Evening star., 1909-05-30


eye All it wants is something new. If you crave
success, make that your watchword.
Once in a great while author and composer will
write peculiar sort of song that makes hit and
follow it up with others of the same kind. Jerome
& Schwartz did it with tremendous success after
they wrote :" Bedelia y
"Bedeia' y sung in musical comedy called
The Jersey Lily in New York, by Blanche Ring,
and was an instantaneous hit though the play itself
rank failure Miss Ring sang Bedelia after
ward in vaudeville. and made it-well, you know
what Bedelia 1t had an nsidious way about
it which absolutely irresistible. That place in
the refrain, you remember, where it dropped into
peculiar minor strain:
DaI De- Dumpt-Ta, Dumpt-Ta Dumpt-Tal Dumpt-Tai
Da Da' Dunn pt-Ta Durnpt-Ta, Dumpt-Tal
You recall it? That what made this song.
Jerome & Schwartz very cleverly observed this
and followed Bedelia with My Irish Molly"
Rosie" and similar songs, all with that same sort
of minor strain coming Unexpectedly in the refrain
to break the regular rhythm.
As Saviors of Musical Comedy
REDELIA" " leads me to remark that, though there
- those who look down song writers, it is
they who have saved many musical comedy from
dire destruction After Mr. Regular Composer and
Mr. Really Truly Librettist have done their worst to
fit the star and his satellites with songs for the
age musical piece, and it has been discovered that
most of these songs will not do the song writer is
called in He is asked to lend some of his wares to
the manager, without royalty from the production
of the piece, but with the sole chance of emoument
from the sale Of his that its production IN the
piece will stimulate AS that is what he is after.
he very willingly consents to the arrangement-in
cases Perhaps out of the four five songs that
he finally offers the management one will be ac-
cepted
1t goes into the piece and is the musical hit Of
otherwise barren evening. In many cases 1t is
the attraction that draws hundreds of people to the
theater and run for the piece. How often
has this occurred2 Didn't The Ghost that Never
Walked" bring people to see "Piff Paff Pouf"!
And didn't No Wedding Bells for Me- draw thou
sands to see-we whatever piece it incor
porated in?
OF course the men who wrote those songs benefited
by the arrangement but the song writers should
have drawn royalty from the gross receipts of the
attraction well from the sale of the songs them
selves
No doubt you have noticed that in the list Of songs
l have mentioned as being great successes there
many kinds and you wondering what kind to
write. | should suggest that you write all kinds
Oh, yes it is easy to write sentimental song as
comic one; in fact, easier But if you want pre-
scription for successful song general lines, the
seriocomc will do By that l mean song dealing
with love as its central motive. Not one of those
oh How Adore Youi" love affairs,-n nothing
stlted,-but something colloquial, intimate, twen-
tieth century its style slangy love, if you must
of those Cuddle Up Little Closer loves,
" How'd You Like to Marry Me?" effect. Something
pleasant down to the level Of the great and general
public George M Cohan has the secret If you
Conh.lea i9