Pueblo chieftain., 1921-11-05
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN


New York City, Nov. 2.-American
lar songs no longer arc the products
of lone. gifted individuals, but the
work or organized experts. Their
various parts are created and as
scmbled 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 tho authors
anyway-it is hard enough to remcm-
ber the names of the songs.
In these restless times the lifo of
popular song hit is scarcely longer
than tho life of a toothbrush. 1t
wears out quickly under intense pres
sure, and tho public is ready for a
new ono. Enthusiasts like to buy half
a dozen songs at one time and play
them necessarily for perhaps month,
supplementing their own efforts on
tho family piano with phonograph rec
ords Of the same tunes. AT such mer-
cilcss repetition even the most SYM
pathetic ear is certain to rebel. 80
that it is not long before the jazz
wranElcrs weary of these melodies and
replace them with five, or six new
numbers.
In tho face OF such an enormous and
cver-changing demand, the indcpend-
ent song artist could not hope to sur
yive. In his place have grown up
large jazz factories, capable of produc-
ing and marketing many songs year
Irving Berlin, for example. who used
TO write his own Songs in the privacy
of his own home, now has a large and
sumptuous jazz factory, containing %
sound-proof studios and employing Il
staff of 1l5 persons.
4 al.
usual factory atmosphere Is obscurcd
by decoration. The studies are fin
ished in mauve and French gray, with
carpets an inch and "a quarter thick.
ivory wicker chairs upholstered with
flowered cretonnc. wall friezcs depict
ing tho MUSES. in gay and festive mood,
and soft, inverted lights. With these
concessions to art. the routine of song
production proceeds as briskly as any
other business
This includes two important tasks.
according to MIR. Saul II. Bernstein,
general manager of tho Berlin plant.
"One is to take the germ OF an idea"
he says. "synchronizc Il to tho tempo
OF tho hour, and mako 1t into n tech
nically perfect song hit. These ideas
come from two sources-thc staff
writer's and tho inspired outsider"
BUILDING a SONG
Suppose you belong to the latter
class. You write set of verses which
you think would make a snappy song.
You take 1t to Mr.. Bornstcin.
How about the melody" he Inn
mediatoly asks you. Got any ideas
for that?'
You believe You have. Accompanying
him to his private, sound-proof office,
which contains a grand piano, you
t,t,iStIa f1xp intn his. crit tE1l
ear. Listening attentivcly, he gradu-
ally picks out tho melody on the pi-
ano until tho substance of a connect
cd song appears. Then he pushes "A
button and "A staff writer comes in.
Mr. Bernstein goes over the melody
and words with him u couple of times
after which you and the staff writer
adjourn to another sound-proof room
where you devote the rest OF tho day
to porfccting the manuscript.
"Thcn this first rough draft cN-
plains Mr.. Bernstein goes to another
staff writer. who makes II technically
perfect piano arringemcnt; TO another
who makes "a vocal arrangement: to
another who makes an orchestral ar
rangcment: to another who arrangcs
II for dancing and still another who
arrangcs it for band. IT is the
work of still another staff writer TO
improvisc various cues and gags" for
IT. so that it can bc introduced into
vaudeville acts"
When tho story energies from this
process, u finished product which is
tho work of half "A dozen mon. It Is
ready FOR exploitation. in some re-
spccts the factorys most important
task. Thirty thousand copies OF tho
song are printed and distributed to
10000 orchestra leaders in all parts OF
tho country. Tho vaudeville trade re-
Ncivrs 10000 professional copies
Special salesmon must interest Naudc-
willie PRINCIPALS in its USE. The rights
OF mechanical reproduction must bo
disposed Of to talking machine aud
player piano companies. rhd song
must be extensively advertised in the
trade papers. All of the>n things must
bc attended to before tho factory'r
sJlcs force enters the music store field
An important item In marketing a
song is It's cover. Songs with a wide
popular appeal arc not nearly MS
numerous as they used to be. "Thc