The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-18
THE MAKING OF music
AFTER COMPOSERS ARE THROUGH
THE MECHANICS TAKE A HAND.
Occupations Afforded by the Produc.
ton of sheet Music-Openfngs
for Intelligent Girls.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
The production of sheet music Is bust
ness in which women take unimportant
Part, engraving a considerable proportion
of the manuscript. sorting and folding the
individual pieces for shipment. and design
ing frontispieces and fancy headings, both
for loose music and that collected in vol
umes. Much of the very cheap music now
popular is produced from type and plates,
but all composers of reputation demand
that their manuscripts be hand-engraved.
The first cost OF the type process exceeds
the expense of hand-engraving; only the
convenience in duplicating the former
makes 1t profitable. Music printed from
type. however. looks common and inferior
beside the hand engraved The best hand
engraving is much sought after, and men
and women skilled at the business never
lack occupation. Germany boasts the larg-
est number of trained women music-en-
gravers of any country, and a numper of
these craftswomen have migrated to the
United States. The larger part of the sheet
music brought from London and sold by
the American publishing houses is the
product of women's work Philadelphia has
more women and girls employed in music
engraving and printing houses than any
American city Boston and Cincinnati also
employ great many in music manufac-
ture, and several of the best New York
engravers. who fill orders at their own
rooms for the publishing houses have only
women assistants. to whom they have
taught the trade
The drawing and cutting-in of the must
cal characters on the plate directly from
the manuscript is almost a mechanical per-
torrance, but much tact and musical intui-
ton is necessary to produce frst-class
work. Nearly all the manuscript sent 10
the engraver by amateur composers Is i'm
perfect. and the accomplished engraver
must be able to recognize all faults and
omissions and correct them. Every reliab BILE
publishing house has a professional ar
ranger, who revises the crude manuscript
before II is sent to the engraver Such
manuscript is easy OF rendering. but where
no such person Is employed the intelligence
of the engraver must be depended upon
The signs denoting expressions often have
10 be supplied repetition marks inserted or
repeated. rest" put in to reconcile the
time, and other editing done. In fact the
skilled engraver of music-script must be
good proofreader and music editor as well
as a mechanical workman. Often she will
contrive to have the "rlrn" bar at the foot
OF page of music fall In a more con-
venient place than the music writer ar
ranged for and otherwise to mold the
copy.
MUST UNDERSTAND MUSIC
If girl is proficient as an engraver and
is not versed in music principles sufficiently
TO perfect her copy" her value is less
ened. Owing to the number of words TO be
fitted to the music. song engraving calls for
more skill in the execution than does in
strumental music AS the plates are worth
a good deal in themselves. no girl taken as
a beginner receives wages for the first two
months or so. And. however earnest or in
dustrious, no girl is given the chance to
learn music engraving unless she knows at
least the rudiments OF music. After initia-
tory practice. If she evinces talent for the
work her salary is 50 a week AT a later
stage she is allowed 10 do the filling in of
transcribed plates or set 10 making rests
the slurs, the clefts pedal marks-any Of
the more unimportant work that has been
left purposely for her 10 do in order TO
give her confidence When she gets full
command OF her epgravers tools q whole
manuscript Is intrusted TO her and her
earnings amount 10 $40 week N a girl
of this capacity is industrious she can
engrave nine or ten plates a day start
ing work at $3.50 o'clock in the morning.
resting hour at lunch. and quitting
her bench at $780, A girl who is neat and