The Indianapolis journal., 1904-05-15
| NJ

II In" II rdrIt1eS, except IN CllleS ike OHl-
ca.go, St Louis, New York and
Is>yLcN the larger places. Indianapolis
- has music publishing house. al
though few persons are aware of the fact.
1t is situated down in the heart of the city
and is passed by many people every day.
and yet there are few who have ever no
ticed the place.
Possibly they may have in passing seen
the sign which announces that music Is
printed in this establishment. but few ever
realize what this means. The shop is 10
Gated in a Easement and has that fascinat-
ing untidingss about it that reminds one
of a violin makers shop, and the whole
place is surrounded with something of the
same myste.y. But instead of an old man
conducting the establishment, as a person
might imag. ne. it is managed by young
man, who parts his hair in the middle and
IS very conventional in his dress. and
IS perfectly willing to introduce any one
into the mysteries of printing sheet music.
There are number of music publishing
houses throughout the State, but this one
IS the only one that prints sheet music.
The others all confine their work to the
printing of hymns, which are much easier
10 issue than the ordinary ballad or in
strumentaI music.
When asked how music is printed. the
young man. seating himself on a high
stool. said:
In the first place, the printer, while IT
IS not absolutely necessary for him to
thoroughly understand the theory and
practice OF music. and know all about
thorough bass and that sort of thing.
should know enough about music to un-
derstand the rudiments.
LAS for myself now, play a violin, and
the other man here in the business plays
a piano. While neither one considers him
self musician. by any means. we know
enough about time and the general princi-
pies of music to be able to tell when 1t is
set UP right and how it should sound when
played"
When asked If all the printers of music
had to do was to follow his copy. he re-
piled:
COMPOSERS Make MISTAKES.
mo. musie composers are very much like
other authors, in that many of them are
exceedingly careless about putting in the
time at which the piece is to be played. and
they often Leave out numerous little things.
Taking it all in all. setting type for music
is very much like everything else-if man
followed tho copy his composition would be
all wrong, and therefore he is supposed to
know enough about it to supply the missing
links. f.
So continued the young man, 1.-The
printer who! understands the principles Of
music has the same advantages an ordinary
compositor who knows grammar and spell
ing has over the printer less learned than
himself for: 1.-THE man who understands these
things will turn out more correct work.
What methods are used in setting up a
piece OF music? Is it similar to setting
type?" the young man asked.
Yes, he said. There is nothing out of
the ordinary in setting up music If you use
the type method, although there are sew
eral different ways OF doing il.
AT this shop We use the type method.
font OF music type contains about $50
way. except Of course. the he f stick u that ia' IS
used is the same width as the sheet of
music.
"a compoyitor has to do a great amount
OF calculating to get his distance measured
right, for otherwise he will not have room
enough TO get all of the notes in the re-
quired space. The way this is calculated is
70 set the type across the stick. BY doing
this the foundation is laid, and it is an easy
matter to Ascertain whether or not he has
made correct calculation.
Another thing to he considered is that
music type has TO be handled very care
fully. for many of the characters pro-
trude over -he base of the type and If hit
against anything are easily broken or bent;
and thing that always has to be remem-
bered Is that at the beginning of a line
comes the clef. which is followed by the
signature, and after that comes the time
mark. II there repeat dots they are
placed between the time mark and the first
note.
SETTING UP THE MUSIC.
1.-The part of this business that people
often wonder about" said the young man,
''is how much of the piece of music we
set up at oace. We simply set one line at
time because this takes in both bass
and treble. ,and is all the stick will hold.
Now the stick, / viii say for the benefit OF
these who are not acquainted with the
terms of a printing office. is small steel
tray which: the compositor holds in his
hard.
set: eS. for instance, condensed music
that Is. four. parts appearing on two slaves
or one scora. In this it often happens that
the composer desires that a particular
style of his own be adopted. and ii is OF
the greatest importance to know whether
the author has a style OF his own or not.
for we have particular way of setting
this kind of: music. from which we do not
vary unless: otherwise ordered"
rs the type used in printing music put
directly on the presses or is 1t first stereo-
typed2" was asked.
I'm many cases il is stereotyped similar
TO a newspaper. for this is found to be the
most satisfactory way and il makes a
smoother and palmer sheet after it is
"All OF the fine music is Autographed
now. and this method is proving very sue
cessful There are three chief means used
in reproducing music by lithography-
from drawings made on transfer paper. OBJ
tanning trahsfers from engraved plates.
or drawing :direct on the stone. This last
named style. is not now so commonly used.
THE method most employed is that OF
drawing cory on transfer paper and trans
ferring to tAe stone as is done in all ltho-
graph work. There now many facili-
ties which enable the artist to draw copy
on transfer paper with as great a degree
of accuracy and finish some of the more
expensive plate work Special pens for the
making OF black and white notes. for slurs
binds etc. dan now be had"
lis this method the most expensive2"
THE CHEAPEST WAY.
mo. In fact. IL is the cheapest way In
which music can be reproduced and conse-
quenty II IL the most used Almost all OF
the popular song printing OF to-day is frs.
drawn on transfer paper. The transfer Is
placed upon the finished surface of pecul-
lar kind Of limestone. The portion OF the