. N u
Next In Importance is the llthographic process
The composers copy is estimated as before de-
tailed and ther Is copied In reverse on a plate of
zinc. First the plate ls put through a ruling en-.
gine. which engraves the five limos OF the staff
Then the engraver. with separate dies and
punches OF steel, stamps In the plate the notes
rests and bars OF the score. The plate Is hammered
on the reverse side until all the "bur" Is removed
The plate contains all the characters precisely the
same az for plate printing. The lines are filled with
thick transfer ink. and the plate is carefully wiped
with swab and potash, From this plate an I'm
preston is taken on paper In regular etcher's
plate press and this transfer In turn Is conveyed 10
inc surface OF thogriphic stone. From this
point the process s the same that used for the
production of posters in color the stones beinr
kept wet with the water and the ink adhernr onlv
20 the characters OF the music N''''