Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21
AUSIC As A HONEY MAKER
Financial Rewards Of Old and New
Composers.
FROM PERJURY TO HFFLUEEcI
Forfunes Realized from Later Day
Operas Contrast sharply with
he seant Returns from
older Works.

LfEs than a century ago Franz Schubert
sold half a dozen Of his best songs for -
cents apiece. after which profitable trans
action he wrote 20 his friend Jeneer: +It's
al over with my journey to GrHtE for this
year. for my ~pecunlary prospects. like
those Of the weather. are downright gloomy
and unfavorable." Today, the tales Of roy
alties paid composers make the profits OF
a Wall street broker seem small by com
psrison. And II Il is not strictly true thai
George Conan makes 1900 a week or Victor
Herbert 10000 a year out OF his music.
the actual figures are big enough to give
color to the story il has oniy just been
announced that the Rome. Turin and Milan
opera sOuseE have each paid Richard
Strauss A.O0 for the bare right to produce
his opera Electra a work not even yet
completed and Of the success Of which
there cannot be any present assurance
whatsoever. Oscar Hammerstein IL re-
ported TO have paid the composer 10000 to
secure the American Ehts Of performance.
Ha2deI the FIRST Paid Composer.
There is no record OF the fact OF paw
ment 70 musicians for their compositions
before the time OF Handel. but be was reg
ulRriy paid for the right to publish his
works For at least eleven Of his operas
he received 3 ~guineas. or about s125 apiece
while the largest sum he ever obtained was
Gle. paid for a setting OF Dryden's Ode.
"AlexRDder's Feast" on hearing that
Walsh, his publisher, had netted over $500
from the proceeds Of one OF his operas,
Handel said. well. you shall compose the
next opera and IN publish IT."
The history OF music is filled with au-
thentic stories of poverty-stricken genius
and It's struggles against starvation. with
only too many instances Of a tragic ending.
While st would be unfair to saddle the
music publishers OF a century or so ago
with the entire responsibility. the roles
they played were not euviable ones. The
names OF some OF them are embalmed in
the pathetic letters Of the poor composers.
begging them 10 accept and pay for their
compositions. Appeals to generosity often
fell on deaf ears. The publisher al times
seemed only too willing TO wait for the
opportunity when hunger should drive the
composer into a corner. where he must OF
necessity accept the pittance offered.
Thus we find the publishing house Of
Schott & Son objecting to paying schubert
the 60 florins he demanded for his great
"ForeIls' quintet as "a too s-xtravaEant
price" and finally getting the work for
half that sum. or about N2. His mAgnifi-
cent trio in E-flat ne sells to Probst for
20 florins 60 kreutEers CO Ap-which sounds
Xix a department store bargain. Small
wonder that schubert's total effects at the
time Of his death brought only about $40.
not enough to pay for a decent burial.
and Moznrt.
Beethoven was while living recognized as
one OF the greatest composers. and yet his
music never earned him a fair competency.
His estate all told amounted to little over
10.0o0 florinE. or about $3.50. His musical
effects were sold at auction after his death
for 1.1@ florins. They included a large
number OF autographs OF published and un-
published works. as wen as invaluable
sketch books. Only today a Leipzig book
seller asks uo.bOo for the manuscript OF his
'Diabelle NariRtions-abou twenty times
as much as the entire lot at auction. A
number OF Beefhoven's letters 20 his pub
fishers are preserved and show the mighty
geniuH. who WAS too proud 10 accept aid
from his friends and scorned the patronage
OF princes. waiting on these men. anxiOusly
offering his wares at reasonable prices. He
writes 10 Probst offering a string quartet
for 10 gold ducats. adding RpologeticaIly:
i assure you. upon my honor. that the
same sum has been RENTED to me for
several quartets-" And he continues: Il