Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-02-25
RAGTIMF MUSIC HAS HAD ITS DAY.
1t Does Not Show Good Taste to Applaud
the Strenuosities of Rastime Measure.

June issue of the leading band Jour
nal published in the United States
The .Nfronomc, of New York City:
The inevitable has happened; what
has been forSeen for long time in the
field of popular music, ragtimc which
not so very long ago, predominated +
in favor of every conceivable class of .
music. has met its doom. The public /
is sick of it, saturated with it, so to |
say, and they want something else. !
preferably different and better class
of music.
According to the managers of a
number OF foremost New York hotels,
ragtimc music is dead for good, and
there is no longer a demand for the
tunes that used to cause iig-steps to
come to the feet, accompanied by a
desire 10 set up and do a cakewalk.
According to the same authorities,
ragtime has been shelved to make
way for tuneful airs of the popular
musical shows that last but season
and for the music Of the old com
posers. There is also Il demand for
the compositions of Tobani, Proyor,
Langey, Victor Herbert, John Philip
SOusa and other popular composers.
The death and funeral of ragtime,
according to John Philip Sousa, who
has the credit of being the originator
OF that class off music. is due entirely
to the poor class of the product
turned out in latter years.
Ragtime had the dyspepsia or
the gout long before it died." says
Mr. Sousa, who is now touring in the
South with his band. 1t was over
fed by poor nurses. Good ragtime
came, and half a million imitatorS
sprang up. Then, as 4 result, the
people were sickened with the stuff.
| have not played single piece Of
ragtimc this season. and it is simply
because the people do not want it.
Mr.. SouSa 5 estimates of the popu-
lar taste is the result of observation.
on the tour of his band, and it is
borne out by the hotel and restaur-
ant managers of this city. who have
entirely cut ragtime from their mu-
Steal programs.
a canvass of some of New York S
most luxurious hotels showed that
the general taste for music had en-
tirely abandoned ragtime.
Manager Barse of the Waldorf AS
toria upon being questioned on the
subject recently declared that his or
chcstra had not played ragtime in a
long time. We have always made
it rule to furnish the music our pa
irons wanted. and most of the pro-
grammes have been made up by re-
quest. The people have simply
stopped asking for ragtime tunes.
Boldt, the proprietor. is particularly
fond OF music, and he always super
vises our programmes before they are
played, but he has always been per-
fecctly willing to let the people have
a proportion OF good ragtime when
they ask for it
At the Plaza Hotel Nahan FrankC
said that his clientele did not care
for ragtime, ane he is never asked tC
play it. THE people like high-clas:
music. and are fond of Wagner, Liszt
and Beethoven, among the old com
posers. and Victor Herbert ard JohI
Philip Sousa among the new. The,
like the catchy airs from the Broad
way musical shows while their popu
larity is at its height, but. take i
through, the general public is bein!
better educated in music. and tn
= standard works are growing NOR
popular
Manager Hahn. at the ST. Regis
: Manager Wood 1T the Gotham, ant
D Mr. Muschenheim of the Hotel Astor
t all joined in the same opinion as t
the dearth of ragtime and desire G
people for high-grade music.
We find that our patrons prefe
!, French and Vionncse music" said tn
@ manager OF SherryS. and we have a
imported orchestra to meet their dc
/ Sires. Our musicians know absC
: lutely nothing about ragtime an
e are, OF course. never asked to pla
t it."
Cakewalk tunes have been banishe
from Delmonico's and in their stea
may be heard the pref tiest airs of 1t
;, musical shows and light operas, il
4 terSpersed with music from the gran
opera and the old composers. A tri
?. through Broadway, where the afte
10 theatcr parties always assemble fC
Y supper, invariably shows the san
-. condition to exist at Rectors,
20 Churchill's, Stanley's, Martins, Il
80 Hotel Knickerbocller. Murrays 5, Il
~ College Inn, Marlborough. Imperi
10 and Victoria Hotels, while III Il
~ table dc hotc dining-rooms ragtiu
:. music has been made to take a ba,
seat. LUE +. VERNON.