The Washington herald., 1922-03-12

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NEW YORK. May lin those
blocks running west of Broadway
in the 4o's are inuumerable build
ings from which the nation gets
its popular ditties. They are cut
up into small rooms with piano
in each. and from 10 in the morn
ing until the same hour at night
hundreds of pianos are being
thumped by coatless young men.
This Is the area which Is known
as Tin Pan Alley. 1t Is a district
filled with jangling tunes and Its
payes are crowded with actors and
actresses who go the rounds hoping
to find some new song that will
help them on to lasting fame.
The dearp OF Tin Pan Alley is Leo
Feist-the man who Is. perhaps. re-
sponsible for at least half of Amer
lca's popular. songs. He Is shy
little man with white hair, an en-
Sasing smile and a heart that beats
for the aspiring young composer.
He has proved himself their
friend. He began life in bitter pow
erty and knows the rocky roads
that lead to success. His life has
been of the theater and he perhaps
knows more theatrical people than
any man in the city.
In other years the music pub
fishing houses were iy-by- night
concerns that sometimes boldly
filched the works of composer
or lyricist. 1t was done brazenly
and the authors had little come
back. Feist was among the first
to build up reputation for hon
a0f ~
He realized that in their success
was his success and the song pub
fishing business today-with very
few exccptions-is as fair in their
dealings as any other great enter
prise. Feist has little to do with
the business end of publishing.
however, in later years. That
Is attended to by his major domo
f. F. Bitner. a live-wire executive
who will cross the ocean in TWEEN.
ty-four hours notice after a song
hit possibility.
The song publishers are as sensi-
tive to new hits as the city editor
is to a news beat" In all the
European capitals they have song
scouts who scour the theaters and
music halls for new material. This
lively competition was fostered by
Feist. He began to spend money
for songs. When George NJ. Conan
wrote over There" it was a hit.
1t was being played all over the
country.
Feist did not think all of the pos
sibilities of the song had been eX-
hausted and so he gave Cohan
$4,000 for it. He began a new
campaign with song that had
been registered as a sure fire hit
and 1t is said made 500. 900 on its
investment. Feist spends the most
of his time at his large estate near
New York-planning new conquests
for the popular song. developing
new composers and lyricists and
studying the desires of the public.
when the time comes for
Dixie" type of song. Feist has the
uncanny way of sensing it and
starting his composers to work.
News trickled into the Feist Offices
one day that in a Paris music hall
a song called Mon Homme' was
well received. Another publisher
had heard of il too. Bitner. Feist's
chief, and the other publisher raced
across the ocean-and. Bitner land
ed one day sooner and captured the
prize-the song incidentally called
and which was sung in last years
Follies by Fannie Brice.
However. II is rare that the Eu-
ropean song hits are popular in
America. The boys of Tin Pan AL
ley know what the public wants
best. Feist is in his late SOS. He
has made several millions publish
ing popular songs. His tastes are
simple and save for occasional
visits to the opera or theater he is
rarely seen on Broadway.
The Fifth avenue traffic police
men are famed for their polite
ways. And so perhaps it was not
unusual when a runabout drew up
along side of one and the fair
occupant asked for a match that
the officer struck it and lighted
the cigarette she held in her lips
but it did disorganize traffic for
a while.