The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-07-04

Her ripe, red lips had on them mos
tempting quicker. 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
sheet. This was repeated several times.
"There, said the girl, "that is all. .
A sardonic smile glittered for an in.
slant on the musicians face and was
gone. He stepped to a piano and played
the melody as it had been whistled tc
him, at the same time improvising an
accompaniment.
"Well:" said the girl interrogativcly.
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, l expected that" said she.
81 furnish the musical idea and you dc
the back work -
Once more there was glimmer OF
fun i'll the musicians eyes, He request
ed the girl to call again i'll few days.
81 will have one Of our poets write
words for it,, said he, "and when you
come again you can see how you like it.
You will see how they go together. "
"Of course my name will go on the
sheet when it is publishcd?"
Certainly. Do you want to be known
as the author Of the words?''
Tho girl blushed rather painfully.
The heightened color made her loci;
rather more superb. She was u tail,
willowy brunette, with glowing black
eyes and Il rich olive complexion, ON
which her blush played prettily. Her
attire was fashionable and the fir was
perfect. Altogether she was what Tito
Barnacle would have called "a well
groomed young woman. " Her cars and
hands were small and aristOcratlc. Her
manner, now that she had stopped puck
ering her lips to whistle, was u little
naughty. Evidently she had not prcvi-
ously thought about the words of the
song. The Mcphistophclean suggestion
of the musician was tempting. His bait
was literary as we'll as musical distinc-
ton. She took it all, musical and liter
airy, bait, hook and line, with little
gasp. 1t has been said that 'it is lust
as well to be hung for a sheep as for Il
lamb, and she adopted that view with
little hesitation. When the music sheet
comes out, with Il sentimental title,
this rosy brunette will be heraldcd -
both musician and poetcss.
This is not an uncommon occurrence
i'll San Francisco, so it was said by those
who ought TO know \ local music pub
Usher put out II list of about 800 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 oG@
about the episode first mentioned was
the perfection Of the facilities furnished
for taking down Il musical composition.
The musician wrote on his music score
paper with the speed and certainty of Il
stenographcr In fact, be was for the
time Il musical amanuensis. When the
girl had left him, he became the poor
composer i'll fact.
George ". Hetzel comes i'll contact
with many people who have musical
ideas without musical knowledge. He
literally takes notes us they reveal their
ideas. Being composer, he is vcrscd III
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 talms the idea
INTO musical composition. Hugo V.
Schlam of the musical publishing firm
of Broder G. 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
dictated. 1t is not difficult for any person
with musical idea to get Il song, words
and music, credited to him. When the
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
the words are beyond him or her, and q
paid poet has to do this work. Well to
do people, in the financial sense, and
often poorer people are willing to as
sumo authorship with very little claim
to 1t. Variety singers sometimes adopt
this method of gaining fame
An odd case was mentioned by Mr..
Schlam. An elderly bachelor resides in
San Francisco, who early in life, lost
his childish sweetheart She fell over q
cliff into the ocean. Her body was never
recovered. He was so shocked by the
occurrence which he witnessed, having
just been playing with the little girl,
that he has never married. His melan-
choly has increased with the flight of
years. Recently he caused song-based
on this early experience, the music and
words of which were composed for him
to be published. His name is on the
cover of the music sheet as composer
One explanation Of such phenomena
is that music is published very cheaply.
The cost of 100 copies is only about 500
if the cover of the music is plain There
were GO, 900 musical compositions turned
out from American presses last year.
Hardly more than dozen songs were a
popular success. This need not deter the
unsteady ambitious, who can, if they
find the proper place, become composers
while you wait San Francisco Ex-