, 1896-07-14

Do you want to be known as a COM
poser Of music? 1t is the easiest thing
in the world.
You may not know one note from an
other, but that doesn't matter. A few
days ago Il representative of The Exam.
liner went to visit n local musician of re-
pute. Before the musician stood a su.
perb young woman. She was whistling.
Her ripe, red lips had on them Il most
tempting pUcker. She whistled a few
notes and stopped. Then the musician,
who was armed with a sheet Of music
score paper and lead pencil, made hier-
oglyphics on the lines ard spaces OH the
sheet. This was repeated several times.
There said the girl, that is ALL"
A sanlonic smile glittcrcd for an in
slant on the musicians face and was
gone. He stepped 10 q piano and played
the melody as it had been whistlcd to
him, at the same time improvising an
accompaniment.
"Well?' said the girl interrogativcly.
She had not the f]aintest idea of har-
mony Or countcrpoint. She could not
sing.
81 must change it some" said the
musician.
"Oh, yes, l expected that" said she.
II furnish tho musical idea and you do
the back work"
Once moro there was a glimmer of
fun in the musicians eyes. lie request
ed the girl TO call again i'll Il few days.
Il will have one Of our poets write
xrCrlsH fg,. - ~ coil L., .t,,,J ,,i,, $500.
come again you can see how you like it.
You Will sec how they go together"
"Of course my name Will go on the
sheet vixen it is pu~blishcd:'
Certainly. Do you want to be known
as the author Of the words?'
The girl blushol rather painfully.
The heightened color made her look
rather moro superb. She was a tail,
willowy brunette, with glowing black
eyes and Il 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 well
groomod young woman" Her cars and
hands were small and aristocratlc. Her
manner, now that she had stopped puck
ering her lips to whistle, was Il little
naughty. Evidently she had not previ-
ously thought about the words of the
song. The McphistophelCan suggestion
of the musician was tempting. His bait
was literary as well as musical distinc-
ton. She took it all, musical and liter
airy, bait, hook and line, with u little
gasp. 1t has been said that sit is Just
as we'll to be hung for a sheep as for a
lamb" and she adopted that view with
little hesitation. When the music sheet
comes out, with u sentimental title,
this rosy brunette will be herSlded rs
both musician and poetcss.
This is not an occurrence
in San Francisco. so it was said by those
who ought to know. \ local music pub
Usher put out n list Of about 800 San
Francisco compositions last year, and.
according to the head Of the firm, very
few appeared rs they were originally
conceived. What appeared to be odd
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 a
stenographer. In fact, be was for the
time Il musical amanucnsis. 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 4 composer, he is verscd 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
into u musical composition. Hugo v.
Schlam of the musical publishing firm
of Broder & 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 isnot difficult forany person
with Il 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 a little story that he desires
to have worked up" into q 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 it. 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 a
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 fight Of
years, Recently he caused u 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
ia that music is published very cheaply.
The cost of 100 copies is only about $50
If the cover Of the music is plain. There
were 60, 900 musical compositions turned
out from American presses last year.
Hardly moro than u dozen songs were q
popular success This need not deter the
unsteady ambitious, who can, if they
hnd the proper place, become composers
while yon wait San Francisco Ex-