Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-23
BOOMING NEW SONGS.
Coaching a Singer Task Not With
 out its Special Dangers.

Coaching a Singer Task Not With
 out its Special Dangers.
 Music publishers do much scheming each year to boom their new songs. This year some of them employ coach CTS to take charge of the rehearsing of songs.
 The coacherS go to the halls where the shows are rehearsing and instruct the singer and chorus in the necessary business, so as to get all the merit out of the song. They teach new steps and invent new dances to help out the song.
 Sometimes the tbusiness is copied from last seasons successful musi- cal comedies, but in many instances the ideas are original. Most of the coachers are sent to the cheap bur- 11esque companies.
 Often the chorus Is made up of young girls with little or no stage ex- perience, and not always overburden- ed with intelligence. In order to get any results a lot of patience is need ed, and often in the end the work l has got to be gone over again and again.
 The stamping ground of these ! shows for rehearsal is in the halls on 1 the East Side. The work is in pro- l gress usually from 10 o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock in the even- | ing.
 The publishers representative ap- 1 breaches the manager of the con- pany with the announcement that he l has a number of new songs which he is confident will be the hit Of the show. The manager looks at the songs and then tells the man to go ahead. Sometimes he starts at once 1 He calls the chorus together and l gives a copy of the song to each mem l Der. The chorus of the song is res l hearsed first, and the verses next | When this is done other songs are re- l hearsed until the entire list has been l gone through.
 ''Now, Miss -" says the coacher, | glancing at plump young woman with no voice in particular, @you are 1 spelling the song. You are singing it between your teeth. Now this is the way the song should be rendered, g and then he repeats the chorus or verses.
 The woman usually initiates him to the best of her ability. Sometimes, though, she objects to his criticism. One of these women got back at a coacher the other day with her finger | nails. On another occasion the coacher had to fight the husband of the leading soubrette because he told her that she was too thick skulled and would never do for the stage.
 The husband, who happened to be the chief comedian of the organiza- ton, resented the statement and ask ed the coacher to apologize. When an apology was not forthcoming they fought all over the stage and both were much used up.
 The rivalry between the represen- tatives of the different publishers is I so sharp at times that the coachers clash. The manager Of one of these companies likes to be on friendly terms with the publishers, and some times make promises that he does not keep.
 He may tell the coacher of one publisher that he will use his songs exclusively. He makes the same promise to other publishers, and when the first rehearsal takes place en rival coachers on hand. A row is apt to be the consequence.
 Publishers. in order to get a proper rendering of their songs, often com pensate the singers by furnishing their wardrobes or advertising them in the theatrical journals at their own expense. This may cause trou- bIe between the singer and the mana ger, who may himself have favorite publisher he wants to boom.