New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
,IlISIC OF INDUSTRY
ntrH CITY Has ITS
DOMINANT TONE.
r~r York Has Varying Song
for Different Hours,
Expert Says.

,oets speak OF the music Of In
Grand symphony that rises from
Gu o,d forge. from city streets and har-
p -,,e fields They tell OF the boiler
.--,ss compelling rhythm and point out
hsauties Of a locomotive exhaust when
uv u.s. freight on an up grade They would
p-..5e poLI-..s Us that the stock ticker purrs g.
e,.ur,f,,I melody. as of crickets In Already.
+,,at the clatter OF the milk wagon at
N contains germ OF harmony re-
- the grateful honk OF the sutomo-
-. snd the refreshing Jar of fiat wheels
= .-oIIey cars. The average man forgives
-. met who thus rhapsodizes. because he
.Ls,ts Il Is natural for poets TO cook the
..s+e 10 suit themselves and because he
: mt averse, on general principles, TO
,r+,ruistic Interpretation OF his miseries.
.sNusic7' oisgustedly echoed one practi-
=, nan when the subject was broached TO
-, Say, I've heard all the rackets of
-s,sl,zation. and, by George, they're moth
,-g but q gol-dinged. ear-busting, heart
r-saktug nervous prostraton noisel Take
30. from me. The orchestra Of Industry
-,.-s Iike-you know what There's no
-,cre music IN Il than that Gotter-some-
..srr of Wagner's arranged for Chinese
.o-obestra. whiCh am told they did by sub
.-i.uting frying pans for the violins and
Isnrths OF stovepipe for the wind instru-
uents.
However. the practical man is at least
hsIf wrong and the poet is at least half
-lvb. II Is neither metaphor nor hyper
tols 70 speak Of the music Of industry. IN
,,s--v Is "chock-a-block' with pure musi-
-.l SOUNDS. and the only trouble is they are
Generally somewhat mixed and it requires
. trained ear 10 pick out the sounds from
he noises. The difference between a musi-
81 sound and 9 noise is IN the elements Of
-se-ilsrity and speed Any noise that gets
=, It's gait II a regular way until the Vi
t-s+ions blend in the ear becomes q sound
.bst has its place in the musical scale. II
&c t-ue there is much anarchy and disso-
-suce II industrial music. But there are
many well written passages, and there is
81 immense possibility of tuning up the
,,dusr-iaI orchestra so as 70 produce SYM
-bouic effect beyond the sIblimest dreams
:, meets. The time may come when gov
,-ment Inspector of music viii go about
ming factory and ferryboat whistles TO a
federal pitch, arranging typewriters in hfths
and octaves. causing automobiles TO honk
,be Dead March IN Saul as & warning
II pedestrians, having baton welding con-
suc1ors to guide the harmonies Of riveters
q steel bridges and buildings. supervising
ne gay or stately melodies produced by Ia
Dor il every workshop
EAs "AssAYED" NOISES.
The present status Of the music Of in
eusr-y and civilization has been exhaustive
II studied BY an expert whose discoveries
gre for the first time here presented 10 con-
found tie practical and comfort the poeti-
csl The expert. William 3. White, editor
Of the technical department Of 1.-The Music
Trade Review has been going up and down
the land with q tuning fork and
keen ear. assayiDg the nlulutudinous sounds
of cities. the harmonies OF sawmills and
machine shops. the roars OF nobs and the
sh-ieks Of river traffic on foggy nights. Re-
Eardless OF danger 10 his ear drums, he has
penetrated into infernos of sound and has
scientifically located the fundamental tone
and al the host Of overtones that fy up
ward Ike startled pigeons from the roof OF
E barn
NJ White knews tone as the average
nan knows where he keeps his cigars He
esn recolIect almost any industrial tone
,ha1 be has ever heard and can write II
down on the staff. incidentally he is q
music lover and prefers Beethoven 10
boiler factory. likewise TschaikowsBy TO
thrashing machine In the following an
slysis Of industrial music by the expert the
roaes are designated upward from the bass
end CT The piano. middle c being C3. an
ocrzTe higher C4. and so on.
The musical tones Of large cities, pro-
duced By an anal lgam Of wheels. feet, hoofs,
whistles and voices, are generally alike, yet
efficiently distinctive. There is a ground
tone z Ertle more than an octave below
middle and a sUperstructure OF higher
sounds which are often complex In the
early morning hours there is no fundamen-
"a note. orlv series Of dissonant over
tones produced by the festive milk wagon
and the street cleaner AS traffic increases
EeE York strives toward musical self-ex-
preston. and a. midday she bursts into the
nsropolital hymn based on the fundamen-
Il OF 40. an octave above is also heard.
han al Irregular series Of dissonances,
shading a the top into an absolute unnusi-
"a Shrek Don't blame New York for the
shrek; sle r-Obably gets hoarse at the
climax. The best place 10 get the ground
-one Is ~ Broadway and 23d street, but II
might not be advisable 10 let a policeman
aatch you with your ear TO the pavement
a. this point
The quality Of Gotham's tones varies i'm
nenseiy. 2 vcu seek purity, you must
ascend 70 The tops Of Office buildings. when
mort n the dissonsnces VIII be purged
away AZ the TOP Of the Metropolitan tower
ne high overyones disappear and you hear
clear Al with humning organ diapason
eject When ire merry reveI IS on in the
White Light district at night New York,
Strangely enough. fats her Az. We would
S@pect her 20 ger shrin and sharp with the
VS. Of Ldlarity. The reason for the hatting
NE great auto traffic, which gives forth
nuul Ike the 32-foot pipe Of an organ.
sa-lng above the hum are Straussian over
ones. due 70 elevated trains and fat wheels
% cars When the pleasure seeking throng
-ss |ended horneward from the lobster dis
t'a AZ becomes natural. gradually rises
z NE Ecaie. wavers and disappears in the
'Il gray dawn. Even a tone gets tired
@e must have some rest after working
q uep speed for more than dozen hours.
LoNDoN'S TONE LOWER.
Dondons tone. owing 70 deadening wood
pefeinents, heavy atmosphere and a lack
= trolley cars. is placed al D, below New
III Half a century ago our own city
go lover and simpler fundamental. with
oFeTtones. We are all the time get
s higher IN the scale. along with i'm
'einents o.snts in civilization, and are devel-
,--s more dissonance, shrillness and over
1here is a separate metropolitan
e. o~e ~Alch has its lair in the wells OF