The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-25
CHANGING FASHIONS IN SONGS.
IT'S HARD TO KEEP ABREAST or
THE PUBLIC TASTE.
Instance the successful song Writer Who
Has Just Passed Through Bankruptcy
Public F1clile, II Profits Are Big
panuIor Styies Saou Wear Out,

Public F1citle, II Profits Are Bis
Popular styles Soon Wear Out
Writing a countrys songs Ia nowadays
almost as profitable az making its laws
il one Ia fortunate enough to write the song
that happens to be the great SUCCESS OF
season. II 1t holds its own for two seasons,
the songmaker will be far more to the good
than the lawmaker. Fortunes made out
OF popular songs are often exaggerated.
however, or the man with longer list to
his credit than any other American COM
poser OF these daily ditties would not have
gone through bankruptcy the other day.
think Of it." said man with two sue
cesses in one year to his credit, think OF the
man who wrote The Letter That He Looked
For Never Came The Notices That Are
Framed Upon the WALL Hero Lies An
Actor Just Tell Them That You Saw
Me- and The Blue and the Gray having
to 60 into the bankruptcy court! That
all goes to prove that styles In popular
songs change and that you've got 30 change
with them or your public will not stick to
you.
There never was greater list OF popu-
lar songs to the credit Of one composer than
this man had But he didn't realize that
he had to follow the change in the styles
Of songs, and he came cropper."
1t looked a year ago as IL the ordinary
coon song had been pushed as far az It
would 60. Composers who had been suc-
cessful in that style Of songs we're turn
ing their attention 10 Under the Bamboo
Tree" as a native African song and Ma
vajo' as an Indian song. But when I've
a Feeling for You began to devastate the
country last February, 1t was necessary
to reverse this opinion.
4The coon songs like 4 Guess I'll Have
TO Telegraph Nah Baby, and My Girls a
Highborn Lady have lost their popularity
altogether" said Theodore Morse, who Is re-
sponsible for i've Feeling for You, ''but
the finished coon song with something
novel in rhythm or melody ia just as much
in demand as ever. But there must be
something novel in the song. Goodbye,
NV Lady Love-. which is also a coon song
of the newer kind, has been just as popular
az any. But the ragtime OF the last five
years il now as dead as doornai
THAT was shown very we'll In the case OF
a song composer who had been turning
out one successful cakewalk song
year until suddenly the demand for
cakewalk music ended. He was wise
enough, however. to see the drift OF taste
and turned his attention to the newer kind
OF coon songs, which resulted in one OF
the most successful of the season.
It would interest some lovers OF popular
music to know that one of the most gen.
orally whistled pieces OF the last year was
the immortal quartet from 'Rigoletto"
with complete change Of tempo. Another
was sprightly combination OF the 80 called
~ FalQt" and Johnny.
Get Your Gun" The composer OF that
sold 1t for $4,000.
Another recently put on the market is
made up largely OF Liszt's second Rhapsody.
These pieces have enjoyed tremendous
popularity, and in one or two cases have
been attributed to well known persons,
although they were really written by men
| In the employ Of the music publishing
houses which put these s somgs on t the
composer OF several OF these songs Is a
popular music hall singer, and she puts
into all her contracts the condition that
to s the , xsndey se Res as the
final orchestral number which plays the
audience out shall be Of her own com.
position. She, Of course, writes none OF
them, but they are supplied to her by a
music publishing company that pays her
for this service. She sings during her act
both the song played as an overture and
that which the audience hears last. BY
this means at least two songs have recently
been made very ,Ic RopiH IN the song makers
business as in others. One popular com
poser knows how to utilize these to the
most profit One of his most successful
songs utilized with very little change Wili
ling?" which was at the height Of its popu-
larfty in 1873. He would never deny that
he used the melody. but would be rather
proud OF his ingenuity in making such
successful use Of old material.
Another composer of 81 cessful melodies
ia now employed regularly by publishing
firm because Of his wide acquaintance with
the older operas. He was for long time
in music store and II customers VINO could
remember only a few. bars of an opera
wanted to buy the whole score. he wa
familiar enough with all the music to te
them what they wanted.
1t Ia not only the composers who have &c
struggle against the charge OF plagiarism
but the the men VINO write the "oros as
well.
Me, -" Mr.. Moore told sun reporter yester'
day, "and have already had letters from
title from them. One was from a man
whose song has not been published yet
1t is to prevent that sort OF thing that one
firm now invents its own titles. using words
which could never have been zen thought o,
by anybody else. That 10 the only way OF
protecting a title.
"What relation to the success Of a SONG
the title or the words may bear, has never
been settled in any but financial way
1t ia definite enough though, in that par
ticular. The man who writes the words o
a popular song receives for his work just
as much as the composer, although mos
of the work falls on the man who writes
the music. 1t only begins for him afte
the song has been accepted He IL usual,
the only one of the trio that plays the piano
and 1t il he who has to play the song TO
soubrettes and anybody else whom HI
wants to sing it. All that the man VIII
writes the words has to do is to come IL
once a week and get whatever royalties
there NAV be for him."
1t should be added in favor Of the fortu
nate text writer, however, that his tasl
ia usually to supply fireworks for the music
and it is not always easy to follow tn
yagares of the composers genius. l
speaks volumes for the poet that no com
poser OF music is ever willing to part com
I pany with anybody who can provide hin
! with suitable words, however easy that ma.
!As a matter Of fact" Mr.. Moore said
athere are many more good composers o
|, music than there are good verse writer's
! So they are always in demand"
One composer and verse writer who hav
!: worked together for long time, mad