Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-28
Jazz DENOUNCED
BY FILM ORGAN|ST
Frank Stewart Adams, of New
York, Attacks limitations
of Goats
WELCOMED BY MASTBAUM

2 yaxz and popular music, fnking. i'm
provising and one-step and fox trot
composing were scored as ineffective, by
Frank Stewart Adams, organist Of the
Rlalto Moving Picture Theatre, New
York. in discussing organ playing for
movie comedies before the National
Association of Organists. at the Stan
ley Theatre today. The occasion was
the third days sittings Of the annual
convention Of the organization.
People don't really applaud popular
music" snid Mr.. Adams. I'm the par
lance of the movie theatre man. they
are just Kidding along. Their bodies
sway to the rhythm Of the jingling airs,
but they look at one another fooishly.
knowing that IL is only a manifestation
OF their savage instincts.
Like a Sick Goat
Mr.. Adams scored in epigrnmmatic
fashion what he termed the vicious
habit Of chromaticnlly smCaring inter-
walls of melody. which he said sounds
like the bleating Of n goat with the
whooping coRgh"
''Organ playing" said Mr.. Adams.
''h now question Of what crimes the
organist can perpctratc without inter.
ference of the police or the Board of
Health.
.'Some only want the latest Broad.
way hits, others only can resort TO
improvising or taking. Some prefer the
growing Of woodpecks and hens and
others don't.
THE use Of effects in comedy films il
an objective process requiring kecner
dramatic sense and knowledge of the
psychology of audiences than any other
branch of Dicturp Dlnyiny
The organist should watch with the
keenness of n bloodhound the effect Of
his playing on audiences, especially
when he tries anything out of the or
dinary. Remember there is a differ
ence between being funny and being
merely silly.
THE organist never gets the laughs:
Il Is the pictures. II the action is not
funny, there is no use of the organIst
making an ass Of himself.
People cannot be forced tO laugh
any more than whipping a mule or put
ting a thorn under his tail will make
him enjoy running.
Get Melodies From Barnyard
COMEDY should never part company
with the elements of music or musical
form.
Some organists evidently sit down
beside a calf or rooster in o barn.
yard or hencoop aud make musical
notatons OF the sounds that they hear.
1T Is sometimes effective to per-
vert the devices Of music, the color and
rythm to enhance the action, the gnyety
Or the hilarity.
The playing of dance mxIsic and
jazz all the time in comedies. is wrong.
There are many better ways Of accom-
panying rapid action than by the play.
ing OF one-steps or fox trots.
Popular music is really ineffective
on the organ. Shere il wave of
criticism against jazz and the sooner
II Is removed the Better.
1--WE are rapidly coming TO a show
down as TO whether picture playinC
shall take the highcst form OF drama,
plus music or opera. or whether il shall
be merely incidental music, az with the
spoken play"
Welcomed by Mastbaum
Jules Mastbaum. head of the Stanley
amusement Co. welcomed the organists
with brief but impressive address
He said he hoped to see the dnv ,hot
the organist would be n feature of every
moving picture theatre Just the same
as the photoplay is. He asserted that
the music was really 10 per cent of
the picture. and pointed out how il
nttcd IN with the story untoldeG and
really told part of the story itself,
He predicted day when organists of
the better class would be ~ popular
that they might travel from city to CITY
and be us much in demand as the pic.
ture. He said ever since he started in
the moving picture enterprise good
music was his hobby This was at
tested, he said, by the fact that the
Stanley Co. employed more organists
than other companies devoted 70 that
form of amusement.