Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29
Written for The Evening Star.

supper parties after the play. And it is the
province Of the orchestra leader to study
patrons.
Your mere musician, the man who loves
music for its own sweet cake and who
burns incense to the masters, is not the per-
son who Will ably conduct the orchestra In
fashionable cafe. 1t Is the man who can
sacrifice his own taste to that of the pleas
ure-seeking public, whose music by it's
brightness and timeliness. will draw Gus
toners to the cafe.
How New Scores Are Secured.
His first duty, therefore, is to keep abreast
of the times in all things musical and
theatrical. For instance. Just before Mas
cagni opened his New York engagement
every orchestra gallery rang with the
strains Of the intermezzo from "Cavalleria
Rusticana." During the stay of Prince
Henry requests for THE Watch on the
Rhine were numerous.
All this, however. Is very simple when
compared with securing the very newest
popular music On the face it would ap-
pear that every publisher would be glad to
have his music popularized. and so they are
when the time comes, which is after the
song has been duly copyrighted and got out
In publication form. But your patron Of
the cafe Is not always willing to wait that
long. On Monday night a song makes a
hit in new production. By Tuesday night
the town Is whistling 1t after a fashion,
and every patron Of the cafe who has heard
of 1t wants it played by the orchestra.
Now, many songs, especially if written
for comedians. are used first in manuscript
form and copies cannot be secured. The
same may be said Of musical comedies
scores OF which are not obtainable for a
week or so after the initial production.
This Is where the orchestra leader finds
himself at his wits end. If he has friend
In the theater orchestra, he has already ar
ranged the matter. His friend decides
al will nhoi,I f3o1y1,
musical palate, writes out the theme Of
each. and from this the musical leader in
the cafe makes his own orchestration and
Is ready directly he learns the piece has
made hit.
If he does not stand in with some one In
the orchestra. he attends the first matinee
performance, and If he fears that a vigil
liant usher may spy his bit of music paper,
he lots the notes Of the best choruses on
his cuff and works them out later at home,
This is easily done because popular num-
bers are repeatedly encored.
One Leaders Ingenuity.
Last winter when a certain English mu-
steal success made its initial hit, the leader
of fashionable orchestra slipped into the
. first matinee, violin in arm, and took a seat
In the front row. When the curtain fell
and the orchestra Of the house dispersed
the leader of the hotel musicians slipped
cautiously into the first violinists chair and
began to copy off the music which is left
on the racks between matinee and night
performances A house employee seeing
MIN thus engaged, with his violin across his
knee, took him for a regular member of
the house orchestra industriously working
overtime. and the leader soon slipped out
OF the theater without being asked a sin
gle question. That night his little band of
musicians were ready with the latest mu-
Slcal craze, and not another cafe orchestra
In town had 1T.
So general is the custom of granting re-
quests for certain numbers that the MAX
ing up OF an advance program is a mere
form. The only time that the leader may
indulge his own taste is during the lulI be-
tween dinner and supper parties
These requests are sent up by the wait
ers, sometimes orally and sometimes in
writing In the latter case. Tip" is not
infrequently inclosed, and some astonish-
ing gifts reach the musicians balcony in
this fashion.
A young man who had been entertaining
generously at supper and had sent up sew
eral requests suddenly bethought himself
that he ought to tip the leader He had
Just settled his bill with the waiter and
fumbled through his pocket for douceur
Tor the musicians The harvest was indeed
light and finally he slipped something into
an envelope, relieved smile spreading over
his face as he sent the waiter scurryfng
toward the musicians gallery. What the
good for half dozen Turkish baths in the
city's most fashionable establishment
A Threat With Tip.
1t was on last election night that a Jolly
crowd Of young men entered the same cafe
to be greeted by the tones of the too too
familiar "Miserere." AS the minor air died
away, a waiter carried an envelope to the
leader, who read thereon these words:
IF you don't play real live Irish mel
ody, Wen put this place on the bum, and
in short order"
With flushed face the musician started
to tear the envelope in pieces when with the
first rip something caught his eye. Inside
the envelope lay a ten dollar bill, which he
had neatly torn in twain. It goes without
saying that the young men heard the Irish
air and the ten-dollar bill received a dose
of mucilage.
In what is known as a family restaurant
where many apartment jewellers take their
dinners each evening, the leader one night
was astonished to receive through a waiter
this note:
"When I am in the restaurant. please
never play Jerusalem or The Holy City,
My little son, now dead, sang these in the
choir"
Folded in the request was a fve-dollar
bill. The leader to this day observes the
request, and the woman, still gowned In
mourning, dimes there nearly every night
Walters, as rule, make ludicrous mis-
takes in carrying verbal requests for GER
tain pieces. Among the titles which after
ward proved garbled requests for the inter
mezAo from CaVdilerla may be men
toned tom OLeary'' and "Corolla Bolla
Cigarro." The most Ingenious take-off on
the famous sextet from Lucia di Hammer
moor" was "suecotach of something or
other" 1t was Jewish waiter who carried
up a request for Holly Boily. and when the
orchestra played "Hurly-Burly" the leader
instantly recognized from the expression
Of the diners face that he had misinter-
preted the title. He made trip in person
to the table and learned that the request
had been for Holy City,.
Northerners Call for Dixie.
Experienced leaders say that thert seems
to exist little or no connection and SYM
pathy between requests and their senders.
A Jew will ask feelingly for Killarney"