The age-herald., 1901-08-18
FORTUNES IN SONG.
Wealth Gained by the Inspiration of
 Half-Hour.

From Tit-Bits.
 Talk about gold mines, said a leading London music publisher; why, can as- sure you there are scores of gold mines floating on a capital running into six fig ures that do not contain nearly as much of the precious mineral as a single lucky song which its composer may produce in half an hours inspiration. | I could name off-hand a dozen songs that have yielded profit of s5O,o0O each 1 and over, and the copyright of which is today reckoned in thousands.
 Take, for instance, Mascheroni's ex- quiste ballad, For All Eternity" should not like to say what weight of gold avoirdupois that song has yielded, but not very long ago the copyright in 1t | was considered to be worth $11 200, a sum for which 1t was sold by Messrs. Puttick & Simpson, the auotioneers. And yet I believe that very song was originally of- fered to London publisher for a $50 note and refused him. Think of refusing a thousand sovereigns for every one laid down!
 But then, of course, one must remember the risk we publishers run. It is a fact that of every hundred songs offered to
 
 ing and publishing; and a song that will yield a few hundred of profit Is literally ''one in a thousand
 Among songs that have produced more than $50,OO0 in profit I should place first Sullivan's world-famous Lost Chord" This song was substantially composed (under sad conditions, as you will remem- ber) in less than an hour; and for that hours work the composer received in roy alties quite $50,00O-probably the largest sum any man has ever earned in an hour by his brain.
 Compared with this such payments as writers like MT. Rudyard Kipling receive princely though they are, are too insig- nificant to mention.
 Then, again, that evergreen song, ..In Old Madrid, must have brought It's pub- fisher profit of nearly $10O,00O by this time for its popularity was at the flood for many years.
 Among the gold mines should place .'The Better Land," "The River of Years" For Ever and For Ever"
 Good-bye" The Devout Lover" dozen the aggregate profits from which cannot have been a penny less than $3O0. 000 To'V'-
 Among recent favorites which. how ever, are far from suplanting the older ones, such songs of The River of Life. /" Ihe rhBnt or Ages and ".Reautv,s Eyes promise to be quite as rich harvest bringers to composers and publishers ot course, If song has anything in if It IS fatal thing to sell it outright to . pupIsner, as so many composers have | done, to their lasting regret. | It Is old history that Kathleen Mavour- neen' which never seems to lose its charm for the public. was sold for sas scarceiy dare speculate how much inc unhappy composer must have lost by this bargain Some of Mir. Milton Weilinr,s s pest songs changed hands for absurd prices, the composer scarcely receiving s5 for every s1000 made by his publishers l Fancy being the possessor of such a song as Some Day. for $50 and making as many thousands by 1t! Alas! Such chances never come my way. | Nancy Lee was at one time on offer for $50 and refused. although for some years MT Maybrcks profits from this one song averaged over $500 year. That beautiful and ever popular song "To An thea" was. I believe sold for s1O, and some of MT. Henry Russelrs songs, which at one time were in everybody's mouth. | only brought him 1 16O