The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-05
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director,
Washington, D. @.
THE MANUFACTURE OF JAZZ.

work of organized experts. Their
various parts are created and assem-
bIed with the same speed and me-
chanical perfection as motor cars.
Who wrote the song hits of yeSter-
year? In all probability not those to
whom they were credited, but nobody
remembers the names OF the authors
anyway-it is hard enough to remem-
Der the names OF the songs.
In these restless times the life of
popular song hit is scarcely longer
than the life of a toothbrush. 1t wears
out quickly under intense pressure,
and the public is ready for a new one.
Enthusiasts like to buy half dozen
songs at one time and play them in
| cessantly for perhaps a month, sup
plementing their own efforts on the
family piano with photograph records
of the same tunes. At such merc1lesS
repetition even the most sympathetic
ear is certain to rebel, so that 1t is not
long before the jazz-wranglers weary
of these melodies and replace them
with five or six new numbers.
In the face Of such an enormous
and ever changing demand, the indie
pendent song artist could not nope to
survive. In his place have grown up
large Jazz factories, capable of pro-
ducing and marketing many songs a
year Irving Berlin, for example, who
used to write his own songs in the prt-
Vacy of his own home, now has large
and sumptuous jazz factory, contain
ing twenty-five s6und-proof studios
and employing a staff of 175 persons.
In Mr. Berlin's plant. it is true, the
usual factory atmosphere is obscured
by decoration. The studios are fin
ished in mauye and French gray, with
carpets an inch and quarter thick,
ivory wicker chairs upholstered with
lowered cretonne, wall friezes depict
fnC ITVn
mood, and soft, inverted lights. With
these concessions to art, the routine
of song production proceeds as brisk
ly as any other business
This includes two important tasks,
according to Mr.. Saul H. Bernstein,
general manager of the Berlin plant.
"One is to take the germ of an idea,"
he says, ''synchronize it to the tempo
of the hour, and make it into a tech
nically perfect song hit. These ideas
come from two sources-the staff
writer's and the inspired outsider"
Building a Song.
Suppose you belong to the latter
class. You write a set of verses which
you think would make a snappy song
You take it to Mr.. Bernstein.
How about the me1ody?" he i'm
mediate4y asks you. Got any ideas
for that?"
You believe you have. Accompany
ing him to his private, proof
office which contains a. grand piano.
you whistle a few bars into his critical
ear Listening attentiveIy. he grad
ually picks out the melody on the
piano until the substance of a con-
nected song appears. Then he pushes
button and staff writer comes in.
Mr. Bernstein goes over the melody
and words with him a couple of times,
after which you and the staff writer
adjourn to another sOund-proof room,
where you devote the rest of the day
to perfecting the manuscript.
Then this first rough draft" ex-
plains Mr. Bernstein, goes to another
staff writer, who makes a technically
perfect piano arrangement; to another
who makes a vocal arrangement; to
another who makes an orchestral ar
rangement; to another who arranges
it for dancing and still another who
arranges it for a band. It is the work
of still another staff writer to inn
provise various cues and gags for it,
so that it can be introduced into
vaudeville acts.''
When the story energies from this
process, a finished product which is
the work Of half a dozen men, it is
ready for exploitation, in some re-
spects the factorys most important
task. Thirty thousand copies of the
song are printed and distributed to
10000 orchestra leaders in all parts of
the country. The vaudeville trade re-
ceives $4,000 professional copies. Spe-
cial statesmen must interest vaudeville
principals in its use. The rights of
mechanical reproduction must be dis
posed of to talking machine and player
piano companies. The song must be
extensively advertised in the trade pa
pers. All of these things must be
attended to before the factory's sal les
force enters the music store field.
An important item in marketing a
song is its cover. Songs with a wide
popular appeal are not nearly as nu-
merous as they used to be. 1.-The Love
Nest and whispering" which were
distinctly of this order, were only two
out of dozens of songs marketed the
same year. But these other songs sold
moderately well, in spite of their lack
of charm. probably because they Of
fered something new and because of
their attractive covers. A good cover
contains the title of the song in large,
clear print and an extremely simple
design. A wholly black cover with
the title in large white 1ettsrs has
achieved great popularity. while yell
low is also apt to attract the attention
of the public.
Songs That Sell on Their Looks.
There are some songs, known to the
trade as counter songs" which sell
altogether on the merits of their COW
SIS- 4A1ty are So ldChlnS III appear
that no one expects the buyers to sing
them, yet some of them have achieved
a sale of more than 100000 copies.
much to the gratified amazement of
the publishers. The counter song,
may be anything from a fox-trot to a
sent;Eae entail ballad, but it is always
something which has cost the song
factory very little-probably not more
than $50. paid to some poverty
stricken hack.
The name cover featuring the au-
thor of the song and sometimes in
Guiding his likeness, is temporarily
out of. fashion, for it has been found
that with the exception of one or two
familiar names like Ernest R. Ball
and Irving Berlin, the name of the
writer on a cover-is merely a waste
of print. The public does not see IL.
Furthermore, as has been intimated,
names are handled rather carelessly
by song factories.
staff writer's says one song
writer. put their names on many
numbers which they may have heard