The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-14

any of his own compositions, relying
chiefly upon the integrity of the publish
ers, and he has no complaint to make of
their treatment of him, having received
as high as 5000 In royalties from one
publisher. &
Mr.. Rosenfeld's latest song that is at
tracing attention Throughout the East
ana west at the, present time is a pretty
little ballad entitled, Sweet EsteIle."
occasionally Mr. Rosenfeld INDUCES in
song or two beneath the dignity OF
love. When he does this he invariably
uses for his text tho, Industrious darby.
one of his late effusions of this kind is
humorously original tale of a darby
mother who wants her refined daughter
to marry ''cuilud gen.man" with a dis
tinguished pair Of whiskers, considerable
gold and some intellect. The girl goes to
her room weeping. When confronted by
her stern mamma as to the cause of her
refusal to wed the gentleman selected for
her, she gives her excuse and plant In
the following chorus:
I NEVER LIKED "A NIGER WITH A
BEARD.
l never liked a Niger with a beard
don't know why, he makes me sigh.
1 IKE 10 nave his money, but oh. he
looks 80 funny,
When gaze upon his face I feel a.
skeered! Skeered
never nked niger with a beard
don't know why, he makes me sigh,
His money cuts no figger, I want a
plain-faced niger
An ordinary coon without a beard-a
plain-faced coonl
Mr.. Resented has made $4,000 from his
SoneS-eaSlly-an lost $74,500 Of Ut on tie
race trsck. He has the ''shrewd face Of a
business man and the gentle heart of a
woman" so Eugene Field once expressed
himself in the song writer's praise.
MI. Rosenfeld says the grea test dllhcul-
ty he encounters in producing success
tul works is the dearth of titles. An apt
title often affords him unbounded scope
for inspiration work, and he frequently
pays from So to $50 for title alone
These he works out at his leisure.
REACH THE UTTERMOS LIMITS.
The popular song is the most pervasive
of all things that exist. No corner of
the earth is too remote to escape the in
sidious advance of a pleasing melody.
In palaces and novels 1t reigns with equal
favor and is played, whistled and sung
with a fervor that knows no lapse until
another enhancing tune comes to take
its place.
The distinction quality that gives a song
success is an evanescent something IN
the melody that kewitehes the ear, and
yet not even the musician can explain
it. The Tilt in the rhythm is there, and
that is all there is to it. No one ever
knows where the next popular song Will
come from, or why 1t comes. The writing
of the song is not 80 much Of an art as
an accident. Some try and try again,
while others, without trying, leap INTO
public favor at single bound There
is no way to find out just what peculla;FT
combination of music and words Will
possess the fatal fascination and become
"a hit"
In this country the fortunate COM
posers who have achieved distinction and
fortune with popular songs may be count
ed upon the fingers. Song writing Is a
Iottery-with few prizes and many blanks.
But the prizes that fall to the lucky ones
who reach the top are like those that re-
ward success in every other line of en-
deavor, ample and worth trying Tor. Inc
actual amount received varies with the
popularity Of the song, from $3,50o to
$35, 900.
AS in other lines there are many songs
that achieve distinct success, but never
become the popular vogue. They remain
piling up and the publishers growing rich.
They are the gems Of song writing, and
remain when their vivacious rivals have
become shreds and patches.
MONEY MAKERS BLOOM EARLY.
The big money makers bloom early,
but soon sink into oblivion from hard
and constant usage. Many of the sue
cessful pUblishersS Of atoday have dated
thelr~sueeess from the publication OF
single popular song. Yet not one Of them
knows toaa certainty popular song when
he sees it. He has to guess at it ana
ed upon it their approval. After this
there is nothing to do but keep the
presses going and gather in the shekels.
:. Everybody remembers the vogue of
and how Charles Harris, the writer and
composer, went from one publisher to
another, meeting failure after failure,
until finally he paid for the printing, ana
cleared $4,000. This rejected song start
ed him in the song publishing business.
Then there is Paul Dresser, the come
dian, who. was travelling over the coun-
try In second-class companies, singing
his own songs. While in New York he
met an old friend fro Evansville, Ind,
who was stranded in that big city. Ores
home, and asked this friend if he could
take a message for him. The friends
voice grew husky, and he looked down at
his tattered clothes, and then said:
Just tell them that you saw me-"
Dresser wrote and composed that pathet>
ic song, and his fortune was made. Then
he wrote other songs, and is now
partner in a big publishing house in this
city One of lis latest hits, which no
one has forgotten, was ION the Banks
Of the Wabash, Far Away
THEY WE'RE EQUALLY FAsCINAT-
ING
Little Annie Rooney and 1.-TWO Lit
tie Girls in Blue were equally fascinat-
ing, and held on for so long that it be-
came painful to get within sound of a
hand organ. The last resort of the pop
ular song is the street piano. The song
that reaches this proud position has
achieved a distinction which comes only
after a financial success.
Kerry Mills the greatest composer of
rag-time tWo-steps in the history of
American music, and the originator of
the rag-time craze, has a snug fortune
of $3.50, GOO, all made within the past six
years from his music. His "a Georgia
Camp Meeting put him upon the high
way to fortune, and he followed it with
''Whistling Rufus and 'Rastus on Pa
rade," with similar success. These and
others Of his haunting rag-time melodies
have placed him at the head of modern
song composers. His income from royal
ties now averages 900 year.
Il Don't Care if You Never Come
Back and ''Take Back Your Gold" help
ed to make Monroe Rosenfeld's name
household word and gave him a COM
potency. ~
Just now one can't go anywhere with
out hearing the enhancing strains of
My Lady Lu," which has given fame
and riches to Edwin S. Brill and Charles
w. Doty. Yet t'My Lady Luz was re-
fused by ten publishers before one was
found willing to risk its publication.
Within three months after it was put on
the market the royalties had reached the
comfortable sum .lOf $4,000, and if ia still